VH60-A Blackhawk (VIP)
Deployed for the first time to support Operation Urgent Fury on the Caribbean Island nation of Grenada, the Blackhawks of Task Force 160, 18th Aviation Company and 1st of the 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion ferried troops and supplies during the 2 month invasion.
The Blackhawk has served in every major U.S. involved conflict from Panama to OIF/OEF. With ever increasing upgrades, the UH-60 is slated to be the US Army's utility helicopter well in to the 2020s.
VH-60 (VIP Variant) tail no. 80-23460 started its life as a standard UH-60A, arriving at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in November of 1981. During the first 12 years it served in various units within the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade to include a deployment with 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment in support of Operations Desert Shield/Storm in 1990. After its return from combat, the aircraft spent a few more years at Fort Campbell before being selected for modification and sent to the Bluegrass Army Depot, Kentucky where it spent 2 years being modified into the aircraft you see before you. This aircraft spent the next 19 years flying dignitaries, heads of state, and other important personnel around Washington D.C. with the 12th Aviation Battalion. Its last flight was from Fort Belvoir to Fort Eustis on 12 March 2015 to be added to the collection here at the Transportation Museum, this aircraft ended a 30 year tour of duty in service to our nation with over 5,000 flight hours.
Erected by US
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Government & Politics • War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm • War, Cold. A significant historical date for this entry is March 12, 2015.
Location. 37° 9.837′ N, 76° 34.575′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in Fort Eustis. It can be reached from Washington Boulevard just north of Jefferson Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 Washington Blvd, Fort Eustis VA 23604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula, in Hampton Roads, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: VH-34C / H-34C Choctaw (here, next to this marker); YCH-47B / YCH-1B / YCH-47A Chinook (a few steps from this marker); Doak 16 VZ-4DA (a few steps from this marker); UH-1H Iroquois (a few steps from this marker); UH-1B Iroquois (a few steps from this marker); CH-37 Mojave (a few steps from this marker); H-25A Mule (a few steps from this marker); Cybernetic Walker (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,159 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
