Aircraft
Sikorsky Black Hawk: 21st Century Chapter in PZL Mielec's Storied History
Poland’s PZL Mielec not only builds the Sikorsky Black Hawk, but it serves as a major supplier to Lockheed Martin’s F-16 program.
A pair of Sikorsky Black Hawks grace the tarmac outside PZL Mielec's factory in Poland.
A pair of Sikorsky Black Hawks grace the tarmac outside PZL Mielec's factory in Poland. (Photo: PZL Mielec)

Poland’s MZL Mielec factory made aviation history more than 15 years ago by becoming the first production line outside the U.S. for the legendary Sikorsky Black Hawk battlefield utility helicopter. Moreover, Mielec is not just any factory; it once served as part of the former Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact’s defense industrial base.

The factory now not only assembles the Black Hawk but it builds other platforms and remains one of the major Polish defense exporters in the country.  Meanwhile, Mielec might make history again with another iconic U.S. aircraft.

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