The Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, refuted claims on Friday that the new four Black Hawk helicopters for the Air Force, intended to assist INEM, are unsuitable for emergency rescue.
“Expresso falsely headlines: ‘Helis by Nuno Melo are not suitable for INEM.’ However, a report by INEM states the exact opposite, describing it as ‘an excellent choice for medical evacuation operations due to its exceptional capabilities and versatility,'” reads a note shared on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
According to the Defense Minister, the INEM report cited “considers in most items that the Black Hawk U60 ‘fully satisfies’ or ‘exceeds expected standards’.”
Expresso falsely headlines: “Helis by Nuno Melo are not suitable for INEM.”
However, a report by INEM states the exact opposite, describing it as “an excellent choice for medical evacuation operations due to its exceptional capabilities and versatility”. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/zi7kWuDCrB— Nuno Melo (@NunoMeloMDN) November 7, 2025
“It is impressive that when a step is taken to help save lives, the attack is swift and the lie makes headlines,” he accuses.
Nuno Melo also mentions that “investing in equipment put at the service of the Nation, to aid in overcoming tragedies is an obligation of a decent State” and emphasizes that the “Armed Forces are at the service of the people” – “They do not do it for business, nor will I be less committed, no matter how much the system wants everything to stay the same,” he writes.
It’s worth noting that the weekly spoke with Vítor Almeida, former president of the College of Emergency Medicine, who explained that the aircraft in question “do not allow primary transport” of the victim from the accident site to the hospital, due to their size.
“The Black Hawks are very large, take time to leave the base, and are noisy,” he explained to the weekly, further stating that “thinking that the Black Hawks can replace the air resources that Portugal currently has is unthinkable and makes no sense.”
On Wednesday, during a hearing within the discussion on the State Budget proposal for 2026, Nuno Melo announced that the government would acquire, by the end of August next year, four helicopters for the Air Force to be made available to assist medical emergencies.
According to an official source from the Ministry of Defense, the four Black Hawk helicopters will be acquired for approximately 32 million euros, through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) funds, with each unit costing eight million.
“The devices will be operated by the Air Force and will be available for, if necessary, reinforcement of the medical emergency service,” added the same source.
According to information available on the Air Force’s website, the UH-60 Black Hawk is a “medium-range, twin-engine utility helicopter,” measuring 19.5 meters long and 16.15 meters in wingspan.
The base crew consists of two pilots, and this aircraft can carry up to 12 passengers in the cabin.
These helicopters are used for firefighting and air transport.
Currently, the Air Force is equipped with two versions of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter: the UH-60A and the UH-60L.
[Updated at 14:16]
