Army gets approval to reprogram $15M for Black Hawk prototype

The Army's UH-60V Black Hawk prototype will receive the requested additional funding, dashing the service's fears of fielding delays due to a lack of money.

Congress approved most of the Defense Department's fiscal year 2018 omnibus reprogramming request, including money for the UH-60V, which will bring the fiscal year 2018 total to $48 million, according to a recently filed congressional response.

The lawmakers shifted more than $15 million in research, development, test and evaluation funding to speed up developmental flight testing of the prototype, as well as fielding and development of training support.

Without the realignment, the service would have had to keep relying on the current UH-60L model's analog cockpit system, which "reduces situational awareness, increases pilot workload and decreases mission readiness," according to the request.