Blackhawk fleet returns to Oakey for the Australian Army.
June 8th 2025 sees the return of the Blackhawk with the latest variant of the helicopter the UH-60M officially welcomed to Swartz Barracks.
Report: Jaryd Stock
Images: Caelan McDougall
South East Queensland’s Swartz Barracks is once again home to part of the Australian Army’s Sikorsky Black Hawk fleet.
Three of the proven combat utility helicopters have been transferred to the Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey from Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney, establishing the Army’s second UH-60M Black Hawk operating node.
Locating elements of the Black Hawk fleet at Swartz Barracks is crucial to fulfilling Defence’s utility helicopter requirements, and is the next step in establishing a sovereign UH-60M training capability.
After focusing initial support for the introduction of the UH-60M Black Hawks at Holsworthy Barracks in NSW flying with 6th Aviation Regiment, the Army Aviation Training Centre will transfer flying training to Oakey from 2026 and progress to full training capacity from 2029.
Commander of the Australian Army’s Aviation Command, Major General David Hafner, said the continued introduction of the Black Hawk fleet would ensure our Defence Force was equipped to respond to domestic emergencies and future security challenges, as well as support our regional partners in times of need.
“The modernisation of Army’s aviation capabilities is providing our soldiers with the enhanced situational awareness, tactical speed, reach, and firepower required to protect Australia and our national interests,” Major General Hafner said.
“I want to thank the United States Army for their continued support in the delivery of the UH-60M Black Hawk to Australia, and our industry partners at Lockheed Martin Australia for aiding with the sustainment of this critical capability.”
Major General David Hafner details the UH-60M Blackhawk operations to the press at Oakey.
By the end of 2025 the Army plan to have five Blackhawks based at Oakey and that will help support a sovereign training syllabus for the aircraft with pilot training as well as aircrew and maintenance training.
Training Australian army personnel began several years ago with crews heading to the United States to train along side their U.S. Army counterparts which has enabled the Army to introduce the UH-60M Blackhawk to 6th Aviation Regiment first before establishing a second base which will begin introducing the aircraft to achieve Full Operating Capabilities.
The second operating node leverages existing defence industry capability with Lockheed Martin Australia and Sikorsky Australia supporting the UH-60M Black Hawk and Navy’s MH-60R Seahawk across South East Queensland and New South Wales.
Head of Joint Aviation Systems Division Major General Jeremy King said collaboration with defence industry was vital in equipping and sustaining our battlefield aviation capability.
“The expansion of the Black Hawk fleet will be supported by a highly skilled, embedded defence industry workforce, working side by side with our Army Aviation specialists to deliver and sustain this critical capability,” Major General King said.
Swartz Barracks will also see more than $9 million of essential infrastructure upgrades to support the expansion of the fleet, with construction to begin in the coming months.
18 UH-60M Black Hawks will be based out of Oakey by 2030, to be operated by the Army Aviation Training Centre and 5th Aviation Regiment.
Jaryd Stock is based in Sydney Australia. He has been a die-hard aviation enthusiast from a young age when he was chauffeured around by his father to various airshows and airports around Australia. At his first Airshow he witnessed the awesomeness of a General Dynamics F-111C and immediately fell in love with aviation.
Jaryd picked up a camera at a young age and has never looked back. He now combines photography and writing to highlight “Downunder” aviation; especially U.S. DoD units. Jaryd uses Nikon cameras and lenses.