The Missouri National Guard flew in two Black Hawk helicopters and landed them on the Washington Middle School practice field on East 14 Street on Thursday morning, September 5.

The appearance from the Black Hawk helicopters was used as a public relations event in hopes of getting students interested in the military as an option following graduation.

Washington High School and Middle School students watched the Black Hawk helicopters as they flew onto the field. Staff members from both schools signed up to ride in the Black Hawks.

Photos from the event are below.

The Missouri National Guard is a component of the Army National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard units.

The Black Hawk multirole helicopter serves with the U.S. military and the armed forces of 34 other countries worldwide as a tough, reliable utility helicopter.

During the last 40 years, this remarkable aircraft has fought its way in and out of countless combat zones to deliver and extract troops, save lives as a MEDEVAC or casualty evacuation platform, provide critical supplies to troops, deliver emergency supplies during natural disasters, and perform as an aerial firefighter and border patroller.

Now the modern variant of this utility aircraft is taking on a new mission set — as an Armed Helicopter to provide fire suppression when supporting ground troops, as well as armed escort. With digital avionics, powerful GE engines, high strength airframe structures and composite wide chord rotor blades, today’s Black Hawk platform has better survivability and situational awareness, and can fly higher and carry more than its predecessors ever did.

More than 4,000 Black Hawk aircraft of all types are in service worldwide today. The U.S. Army is the largest operator with 2,135 H-60 designated aircraft. The same aircraft sold internationally direct from Sikorsky acquires the S-70 designation.