what are the sizes of american girl dolls

American Girl is an American line of 18-inch (46Â cm) dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to eleven-year-old girls of a variety of ethnicities. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were expanded in 1995 to include characters and stories from contemporary life. Aside from the original American Girl dolls, the buyer also has the option to purchase dolls that look like themselves. The options for the line of Truly Me dolls include eye color, eye shape, skin color, hair texture, and hair length. A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available.

American Girl

Pleasant Company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, and its products were originally purchasable by mail order only. In 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel. The company has been awarded the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award eight times.[1]

The Historical Characters line of 18-inch dolls were initially the main focus of Pleasant Company, which were initially derived from the 18-inch dolls made by Götz in Germany during the late 1980s to the 1990s.[2] This product line aims to teach aspects of American history through a six-book series from the perspective of a girl living in that time period. Although the books are written for girls who are at least eight years old, they endeavor to cover significant topics such as child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, animal abuse and war in manners appropriate for the understanding and sensibilities of their young audience.[3]

In 1995 Pleasant Company released a line of contemporary dolls called American Girl of Today. In 2006 the product line was renamed Just Like You; it was changed again in 2010, to My American Girl, and in 2015 to Truly Me.[4] This line has included seventy-seven different dolls over the years. Each doll has a different combination of face mold, skin tone, eye color, and hair color, length, texture, and/or style. American Girl states that this variety allows customers to choose dolls that "represent the individuality and diversity of today's American girls."[3] A wide variety of contemporary clothing, accessories, and furniture is also available, and there are regular releases and retirements to update this line. Each year, a Girl of the Year doll is released who has her own special talent; for example, Mia St. Clair, the Girl of the Year for 2008, did ice skating, and Marisol Luna, the Girl of the Year for 2005, was a dancer.

Bitty Baby is a line of baby dolls targeted to children aged three and older. They are half the price of full-size American Girl dolls.

The Bitty Twins line debuted in 2003 to represent slightly older toddlers and/or preschoolers. The Bitty Twins were the same size as the Bitty Baby dolls.[3] They were discontinued in June 2016.

Hopscotch Hill School was released by American Girl in 2003. The dolls were 16-inch (41Â cm) tall, came with jointed limbs and painted eyes, and had a slimmer overall body shape. They, along with the stories which came with the dolls written by Valerie Tripp, were aimed at elementary-age girls from four to six years old, and were sold until 2006.[5]

A reboot of the Historical Characters line dubbed as BeForever was launched in August 2014, complete with redesigned outfits, a two-volume compilation of previously-released books, and a "Journey Book" for each character, with players taking the role of a present-day girl who found her way to the past and met up with one of the Historical girls. The line also coincided with the relaunch of Samantha Parkington, whose collection was previously discontinued in 2008.[6][7]

In June 2016 American Girl unveiled Wellie Wishers, a separate doll line similar to Hopscotch Hill School aimed for younger children and with a focus on the outdoors, positioning it between Bitty Baby and the BeForever/Girl of the Year/Truly Me dolls. As the name implies, dolls from the line wear Wellington boots, and have a body design distinct from the classic, GÃ¶tz-derived American Girl dolls. The line was released on June 23, 2016. The names of the Wellie Wishers are: Willa, Camille, Kendall, Emerson, and Ashlyn.[8]

In 2004, American Girl teamed with Julia Roberts's Red Om production company and to create the first American Girl direct-to-video movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. The film spawned a franchise that was followed by Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005), Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006), along with the 2008 theatrically released film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. In 2009, HBO premiered An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong. In July 2012 American Girl released a direct-to-video movie, McKenna Shoots for the Stars. A seventh movie based on Saige Copeland's stories entitled Saige Paints the Sky was released in July 2013, and a television film entitled Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight, based on Girl of the Year 2014 Isabelle Palmer, was released in 2014. A ninth film based on 2015 Girl of the Year Grace Thomas was released under the title An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success, with Olivia Rodrigo playing the title role.[9][10]

A live-action web special based on Melody Ellison's stories entitled An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win was released by Amazon, starring Marsai Martin as the title character.[11][12] Love Has to Win was then followed by An American Girl Story - Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas, starring Alyvia Alyn Lind as Maryellen Larkin and released by Amazon on November 25, 2016.[13]

American Girl Place is a store that sells American Girl dolls, clothes, and accessories. The flagship and first store debuted in Chicago followed by stores in New York City and Los Angeles. A number of boutiques followed which are smaller than the main stores; they feature rotating stock and some have casual restaurants. There are smaller stores in North Point Mall in Atlanta; Galleria Dallas Mall in Dallas; Natick Mall in Natick, Massachusetts; the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; Park Meadows mall near Denver, Colorado; Oak Park Mall near Kansas City, Kansas);[14] Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia;[15] Alderwood Mall, located near Seattle, Washington; Chesterfield Mall near St. Louis, Missouri (this location closed in 2018); Memorial City Mall in Houston, Texas; The Falls mall near Miami, Florida;[16] Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio; Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California; SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina; The Florida Mall in Orlando, Florida; Franklin, Tennessee, part of the Nashville metropolitan area; and in Scottsdale, Arizona outside of Phoenix.

In May 2014, Mattel American Girl opened new stores in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[17] in partnership with Indigo Books and Music.[18][19][20] The company has also expressed interest in other overseas ventures, as they are seeing orders from Europe and Latin America.[21] The company has also announced that they're expanding their operations in Mexico, with two stores at El Palacio de Hierroâ€™s Perisur and Interlomas in Mexico City, and a third in Polanco in 2015.[22][23]

The first temporary boutique opened in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Ala Moana Center, running from October 4, 2014, to April 2015.

During the 2015 holiday season and early 2016, temporary locations opened in San Diego, California, Mission Viejo, California, Glendale, California, Portland, Oregon, Las Vegas, Nevada, Murray, Utah, and Indianapolis, Indiana from approximately October 2015 to early 2016.

In August of 2016 a temporary location was set up in Novi, Michigan a suburb of Detroit in Twelve Oaks Mall which closed on January 28th 2017. In July of 2017 a temporary location opened in Raleigh, North Carolina, in the Crabtree Valley Mall; to be opened until January 28, 2018.[24]

The American Girl magazine is run by the American Girl company. It was started by the Pleasant Company in Middleton, Wisconsin in 1992,[25] with the first issue dated January 1993. Aimed towards girls ages 8-14, the bimonthly magazine includes articles, recipes, advice columns, fiction, arts and crafts, and activity ideas.[26] Girls can choose to either get a year of magazines (6 issues), or two years of magazines (12 issues).

American Girl launched Innerstar University, an online virtual world featuring the My American Girl contemporary doll line, on July 13, 2010. Access to the online world is via a Campus Guide, bundled with purchase of a My American Girl doll, which contains an access code for the creation of a doll avatar that then navigates the various games, shops, and challenges of the virtual campus of Innerstar U. In 2015, when My American Girl dolls were changed to Truly Me dolls, this website was closed down.[27] The launch was simultaneous with Shine on Now, a fund-raising effort Kids In Distressed Situations, National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, National Wildlife Federation, and Save the Children charities.[28] The company has also donated "almost $500,000" over several years to national non-profit homeless housing group HomeAid.[29] These contributions are mainly through its Project Playhouse program.[30]

The company has drawn criticism for the expense of the dolls, which cost $115 without accessories as of December 2014.[31] Buyers can easily spend more than $600 for a doll, outfits, accessories and lunch in the company's store in New York.[32] Some aspects of the doll's characters and history have also provoked controversy. Some observers questioned why Addy, American Girl's first African-American historical character, was portrayed first as a slave (in later stories Addy and her family gain their freedom after the Civil War), while Cecile Rey, American Girl's second black historical character, was portrayed as a well-to-do black girl in New Orleans. [33] American Girl later went on with releasing their first African-American Girl of the Year, Gabriela McBride, who is portrayed as a dancer, artist, and poet.[34][35] In 2005, residents of Pilsen (a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois) criticized a passage in the book associated with the Latina-American doll Marisol, claiming it inaccurately depicted their neighborhood as dangerous. A senior public relations associate for American Girl responded to critics saying: â€œWe feel that this brief passage has been taken out of context in the book."[36] The 2009 limited-edition release of Gwen, a homeless American Girl character, was also controversial.[37][38]

In 2005, some pro-life and Catholic groups criticized the company for donating funds to the organization Girls, Inc., which supports underprivileged girls and promotes abortion rights and acceptance of homosexuality.[39][40]

The American Girl Place store in New York City was the center of a labor dispute with Actors' Equity Association (AEA). On August 3, 2006, 14 of the 18 adult actors at the store's now defunct theater went on strike.[41] AEA reached a two-year contract effective April 1, 2008. All American Girl Place theatres were subsequently closed in September of that year.[42]

In May 2014, the company was met with criticism on social media over its decision to discontinue four characters from the historical collection, two of them, namely African-American CÃ©cile Rey and Chinese-American Ivy Ling, representing ethnic minorities. They however defended their move as a business decision, as they decided to "move away from the character-friend strategy within the line".[43] A petition has since been filed through the activist group 18MillionRising.org for the company to provide a replacement for Ivy.[44] The company has also drawn criticism for its recent focus on the contemporary line, specifically the Girl of the Year characters and their backstory, to which was viewed as lacking depth and more important issues in comparison to the Historical/BeForever characters' backstories.[45] My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series creator Lauren Faust also expressed her concern and criticism of the line in a Twitter post, stating it "was once radically positive for girls before it was homogenized for money".[46]

American Girl attracted considerable criticism in February 2017 when they announced that they will be changing the dolls' bodies to incorporate permanently stitched panties on contemporary dolls and certain BeForever character dolls, namely Maryellen, Melody and Julie.[47] Public reaction to the permanent underwear—the first major change since the transition to flesh-colored bodies in 1991 following the release of the Felicity doll—was overwhelmingly negative,[47][48] as fans of the franchise complained that it stifles customization and devalued a well-established and successful brand "from heirloom quality to be passed down for generations to low-quality retail."[49]

The company then reversed its decision in a Facebook post on May 2017,[50] stating that any existing or upcoming dolls from the line will revert to the old body design,[51] and customers who bought a doll with permanent underwear are eligible for a "one-time" exchange to have the dolls retrofitted with conventional torsos.[52] In addition, the company has switched back to the old "iconic boutique box" packaging following complaints by collectors who deemed the new boxes to be inferior and more susceptible to damage.[52]

YouTube videos made with American Girl Dolls are becoming increasingly popular. In 2015 the American Girl fan community, more specifically the practice of creating and uploading doll-based stop motion videos, was featured in a news report for BBC News' Trending site, along with interviews and videos from several prominent doll community members. Besides stop-motion animations and music videos set to popular music, the report covers recurring subject matters in the said clips such as cyberbullying and other social issues among children and teenagers, along with doll customization, photoshoots and unboxing videos showing new and discontinued clothes, accessories and dolls from the company.[53][54][55]

Besides YouTube, social media services such as Instagram and Facebook serve as platforms for fans of the toy line, spawning a community called AGIG, or American Girl Instagram, who photograph their dolls and post their photos on the service. Although mostly made up of girls usually around the age of 12-18, a number of boys and adults also participate and congregate on AGIG.[56][57]

American Girl's teenage fans, particularly ones on AGTube and AGIG, will meet up with other fans at American Girl stores. At the release of Lea Clark and Gabriela McBride, certain prominent community members were included in the "Clue" videos released by American Girl. At the release of Z Yang, American Girl hosted meetups at their New York City flagship store and at their Dallas location.


who is the current attorney general of ghana

The current Attorney General is Miss Gloria Akuffo.[1] She was appointed by President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo in 2017.

Attorney General of Ghana

The Attorney General of Ghana is the chief legal advisor to the Ghanaian government. He or she is also responsible for the Ministry of Justice.


how many viewers league of legends finals 2017

The League of Legends World Championship is the annual professional League of Legends world championship tournament hosted by Riot Games and is the culmination of each season. Teams compete for the champion title, the 70 pounds (32Â kg) Summoner's Cup, and a US$1,000,000 champion prize.[1] In 2017, the finals were watched by 60 million people, breaking 2016's finals' viewer records.[2] The tournament has been widely praised for its amazing ceremonial performances[3][4], while receiving attention worldwide due to its multiple dramatic and emotional series,[5][6][7] and SK Telecom T1's tributary moments.[8][9] A donation of US$2 million were also raised through the sales of Worlds 2017 Championship Ashe skin, reaching out to different charities and receiving commendations.[10]

League of Legends World Championship

LA 2024, which is overseeing the Los Angeles bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics was inspired by the growing success of League of Legends World Championship and is considering to plan and include eSports in the Olympic Games if they win the bid. Casey Wasserman, the chairman of LA 2024, suggested using technology used in certain segments of League of Legends Worlds such as augmented reality and virtual reality to make the Olympics more accessible to a younger demographic.

League of Legends World Championships have gained tremendous success and popularity, making it among the world's most prestigious and watched tournaments (surpassing even Sports tournaments), as well as the most watched video game in the world. Due to its success, eSports scenes became prominent and widely seen as a potential Olympics event, it will also be included as a medal event in 2022 Asian Games.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

South Korea's SK Telecom T1 currently holds the highest record of wins, with three world championship wins (2013, 2015, 2016).[17]

Riot Games, which owns League of Legends, commissioned the winner's trophy known as the Summonerâ€™s Cup. Riot specified that it should weigh 70 pounds, though the actual weight of the finished cup was reduced so it would not be too heavy to lift in victory. MacTavish, having already created the Season Two World Championship Cup in 2012, crafted the winners' trophy for the 2014 games.[18]

The Season 1 Championship[19] in June 2011, held at Dreamhack Summer 2011 in Sweden, featured a US$100,000 tournament prize pool.[20] 8 teams from North America, Southeast Asia and Europe participated in the championship.[21] Over 1.6 million viewers watched the streaming broadcast of the event, with a peak of over 210,000 simultaneous viewers in the final matches.[22]

xPeke
 Shushei
 CyanideFI
 LaMiaZeaLoT
 Mellisan

Enrique CedeÃ±o Martinez
Maciej Ratuszniak
Lauri Happonen
Manuel Mildenberger
Peter Meisrimel

sOAZ
 Linak
 MoMa
 YellOwStaR
 Kujaa

Paul Boyer
Damien Lorthios
Maik Wallus
Bora Kim
Jerome Negretti

TheRainMan
 TheOddOne
 Reginald
 Chaox
 Xpecial

Christian Kahmann
Brian Wyllie
Andy Dinh
Shan Huang
Alex Chu

After Season 1, Riot announced that US$5,000,000 would be paid out over Season 2. Of this $5 million, $2 million went to Riot's partners including the IGN Pro League and other major esports associations. Another $2 million went to Riot's Season 2 qualifiers and championship. The final $1 million went to other organizers who applied to Riot to host independent League of Legends tournaments.[24]

The Season 2 World Championship was held in early October 2012 in Los Angeles, California to conclude the US$5 million season. Twelve qualifying teams from around the world participated in the championship, which boasted the largest prize pool in the history of e-sports tournaments at the time at US$2 million, with US$1 million going to the champions. The group stage, quarter-final, and semi-final matches took place between October 4 and 6. The grand final took place a week after, on October 13 in the University of Southern California's Galen Center in front of 10,000 fans, and were broadcast in 13 different languages.[25] In the grand final, Taiwan's professional team Taipei Assassins triumphed over South Korea's Azubu Frost 3-to-1 and claimed the US$1 million in prize money.[26]

Over 8 million viewers tuned in to the Season 2 World Championship broadcast, with a maximum of 1.1 million concurrent viewers during the grand final, making the Season 2 World Championship the most watched esports event in history at the time.[27]

Stanley
 Lilballz
 Toyz
 bebe
 MiSTakE

Wang June Tsan
Kuan-Po Alex Sung
Kurtis Lau Wai-kin
Cheng Bo-Wei
Chen Hui Chung

Shy
 CloudTemplar
 RapidStar
 Woong
 MadLife

Park Sang-myeon
Lee Hyun-woo
Jung Min-sung
Jang Gun-woong
Hong Min-gi

Wickd
 Snoopeh
 Froggen
 yellowpete
 Krepo

Mike Petersen
Stephen Ellis
Henrik Hansen
Peter WÃ¼ppen
Mitch Voorspoels

Darien
 Diamondprox
 Alex Ich
 Genja
 GoSu Pepper

Evgeny Mazaev
Danil Reshetnikov
Alexey Ichetovkin
Evgeny Andryushin
Edward Abgaryan

The Season 3 World Championship was held in late 2013 in Los Angeles, California. 14 teams from North America, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and one of the emerging League of Legends territories measured up at the World Playoffs after having qualified through their regional competitions.[29] The grand final were held in the Staples Center on October 4, 2013, where Korean team SK Telecom T1 defeated the Chinese team Royal Club,[30] granting them the title of the Season 3 world champions, the Summonerâ€™s Cup and the $1 million prize.

The Season 3 World Championship grand final broadcast on October 4 was watched by 32 million people with a peak concurrent viewership of 8.5 million.[31] The numbers once again beat the previous records for esports viewership.

Impact
 Bengi
 Faker
 Piglet
 PoohManDu

Jung Eon-yeong
Bae Seong-ung
Lee Sang-hyeok
Chae Gwang-jin
Lee Jeong-hyeon

GoDlike
 Lucky
 Wh1t3zZ
 Uzi
 Tabe

Xiao Wang
Liu Junjie
Pun Wai Lo
Jian Zihao
Pak Kan Wong

sOAZ
 Cyanide
 xPeke
 puszu
 YellOwStaR

Paul Boyer
Lauri Happonen
Enrique Cedeño Martinez
Johannes Uibos
Bora Kim

Expession
 watch
 Nagne
 PraY
 Cain

Gu Bon-taek
Cho Jae-geol
Kim Sang-moon
Kim Jong-in
Jang Nu-ri

The 2014 World Championship featured 16 teams competing for a $2.13 million prize pool, with 14 teams qualifying from the primary League of Legends regions (China, Europe, North America, Korea and Taiwan/SEA) and two international wildcard teams.

The group stage began September 18 in Taipei and concluded September 28 in Singapore with eight teams advancing to the bracket stage.[33] The bracket stage started on October 3 in Busan, South Korea, and concluded on October 19 with the grand final hosted at the 45,000-seats Seoul World Cup Stadium,[34][35] where South Korean team Samsung Galaxy White beat the Chinese team Star Horn Royal Club to become the 2014 League of Legends world champions.[36][37][38]

American band Imagine Dragons contributed the theme song "Warriors" for the tournament,[39] and performed live on the grand final stage in South Korea.[40] All games were made available for free via live streaming.[41]

The 2014 World Championship games were streamed live by 40 broadcast partners, and cast in 19 languages. The grand final was watched by 27 million people, with concurrent viewership peaking at over 11 million viewers.[42][43]

Looper
 DanDy
 PawN
 imp
 Mata

Jang Hyeong-seok
Choi In-kyu
Heo Won-seok
Gu Seung-bin
Cho Se-hyeong

cola
 inSec
 corn
 Uzi
 Zero

Jiang Nan
Choi In-seok
Lei Wen
Jian Zihao
Yun Kyung-sub

Gogoing
 LoveLing
 cool
 san
 Cloud

Gao Diping
Yin Le
Yu Jiajun
Guo Junliang
Hu Zhenwei

Acorn
 Spirit
 dade
 Deft
 Heart

Choi Cheon-ju
Lee Da-yoon
Bae Eo-jin
Kim Hyuk-kyu
Lee Gwan-hyung

After the 2014 season, Riot Games introduced a number of changes to competitive League of Legends. The number of teams in the League Championship Series was increased from 8 to 10 in both the North America and Europe regions.[44] A second Riot Games official international tournament was announced, the Mid-Season Invitational, which took place in May 2015, and featured a single team from each major region and one international wildcard.[45] Additionally, starting from 2015, all teams are required to field a head coach in their competitive matches, who will stay on stage and speak with the team via voice-chat in the pick-ban phase of the game. This change makes the head coach an officially recognized member of the team.[46]

The 2015 World Championship concluded the 2015 season, and was held at several venues across Europe in October 2015. Like the 2014 World Championship, the 2015 World Championship was a multi-city, multi-country event.[47]

2015 Worlds was won by SK Telecom T1, their second title, as they won the 2013 Worlds too. SKT Top laner Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan was named the tournament most valuable player (MVP).

The finals were watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14 million viewers.[48]

MaRin
 Bengi
 Faker
 Bang
 Wolf
 kKoma (Coach)
 Easyhoon (Substitute)

Jang Gyeong-hwan
Bae Seong-ung
Lee Sang-hyeok
Bae Jun-sik
Lee Jae-wan
Kim Jeong-gyun
Lee Ji-hoon

Smeb
 Hojin
 Kuro
 PraY
 GorillA
 NoFe (Coach)

Song Kyung-ho
Lee Ho-jin
Lee Seo-haeng
Kim Jong-in
Kang Beom-hyeon
Jeong No-chul

Huni
 Reignover
 Febiven
 Rekkles
 YellOwStaR
 Deilor (Coach)

Heo Seung-hoon
Kim Ui-jin
Fabian Diepstraten
Martin Larsson
Bora Kim
Louis Sevilla

sOAZ
 Amazing
 xPeke
 Niels
 Mithy
 Hermit (Coach)

Paul Boyer
Maurice Stückenschneider
Enrique Cedeño Martínez
Jesper Svenningsen
Alfonso Aguirre Rodriguez
Tadayoshi Littleton

The various stages of the 2016 Worlds were held throughout the United States in Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, and the finals in Los Angeles.

The Groups of teams were decided through a live Group Draw Show on September 10. The games were played on the 6.18 patch of the game with Yorick disabled and Aurelion Sol was disabled for days 1-3. There were 16 teams and 4 groups that consisted of 4 teams. The group stage was Bo1 and the top two teams from each groups would advance to the Knockout Stage. The Knockout Stage was Bo5 and the #1 vs #2 teams from each group would face each other in the bracket. The total prize pool was $6,700,000 USD and it was spread among the teams. The first place (SK Telecom T1) took $2,680,000, the second team (Samsung Galaxy) took $1,005,000, the third place (ROX Tigers) took $502,500. The rest of the prize pool was distributed among the 5th-16th places.[50]

SKT won 3-2 vs. Samsung Galaxy in the 2016 World Championship Finals, with Faker winning the MVP award, and along with teammate Bengi captured their third world championship in four seasons (2013, 2015, 2016), cementing SKT's legacy as the most dominant League of Legends team in the world.[51]

The finals were watched by 43 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14.7 million viewers, breaking 2015's finals' viewer records.

Duke
 Bengi
 Faker
 Bang
 Wolf
 KkOma (Coach)
 Blank (Substitute)

Lee Ho-seong
Bae Seong-ung
Lee Sang-hyeok
Bae Jun-sik
Lee Jae-wan
Kim Jeong-gyun
Kang Sun-gu

CuVee
 Ambition
 Crown
 Ruler
 CoreJJ
 Edgar (Coach)
 Wraith (Substitute)

Lee Sung-jin
Kang Chan-yong
Lee Min-ho
Park Jae-hyeok
Jo Yon-gin
Choi Woo-bum
Kwon Ji-min

Odoamne
 Jankos
 Ryu
 FORG1VEN
 Vander
 Pr0lly (Coach)
 Freeze (Substitute)

Andrei Pascu
Marcin Jankowski
Yoo Sang-wook
Konstantinos-Napoleon Tzortziou
Oskar Bogdan
Neil Hammad
Aleš Kněžínek

Smeb
 Peanut
 Kuro
 PraY
 GorillA
 NoFe (Coach)
 Cry (Substitute)

Song Kyung-ho
Han Wang-ho
Lee Seo-haeng
Kim Jong-in
Kang Beom-hyeon
Jeong No-chul
Hae Seong-min

The 2017 League of Legends World Championship series started in September 2017, and is scheduled to conclude in November 2017. It is held in 4 different locations throughout China: Wuhan (Play-In and Groups), Guangzhou (Quarterfinals), Shanghai (Semifinals), and Beijing (Finals).[53] It is played on patch 7.18, with the newest champion Ornn being disabled. Patch 7.18 is slightly older than patches 7.19 and 7.20, which are the new standard for online matches during the September - November period. The most notable difference being the stronger Ardent Censer support meta with patch 7.18.

A total of 24 teams participated in the tournament: 3 teams from South Korea, China, North America, Europe and Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau; 1 team from Brazil, Latin America North, Latin America South, Japan, Oceania, Turkey, Southeast Asia and CIS/Russia; and 1 team from the Wildcard region with the highest rank finish at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational (GPL in Southeast Asia, due to Gigabyte Marines from Vietnam prevailing there, and Vietnam received 1 more slot for VCSA's second seed to participate GPL 2017 summer split).

Samsung Galaxy reversed the previous year's result and defeated SK Telecom T1 3-0 in the 2017 World Championship Finals. Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, the AD carry of Samsung, was named MVP.

The finals were watched by 60 million people, breaking 2016's finals' viewer records. The tournament is widely praised for its high quality of plays and amazing ceremonial performances, while receiving worldwide attention for its dramatic and emotional series. It is currently the most watched tournament in League of Legends' history, and is lauded as one of the best.[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62]

Prize Pool: $2,350,000 (Riot) + ~$2,650,000 Fan Contribution = ~5 million as of October 7.[63]

Ambition
 Crown
 Ruler
 CoreJJ
 Edgar (coach)
 Haru (substitute)

Kang Chan-yong
Lee Min-ho
Park Jae-hyeok
Jo Yon-gin
Choi Woo-bum
Kang MinSeung

Peanut
 Faker
 Bang
 Wolf
 KkOma (Coach)
 Blank (Substitute)

Han Wang-ho
Lee Sang-hyeok
Bae Jun-sik
Lee Jae-wan
Kim Jeong-gyun
Kang Sun-gu

Mlxg
 Xiaohu
 Uzi
 Ming
 Firefox (Coach)
 Y1HAN (Substitute)

Shiyu Liu
Yuanhao Li
Zihao Jian
Senming Shi
Dingxiang Huang
Zhiwei Hu

Condi
 Xiye
 Mystic
 Ben
 Homee (Coach)
 Zero (Substitute)

Xiang Ren Jie
Su Han Wei
Jin Sung Jun
Nam Dong Hyun
Kim Nam-hoon
Yoon Kyung Sub


who was the first woman selected in rajya sabha

She also is the first ever woman in Indian History to be nominated as the Rajya Sabha member. She is considered the most important revivalist in the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam from its original'sadhir' style, prevalent amongst the temple dancers, Devadasis, she also worked for the re-establishment of traditional Indian arts and crafts.

Rukmini Devi Arundale

Rukmini Devi Arundale (29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986[1]) was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, and an activist for animal rights and welfare.

Though she belonged to the Indian upper-caste she espoused the cause of Bharata Natyam, which was considered a low and vulgar art in the early 1920s. Recognising the beauty and the spiritual value of this art form, she not only learned the dance, but also presented it on stage despite strong public protests.

Rukmini Devi features in India Today's list of '100 People Who Shaped India'.[2] She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956,[3] and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1967.

Rukmini Devi was born on 29 February 1904 in a Brahmin family in Madurai. Her father Neelakanta Sastri was an engineer with the Public Works Department and a scholar, and Seshammal was a music enthusiast. He had a transferable job and the family moved frequently. He was introduced to the Theosophical Society in 1901. Deeply influenced by the Theosophical Movement as a follower of Dr Annie Besant, Neelakanta Sastri moved to Adyar, Chennai upon retirement, where he built his home near the headquarters of the Theosophical Society Adyar. It was here that young Rukmini was exposed to not just theosophical thought, but also to new ideas on culture, theatre, music and dance. Her meeting with the prominent British theosophist Dr George Arundale—a close associate of Annie Besant and later the principal of the Central Hindu College in Varanasi—led to her building a lasting bond with him.[4]

They married in 1920, much to the shock of the then conservative society. After marriage, she travelled all over the world, meeting fellow theosophists and also forging friendships with the educator Maria Montessori, and the poet James Cousins.[5] In 1923, she became the President of the All-India Federation of Young Theosophists, and the President of the World Federation of Young Theosophists in 1925.[6]

In 1928, the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova visited Bombay and the Arundale couple went to her performance, and later happened to travel on the same ship as her, to Australia where she was to perform next; over the course of the journey their friendship grew, and soon Rukmini Devi started learning dance from one of Anna's leading solo dancers, Cleo Nordi.[7] It was later at the behest of Anna that Rukmini Devi turned her attention to discovering traditional Indian dance forms, which had fallen to disrepute and dedicated the rest of her life into their revival.[8]

In 1933, at the Annual Conference of Madras Music Academy, she saw for the first time, a performance of the dance form called Sadhir.[9] Later she learnt the dance from 'Mylapore Gowri Amma', and finally with help of E Krishna Iyer[10] from 'Pandanallur Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai'. In 1935, Rukmini Devi gave her first public performance at the 'Diamond Jubilee Convention of the Theosophical Society.[11]

In January 1936, she along with her husband,[12] established Kalakshetra, an academy of dance and music, built around the ancient Indian Gurukul system, at Adyar, near Chennai. Today the academy is a deemed university under the Kalakshetra Foundation and is situated in its new in 100-acre (0.40Â km2) campus in Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai, where it shifted, in 1962.[13] Amongst its noted students are Radha Burnier, Sarada Hoffman, Anjali Mehr, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Sanjukta Panigrahi, C V Chandrasekhar, Yamini Krishnamurthy and Leela Samson.[14]

Originally known as sadhir, the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam owes its current name, to E Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale, who has been instrumental in modifying mainly the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam and bringing it to the global attention, and removing the extraneous sringaar and erotic elements from the dance, which were the legacy of its Devadasi association in the past.[15] [16] Soon she changed the very face of the dance, by introducing musical instruments, like violin,[17] set and lighting design elements, and innovative costumes, and jewellery inspired by the temple sculptures.[18] Just as for her teacher she approached noted gurus in various arts and classical dances, for her productions, Rukmini Devi approached noted scholars for inspiration and classical musicians and artists, for collaboration, the result was the creation some of pioneering dance dramas-based on Indian epics like the Valmiki's Ramayana and Jayadeva's Gita Govinda.[19] Starting with famous dance dramas like, 'Sita Swayamvaram', 'Sri Rama Vanagamanam', 'Paduka Pattabhishekam' and 'Sabari Moksham', followed by 'Kutrala Kuruvanji', 'Ramayana', 'Kumara Sambhavam', 'Gita Govindam' and 'Usha Parinayam'.[20]

Schools based on the Montessori method were first started in India,[21] when Dr George Arundale invited Dr Maria Montessori to start courses in the 'Besant Theosophical High School' in 1939, and later also established, the 'Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School', The College of Fine Arts, The Besant Theosophical High School, The Maria Montessori School for Children, The Craft Education and Research Centre and the U V Swaminatha Iyer Library, within the Kalakshetra campus.

Rukmini Devi was nominated as a member of the Indian Parliament's Council of States (the Rajya Sabha) in April 1952, and re-nominated in 1956.She was the first Indian woman to be nominated in Rajya Sabha.[22] Keenly interested in animal welfare, she was associated with various humanitarian organisations, and as a member of the Rajya Sabha, was instrumental for the legislation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and for later setting up of the Animal Welfare Board of India, under her chairmanship in 1962. She remained on the board until her demise in 1986.

She was a strict vegetarian and did much work to promote vegetarianism in the country. She was Vice-President of International Vegetarian Union for 31 years from 1955, until her death.[23]

In 1977, Morarji Desai offered to nominate her for the post of President of India, which she turned down.[24] In 1978, 'Kalamkari Centre' (pencraft) was set up at Kalakshetra to revitalise the ancient Indian craft of textile printing.[25] Rukmini Devi Arundale died on 24 February 1986 in Chennai.

In January 1994, an Act of the Indian Parliament recognised the Kalakshetra Foundation as an 'Institute of National Importance'.[26][27]

Year long celebrations, including lectures, seminars and festivals marked her 100th birth anniversary, on 29 February, in 2004 at Kalakshetra and elsewhere in many parts of the world,[28] At the campus the day was marked by special function in which old students gathered from across India and the world, in a day of songs and recitals.[29] Also on 29 February, a photo exhibition on her life opened at the Lalit Kala Gallery in New Delhi, and on the same day, then President APJ Abdul Kalam released a photo-biography, written and compiled by Dr Sunil Kothari with a foreword by former president R Venkataraman.[30][31][32]

In 2016, Google honored Rukmini Devi on her 112th birthday with a doodle.,[33][34] and later in the month marking the 80th year of the Kalakshetra Foundation held, 'Remembering Rukmini Deviâ€™ festival of music and dance.[35] Google also featured her in the 2017 Google Doodle for International Women's Day.[36]


how many soldiers can a blackhawk helicopter carry

The Black Hawk helicopter series can perform a wide array of missions, including the tactical transport of troops, electronic warfare, and aeromedical evacuation. A VIP version known as the VH-60N is used to transport important government officials (e.g., Congress, Executive departments) with the helicopter's call sign of "Marine One" when transporting the President of the United States.[29] In air assault operations, it can move a squad of 11 combat troops or reposition a 105Â mm M119 howitzer with 30 rounds ammunition, and a four-man crew in a single lift.[15] The Black Hawk is equipped with advanced avionics and electronics for increased survivability and capability, such as the Global Positioning System.

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) competition in 1972. The Army designated the prototype as the YUH-60A and selected the Black Hawk as the winner of the program in 1976, after a fly-off competition with the Boeing Vertol YUH-61.

Named after the Native American war leader Black Hawk, the UH-60A entered service with the U.S. Army in 1979, to replace the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the Army's tactical transport helicopter. This was followed by the fielding of electronic warfare and special operations variants of the Black Hawk. Improved UH-60L and UH-60M utility variants have also been developed. Modified versions have also been developed for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. In addition to U.S. Army use, the UH-60 family has been exported to several nations. Black Hawks have served in combat during conflicts in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and other areas in the Middle East.

In the late 1960s, the United States Army began forming requirements for a helicopter to replace the UH-1 Iroquois, and designated the program as the Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS). The Army also initiated the development of a new, common turbine engine for its helicopters that would become the General Electric T700. Based on experience in Vietnam, the Army required significant performance, survivability and reliability improvements from both UTTAS and the new powerplant.[3] The Army released its UTTAS request for proposals (RFP) in January 1972.[4] The RFP also included air transport requirements. Transport aboard the C-130 limited the UTTAS cabin height and length.[5]

The UTTAS requirements for improved reliability, survivability and lower life-cycle costs resulted in features such as dual-engines with improved hot and high altitude performance, and a modular design (reduced maintenance footprint); run-dry gearboxes; ballistically tolerant, redundant subsystems (hydraulic, electrical and flight controls); crashworthy crew (armored) and troop seats; dual-stage oleo main landing gear; ballistically tolerant, crashworthy main structure; quieter, more robust main and tail rotor systems; and a ballistically tolerant, crashworthy fuel system.[6]

Four prototypes were constructed, with the first YUH-60A flying on 17 October 1974. Prior to delivery of the prototypes to the US Army, a preliminary evaluation was conducted in November 1975 to ensure the aircraft could be operated safely during all testing.[7] Three of the prototypes were delivered to the Army in March 1976, for evaluation against the rival Boeing-Vertol design, the YUH-61A, and one was kept by Sikorsky for internal research. The Army selected the UH-60 for production in December 1976. Deliveries of the UH-60A to the Army began in October 1978 and the helicopter entered service in June 1979.[8]

After entering service, the helicopter was modified for new missions and roles, including mine laying and medical evacuation. An EH-60 variant was developed to conduct electronic warfare and special operations aviation developed the MH-60 variant to support its missions.[9]

Due to weight increases from the addition of mission equipment and other changes, the Army ordered the improved UH-60L in 1987. The new model incorporated all of the modifications made to the UH-60A fleet as standard design features. The UH-60L also featured more power and lifting capability with upgraded T700-GE-701C engines and a stronger gearbox, both developed for the SH-60B Seahawk.[10] Its external lift capacity increased by 1,000 lb (450 kg) up to 9,000 lb (4,100 kg). The UH-60L also incorporated the automatic flight control system (AFCS) from the SH-60 for better flight control due to handling issues with the more powerful engines.[11] Production of the L-model began in 1989.[10]

Development of the next improved variant, the UH-60M, was approved in 2001, to extend the service life of the UH-60 design into the 2020s. The UH-60M incorporates upgraded T700-GE-701D engines, improved rotor blades, and state of the art electronic instrumentation, flight controls and aircraft navigation control. After the U.S. DoD approved low-rate initial production of the new variant,[12] manufacturing began in 2006,[13] with the first of 22 new UH-60Ms delivered in July 2006.[14] After an initial operational evaluation, the Army approved full-rate production and a five-year contract for 1,227 helicopters in December 2007.[15] By March 2009, 100 UH-60M helicopters had been delivered to the Army.[16] In November 2014, US military ordered 102 aircraft of various H-60 types, worth $1.3 billion.[17]

Following an operation in May 2011, it emerged that the 160th SOAR used a secret version of the UH-60 modified with low-observable technology which enabled it to evade Pakistani radar. Analysis of the tail section, the only remaining part of the aircraft which crashed during the operation,[18][19] revealed extra blades on the tail rotor and other noise reduction measures, making the craft much quieter than conventional UH-60s. The aircraft appeared to include features like special high-tech materials, harsh angles, and flat surfaces found only in stealth jets.[Nb 1][20] Low observable versions of the Black Hawk have been studied as far back as the mid-1970s.[21]

In September 2012, Sikorsky was awarded a Combat Tempered Platform Demonstration (CTPD) contract to further improve the Black Hawk's durability and survivability. The company is to develop new technologies such as a zero-vibration system, adaptive flight control laws, advanced fire management, a more durable main rotor, full-spectrum crashworthiness, and damage tolerant airframe; then they are to transition them to the helicopter. Improvements to the Black Hawk are to continue until the Future Vertical Lift program is ready to replace it.[22][23]

In December 2014, the 101st Airborne Division began testing of new resupply equipment called the Enhanced Speed Bag System (ESBS). Soldiers pinned down in the field requiring quick resupply have depended on speed bags, bags filled with items airdropped from a UH-60. However, all systems were ad-hoc with bags not made to keep things secure from impacts, so up to half of the airdropped items would be damaged upon hitting the ground. Started in 2011, the ESBS sought to standardize the airdrop resupply method and keep up to 90 percent of supplies intact. The system includes a hands-free reusable linear brake and expendable speed line and multipurpose cargo bag; when the bag is deployed, the brake applies friction to the rope, slowing it down enough to keep the bag oriented down on the padded base, a honeycomb and foam kit inside to dissipate energy. The ESBS not only better protects helicopter-dropped supplies, it allows the Black Hawk to fly higher above the ground, 100 ft (30 m) up from 10 feet, while traveling 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h), limiting exposure to ground fire. Each bag can weigh 125–200 lb (57–91 kg) and up to six can be deployed at once, dropping 40–50 feet per second (12–15 m/s). Since supplies can be delivered more accurately and the system can be automatically released on its own, the ESBS can enable autonomous resupply from unmanned helicopters.[24][25][26]

The UH-60 features four-blade main and tail rotors, and is powered by two General Electric T700 turboshaft engines.[27] The main rotor is fully articulated and has elastomeric bearings in the rotor head. The tail rotor is canted and features a rigid crossbeam.[28] The helicopter has a long, low profile shape to meet the Army's requirement for transporting aboard a C-130 Hercules, with some disassembly.[27] It can carry 11 troops with equipment, lift 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg) of cargo internally or 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of cargo (for UH-60L/M) externally by sling.[15]

The UH-60 can be equipped with stub wings at the top of fuselage to carry fuel tanks or various armaments. The initial stub wing system is called External Stores Support System (ESSS).[30] It has two pylons on each wing to carry two 230 US gal (870 L) and two 450 US gal (1,700 L) tanks in total.[11] The four fuel tanks and associated lines and valves form the external extended range fuel system (ERFS).[31] U.S. Army UH-60s have had their ESSS modified into the crashworthy external fuel system (CEFS) configuration, replacing the older tanks with up to four total 200 US gal (760 L) crashworthy tanks along with self-sealing fuel lines.[32] The ESSS can also carry 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of armament such as rockets, missiles and gun pods.[11][33] The ESSS entered service in 1986. However, it was found that the four fuel tanks obstruct the field of fire for the door guns; thus, the external tank system (ETS), carrying two fuel tanks on the stub wings, was developed.[11]

The unit cost of the H-60 models varies due to differences in specifications, equipment and quantities. For example, the unit cost of the Army's UH-60L Black Hawk is $5.9 million while the unit cost of the Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk is $10.2 million.[34]

Australia has 34 Black Hawks as of 2015. It has deployed the aircraft to East Timor[35] and the Solomon Islands.[36] It did not deploy Black Hawks to Afghanistan because Angus Houston, the then-defence chief, advised the government that the aircraft lacked armour and self-defence systems.[37]

Brazil received four UH-60L helicopters in 1997, for the Brazilian Army peacekeeping forces. It received six UH-60Ls configured for special forces, and search and rescue use in 2008. It ordered ten more UH-60Ls in 2009; deliveries began in March 2011.[38]

In December 1983, examples of the Aerospatiale AS-332 Super Puma, Bell 214ST SuperTransport and Sikorsky S-70A-5 (N3124B) were airlifted to Lhasa for testing. These demonstrations included take-offs and landings at altitudes to 17,000 feet (5,200 m) and en route operations to 24,000 feet (7,300 m). At the end of this testing, the People's Liberation Army Air Force purchased 24 S-70C-2s, equipped with more powerful GE T700-701A engines for improved high-altitude performance.[39] While designated as civil variants of the S-70 for export purposes, they are operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Taiwan operated S-70C-1/1A after the Republic of China Air Force received ten S-70C-1A and four S-70C-1 Bluehawk helicopters in June 1986, for Search And Rescue.[40] Four further S-70C-6s were received in April 1998. The ROC Navy received the first of ten S-70C(M)-1s in July 1990. 11 S-70C(M)-2s were received beginning April 2000.[41] In January 2010, the US announced a Foreign Military Sale of 60 UH-60Ms to Taiwan for the ROC Army.[42]

Colombia first received UH-60s from the United States in 1987. The Colombian National Police, Colombian Air Force, and Colombian Army use UH-60s to transport troops and supplies to places which are difficult to access by land for counter-insurgency (COIN) operations against drug and guerrilla organizations, for search and rescue, and for medical evacuation. Colombia also operates a militarized gunship version of the UH-60, with stub wings, locally known as ArpÃa (English: Harpy).[43][44]

The Colombian Army became the first worldwide operator of the S-70i with Terrain Awareness and Warning Capability (HTAWS) after taking delivery of the first two units on 13 August 2013.[45]

In March 2017, the National Police of Colombia ordered 10 additional UH-60 helicopters that will increase their total to 19 helicopters in operation.[46]

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) received 10 surplus UH-60A Black Hawks from the United States in August 1994.[47] Named Yanshuf (English: Owl) by the IAF,[48] the UH-60A began replacing Bell 212 utility helicopters.[47] The IAF first used the UH-60s in combat during 1996 in southern Lebanon[47] in Operation "Grapes of Wrath" against the Hezbollah.

The Mexican Air Force ordered its first two UH-60Ls in 1991, to transport special forces units, and another four in 1994.[49] In July and August 2009, the Federal Police used UH-60s in attacks on drug traffickers.[50][51] In August 2011, the Mexican Navy received three upgraded and navalized UH-60M.[52] On 21 April 2014, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 18 UH-60Ms to Mexico pending approval from Congress.[53] In September 2014, Sikorsky received a $203.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the 18 UH-60 designated for the Mexican Air Force.[54]

In February 2015, the U.S. State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of nine UH-60Ms with associated equipment and support to Slovakia and sent to Congress for its approval.[55][56] In April 2015, Slovakia's government approved the procurement of nine UH-60Ms along with training and support.[57][58] In September 2015, Sikorsky was contracted for four UH-60Ms and equipment for Slovakia.[59] In June 2017 the first 2 UH-60Ms were delivered. By late 2019 Slovakia is to have 9 UH-60Ms in total that will replace the old Soviet Mil Mi-17s.[60][61]

Sweden requested 15 UH-60M helicopters by Foreign Military Sale in September 2010.[62] The UH-60Ms were ordered in May 2011, and deliveries began in January 2012.[63] In March 2013, Swedish ISAF forces began using Black Hawks in Afghanistan for MEDEVAC purposes.[64] The UH-60Ms are to be fully operational by 2017.[65]

Turkey has operated the UH-60 during NATO deployments to Afghanistan and the Balkans. The UH-60 has also been used in counter-terror/internal security operations.[citation needed]

The Black Hawk competed against the AgustaWestland AW149 in the Turkish General Use Helicopter Tender, to order up to 115 helicopters and produce many of them indigenously, with Turkish Aerospace Industries responsible for final integration and assembly.[66][67] On 21 April 2011, Turkey announced the selection of Sikorsky's T-70.[68][69][70]

In the course of the coup d'état attempt in Turkey on 15 July 2016, eight Turkish military personnel of various ranks landed in Greece′s northeastern city of Alexandroupolis on board the Black Hawk helicopter and claimed political asylum in Greece.[71] The helicopter was returned to Turkey shortly thereafter.[72]

The UH-60 entered service with the U.S. Army's 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in June 1979.[73] The U.S. military first used the UH-60 in combat during the invasion of Grenada in 1983, and again in the invasion of Panama in 1989. During the Gulf War in 1991, the UH-60 participated in the largest air assault mission in U.S. Army history with over 300 helicopters involved. Two UH-60s (89-26214 and 78-23015) were shot down, both on 27 February 1991, while performing Combat Search and Rescue of other downed aircrews, an F-16C pilot and the crew of a MEDEVAC UH-1H that were shot down earlier that day.[74]

In 1993, Black Hawks featured prominently in the assault on Mogadishu in Somalia. Black Hawks also saw action in the Balkans and Haiti in the 1990s.[11] U.S. Army UH-60s and other helicopters conducted many air assault and other support missions during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The UH-60 has continued to serve in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.[11]

Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine (OAM) uses the UH-60 in its operations specifically along the southwest border. The Black Hawk has been used by OAM to interdict illegal entry into the U.S. Additionally, OAM regularly uses the UH-60 in search and rescue operations.

Highly modified H-60s were employed during the U.S. Special Operations mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden on 1 May 2011.[20][75] One such MH-60 helicopter crash-landed during the operation, and was destroyed by the team before it departed in the other MH-60 and a backup MH-47 Chinook with bin Laden's remains. Two MH-47s were used for the mission to refuel the two MH-60s and as backups.[76] News media reported that the Pakistani government granted the Chinese military access to the wreckage of the crashed'stealth' UH-60 variant in Abbotabad;[77][78][79] Pakistan and China denied the reports,[77][78] and the U.S. Government has not confirmed Chinese access.[78]

The United Arab Emirates requested 14 UH-60M helicopters and associated equipment in September 2008, through Foreign Military Sale.[80] It had received 20 UH-60Ls by November 2010.[81] Bahrain ordered nine UH-60Ms in 2007.[82][83]

In November 2009, the Iraqi government requested the sale of up to 27 light and medium utility helicopters, including 12 UH-60Ms.[citation needed]

In December 2011, the Royal Brunei Air Force ordered twelve S-70i helicopters, which are similar to the UH-60M; four aircraft had been received by December 2013.[84] On 12 June 2012, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress that Qatar requested the purchase of twelve UH-60Ms, engines, and associated equipment.[85]

On 25 February 2013, the Indonesian Army announced its interest in buying UH-60 Black Hawks as part of its effort to modernize its weaponry. The army wants them for combating terrorism, transnational crime, and insurgency to secure the archipelago.[86]

On 27 May 2014, Croatian Defence Minister Ante KotromanoviÄ‡ announced the beginning of negotiations with the US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for the purchase of 15 used Black Hawks; the deal is expected to be completed by 2017.[87]

Tunisia requested 12 armed UH-60M helicopters in July 2014 through Foreign Military Sale.[88] In August 2014, the U.S. ambassador stated that the U.S. "will soon make available" the UH-60Ms to Tunisia.[89]

On 23 January 2015, the Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein confirmed that Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is receiving S-70A Blackhawks from the Brunei government. These helicopters, believed to be four in total, were expected to be transferred to Malaysia by September with M134D miniguns added. The four Blackhawks were delivered to Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) in 1999[90] are currently operated by the 4th Squadron.[citation needed]

The UH-60 comes in many variants, and many different modifications. The U.S. Army variants can be fitted with the stub wings to carry additional fuel tanks or weapons.[11] Variants may have different capabilities and equipment to fulfill different roles.

Sikorsky military model for the export market:

Â People's Republic of China

Â Taiwan (Republic of China)

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On 14 April 1994 two US Army UH-60 Black Hawks in northern Iraq were shot down by mistake by US Air Force F-15s patrolling the northern no-fly zone that had been imposed after the 1991 Gulf War. 26 crew and passengers were killed.[154]

On 12 June 1996, the Australian Special Air Service Regiment was conducting counter terrorist training in the High Range area near Townsville, North Queensland, Australia. During night insertion exercises with 5 Aviation Regiment, two S-70A-9 Black Hawks collided and three army air crew and fifteen SAS Regiment personnel were killed.[155]

On 10 March 2015, a UH-60 from Eglin Air Force Base crashed off the coast of the Florida Panhandle near the base. All 11 on board were believed killed.[156]

Data from Encyclopedia of Modern Warplanes,[157] International Directory,[158] Black Hawk[159]