The Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter was primarily designed to be a troop and cargo transporter. It carried two pilots, one crew chief/door gunner and 11 troops (if need be the cabin could hold up to 20 troops). It's capable of lifting heavy external loads from a cargo hook. In fact, the Black Hawk can lift a gross weight of 23,5000 pounds. This allows the transport of vehicles such as the Humvee and other Light Infantry Division equipment. The Black Hawk is also equipped with bullet proof fuel tanks, folding tails which make the Black Hawk transportable in large aircraft, pintle-mounted M134 miniguns or 7.62-mm M60 Machine guns, and HIRSS which cools the exhaust and therefore reducing the chances of getting struck by a heat seeking missile.

		Performance at Missions Gross Weight Maximum Cruise Speed (MCP) 4000' 95°F 52 kts 2000' 70°F 159 kts SLS 155 kts VNE 193 kts Vertical rate of climb (95% MRP) 4000' 95°F 1,550 fpm 2000' 70°F 2,750 fpm SLS 3,000+ fpm Service ceiling (ISA day) 19,150 ft Hover ceiling (MRP-OGE) 95°F day 7,650 ft Standard day 11,125 ft Engines (2) T700-GE-701C Turboshaft 1,940 hp Weight empty 11,516 lbs. Mission gross weight 17,432 lbs. Maximum gross weight 22,000 lbs. Maximum gross weight (ferry) 245,000 lbs. Speed: Maxium level speed at sea level: 184 mps; 296 km/h; Maxium crusing speed at 4,000 ft: 167 mph/268km/h

Source(s): Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft, Airtime Publishers.