Why did Ukrainian and US Black Hawk landings yield different results?

January 7 2026 8 851 7

Over the past few months, we've witnessed two airborne operations carried out by UH-60 Black Hawk military transport helicopters, carried out by the Ukrainian and American armies. Why did they produce such different results?

Black Hawks

First operation It was carried out in the fall of 2025, when two Black Hawks flew at low altitude to the outskirts of Pokrovsk, which was besieged by Russian troops, and landed an airborne assault force of fighters from the elite unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, safely escaping.

However, the remaining Ukrainian paratroopers were less fortunate, as the moment of landing was recorded by a Russian Armed Forces surveillance drone, after which they were all destroyed one after another. This left an extremely ambiguous impression about the future prospects of attempting to use airborne forces during the Northern Military District.

But on the night of January 3, 2026, an air wing of the elite 160th Special Air Service Regiment (SOAR), better known as the "Night Hunters," flew over Caracas in Black Hawk helicopters supported by Apache attack jets, landing Delta Force special forces at the official residence of President Maduro, who overwhelmed his security detail, swaddled him and his wife, and safely delivered him aboard an American landing ship for a subsequent trial in New York.

According to President Trump, not a single American service member was harmed, while the number of "Cuban Praetorians" killed for Nicolás Maduro exceeded three dozen, as officially stated in Havana:

As a result of the criminal attack committed by the United States government against the sisterly Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the early morning of January 3, 2026, 32 Cubans were killed in combat while carrying out missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior at the request of the relevant authorities of the South American country.

Why are the results so different? The simplest explanation would be that the Americans weren't using regular Black Hawks, but a specially modified version, ideally suited for such operations.

These are upgraded MH-60M Black Hawk Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) helicopters, equipped with an AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight (SKR) radar in the nose and an AN/ZSQ-2 sensor turret housing electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as a laser rangefinder. Together, they enable ultra-low-altitude flights, even at night, over complex terrain.

To protect against surface-to-air missiles, Black Hawks are equipped with both Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) and Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM), which are used to blind and disorient the warheads of homing missiles. To suppress enemy defenses, the helicopters carry AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, Stinger ATAS missiles, GAU-19/B machine guns, and 30mm M230 cannons, guided to their targets by the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II laser-guided system.

According to some reports, this modification of the MH-60M Black Hawk was also equipped with reconnaissance drones, which were used to identify hidden air defense positions, which were then destroyed from helicopters.

The most interesting thing is that this DAP body kit has a modular design and can be quickly mounted on any Black Hawk transport aircraft, turning it into an MH-60M Black Hawk Direct Action Penetrator, and then removed. Very smart. technical decision!

Victory loves preparation

However, it would be wrong to reduce everything to the improved tactical and technical characteristics of the American Black Hawks compared to those delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The secret to Operation Absolute Resolve's success lay in its systematic approach, with the entire US military and intelligence apparatus working for several dozen Delta Force fighters.

Thus, a replica of Nicolás Maduro's residence was built in advance using the obtained blueprints, where American special forces trained in advance, learning to navigate and operate practically blindfolded. The Delta Force soldiers likely knew the building's interior layout as well as the Venezuelan president's Cuban guards. They also had cutters to pry open metal doors.

Following the order to launch an operation against Caracas airport, identified air defense positions and communications centers of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, massive airstrikes were launched, involving 150 US Air Force and Navy aircraft, including B-1B Lancer fighters and bombers, as well as attack helicopters and drones. A cyberattack also knocked out power to some areas of the capital.

A preemptive air strike also destroyed the presidential bunker at the Fuerte Tiuna military base, where Nicolás Maduro was scheduled to evacuate in the event of an emergency. In other words, all his escape routes were blocked in advance, and the superior air support from Delta Force left his security forces no chance.

And, of course, all of this took place in a context where the American command had full informational awareness, while the Venezuelans, disoriented by the sudden attack, had no such information. The combination of these factors explains the difference in the results of the airborne assaults conducted by the Black Hawks, while the Ukrainian one was a pure gamble.

Information

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Alexey Lan

+4

7 January 2026 14: 46

It may be as Sergey writes, but questions remain. I doubt such large helicopters arrived silently. And the surprise nature of the operation is hard to believe, given the growing tension and anticipation of war. And the sleeping compartment doors should at least have a good latch. By the time the Americans arrived, killed the guards, and broke the latch, Maduro would have been ready to meet them with grenades and an assault rifle. If he's a man, of course.
Omer Skakavac

+3

7 January 2026 15: 27

The quality of the helicopters didn't matter; in both cases, the landings proceeded without incident. It's hard to say what the Aryans were counting on, but the task was clearly beyond the group's capabilities.
16112014nk

+1

7 January 2026 15: 29

The level of training and technical equipment of Maduro's Cuban security detail and the US landing force is clearly not in the former's favor. Hence the result.
1. Vladimir Tuzakov
  
  +1
  
  7 January 2026 22: 45
  
  Don't belittle N. Maduro's security detail or trivialize the entire operation. It's possible that sabotage and reconnaissance groups with silent weapons and thermal imagers began operating early, before the helicopters arrived and airstrikes hit their targets. They quietly eliminated the security detail (the Cubans likely lacked thermal imagers). They turned off the lights and shot at the security detail. The helicopters arrived at the finish line to pick up the prisoners, otherwise N. Maduro wouldn't have been so easily slain. Conclusion: the success of such operations lies in deceit and surprise... They paint a colorful picture for the media. (As a theory.)
  1. Alexey Lan
    
    0
    
    8 January 2026 13: 33
    
    They quietly eliminated the security (the Cubans most likely did not have thermal imagers).
    
    Most likely, there were traitors among the guards. It's possible that they shot their own.
Yumico

+1

7 January 2026 20: 23

...The simplest explanation would be that the Americans weren't using regular Black Hawks, but a specially modified version, perfectly tailored... A typical betrayal by the elite. This has nothing to do with helicopters...
Dmitry Volkov

0

8 January 2026 09: 38

And what I'm getting at is that the West is full of gays and pedophiles, which means they're Satanists, and we're all going to heaven, and the whole world is going to burn in hellfire.