ZK-HKU/HELITACK 679 Sikorsky EH-60A Black Hawk of Kahu NZ, at Lake Goollelal, Kingsley, Western Australia – 23 January 2022. Drawing water from the lake while fighting a bushfire at Warwick Open Space. Operated on firefighting duties for the Western Australian Government/Department of Fire and Emergency Services for the summer fire season until April 2022. Fitted with a 4,500-Litre Helitak Fire Tank FT4500 and Helitak HP-6000 Hoverpump which pumps 6,000 litres per minute, filling the tank in less than 50 seconds. MSN 701132. Built in 1986, as United States Army serial 86-24572. Delivered from Sikorsky in July 1987, and converted by Tracor Flight Systems Inc at Mojave, California to an EH-60A Quick Fix II with AN/ALQ-151 multi-role tactical Electronic Warfare system, four dipole antennae mounted in pairs on either side of the tailboom, a deployable whip antenna beneath the aft section of the main cabin, AN/ALQ-144 infrared countermeasures set and flare/chaff dispensers. The EH-60A was used to intercept, locate and jam enemy communications and pass intelligence. Damaged 19 April 1991 when blown over in a hangar during a wind storm at Fort Hood, Texas and repaired at Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas from 6 May 1991 – 23 June 1992. Later went to US Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama, 17 Aug 2000 (TT 742.3hrs). US Army Aviation Warfare Center, Fort Rucker. Wore code number ’72K’ at US Army Aviation Center of Excellence, Fort Rucker. Transferred to Science and Engineering Services LLC, Huntsville, Alabama on 23 May 2018 (TT 7,934hrs). For sale by GSA Auctions at Huntsville 12 June 2018. Registered as N160PA with Pickering Aviation Inc, Corinth, Texas on 29 August 2018. On 11 June 2019, N160PA arrived at Auckland Port in New Zealand (on board container ship Cap Capricorn, arriving from Long Beach, California). On 12 June 2019, N160PA was flown to Ardmore Airport, NZ. Registration N160PA was cancelled on 8 January 2020. Registered in New Zealand as ZK-HKU to Kahu NZ on 13 January 2020. Shipped to Sydney, NSW, then transported by road to Jandakot Airport, Western Australia, then flown to Serpentine on 20 December 2021. Based at Serpentine until April 2022. Photo © David Eyre.