On Thursday, July 2, 2026, the Portuguese Army (Exército Português) announced that the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) had signed an agreement with U.S.-based SAHAR Group of Miami, Florida, for the delivery of three UH-60L Black Hawk multirole helicopters, with an option for a fourth. Ultimately, the HAPE (Helicópteros de Apoio, Proteção e Evacuação) program is expected to include five helicopters, with 50 million EUR allocated for this purpose.
Photos: Exército Português
The helicopters in question, whose airframes come from U.S. Army stocks and are undergoing overhaul and modernization in Florida, will be delivered to Tancos Air Base No. 3 (Base Aérea N.º 3, Tancos) in the Santarém district, in the Centro region. Interestingly, the Army Light Aviation Unit (Unidade de Aviação Ligeira do Exército, UALE) was based there from 2000 to 2015, although it never achieved operational readiness despite earlier plans to introduce Eurocopter EC635, now Airbus H135M, and NH Industries NH90 helicopters.
Deliveries of the three UH-60L helicopters are scheduled from late 2026 to mid-2028.
The Portuguese Army will thus establish a modern aviation capability to support tactical transport, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), special operations support, search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, and disaster relief, including firefighting, so as not to rely solely on the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa), which in recent years has acquired six UH-60A and three UH-60L helicopters, with plans to purchase four more.
SAHAR Group provides operational support at base level, structural repairs, engineering, avionics integration, and mission system modernization, supporting military and government users worldwide.
The Black Hawks operated by the Air Force are supported by Arista Aviation Services, United Aero Group (UAG), and Ace Aeronautics, but OGMA – Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal’s facilities in Alverca do Ribatejo, in the Lisbon district, are expected to play a role in maintaining the readiness of rotary-wing aircraft in the armed forces.