Whereas, on March 5, 1923, Sikorsky was founded by aircraft engineer Igor Sikorsky, an immigrant to the United States who was born in Kiev, Ukraine; Whereas, in 1955, Sikorsky opened its doors in Stratford, Connecticut; Whereas the UH–60 Black Hawk helicopter was designed to be the primary medium-lift helicopter for the Army, with revolutionary design features for combat helicopters, including— (1) the ability to absorb high-impact velocities by means of— (A) a self-sealing fuel system; (B) crash-resistant stroking crew seats; and (C) high energy-absorbing landing gear; (2) low detectability; (3) highly capable nap-of-the-earth flight; (4) tolerance to small arms fire up to medium-caliber projectiles; (5) hardened flight controls; and (6) redundant avionics and hydraulic systems; Whereas the primary mission of the UH–60 Black Hawk helicopter is as a troop carrier and a logistical support aircraft for air assault missions, but the aircraft may be outfitted to execute medical and casualty evacuation, search and rescue, command and control, armed escort, electronic warfare, external lift, firefighting, and executive transport or VIP missions; Whereas, on October 31, 1978, the first production UH–60 Black Hawk helicopter was delivered to the Army, and 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of that historic event; Whereas, beginning in 1976 and ending in 1989, the UH–60A model Black Hawk was in uninterrupted production; Whereas the UH–60A model Black Hawk was replaced at the end of the 1980s by the more powerful UH–60L model Black Hawk, which was replaced by the even more advanced UH–60M model Black Hawk in 2007; Whereas, since 1978, Sikorsky has delivered more than 2,300 UH–60 Black Hawk helicopters to the Army, making the UH–60 Black Hawk helicopter the backbone of Army aviation; Whereas, as of April 2018, more than 4,000 H–60 Black Hawk helicopters of all models are in service worldwide in all branches of the Armed Forces and the armed forces of 28 other countries