106th Aviation Regiment in Kankakee and Decatur to test new Black Hawk helicopter

The 106^th Aviation Regiment based in Decatur and Kankakee has been chosen to test the army’s newest version of the black hawk helicopter.  The unit is putting the new UH-60V through its paces and is the only unit in the country now flying the helicopter.  Though the UH-60 V may look like any other Black-hawk from the outside, on the inside its state of the art.  Old style gauges have been replaced with 4 digital display screens to improve situational awareness.   Herbert Stevens, Commands the Kankakee aviation support facility in Kankakee, he tells the Daily Journal it’s like going from driving a 1970’s vehicle to a 2022.  The regiment hopes to have all the kinks worked out of the new systems in time for a final testing later this summer in Wisconsin.   If results are good, the New UH-60 Black-hawk would then go into production.