The MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator is a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment gunship conversion of the UH-60L/MH-60 Black Hawk, trading troop-carrying capacity for modular cannons, rockets, guided missiles, sensors, and night-raid support. Venezuela conflict reporting documents DAP Black Hawks in U.S. special operations use, while also noting that current operational DAPs are MH-60M airframes derived from the same mission configuration.
Reporting on Operation Absolute Resolve identified U.S. 160th SOAR Direct Action Penetrator Black Hawks as used by U.S. forces for close fire support around the Caracas raid; the strongest sources describe current MH-60M DAPs, while this entry covers the MH-60L-origin DAP configuration.
DAP identifies a 160th SOAR gunship mission configuration rather than a single factory model: public sources trace it from MH-60L conversions, through IDAP/COMNAV IDAP mission fits, to current MH-60M DAP medium-attack aircraft.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| MH-60L DAP | Original 160th SOAR gunship conversion | GlobalSecurity describes the MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator, informally AH-60L, as an MH-60L modified for offensive weapons, armed escort, fire support, and direct-action attack-helicopter missions. |
| MH-60L IDAP | Integrated Defensive Armed Penetrator fit | American Special Ops describes IDAP as an MH-60L-based direct-action and close-air-support platform with added armament, fire-control, cockpit, sensor, and defensive-system changes. Sources: MH-60L Integrated Defensive Armed Penetrator (IDAP) |
| COMNAV IDAP | Afghanistan-era IDAP mission configuration | The Army Aviation Museum identifies Super 68's most recent display configuration as COMNAV IDAP, the Afghanistan 2012 fit with a 19-shot rocket pod, 30 mm cannon, and twin forward fixed 7.62 mm miniguns. |
| MH-60M DAP | Current MH-60M medium-attack configuration | Current DAP references describe the MH-60M DAP as the 160th SOAR medium-attack version, using the MH-60M avionics and sensor baseline with stub-wing weapon carriage for armed escort and close air support. Sources: MH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters, This Is What The Night Stalkers' MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator Brought To The Venezuelan Op |
Public DAP references describe a modular special-operations gunship fit built around cannon, machine-gun, rocket, guided-missile, and air-to-air missile options.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 30 mm chain gun | DAP armament references list the 30 mm M230 cannon among the mission-configurable weapons carried by the gunship conversion. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge |
 | 70 mm rocket family | DAP source material identifies 2.75-inch or 70 mm rocket pods as part of the aircraft's external weapons fit. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, This Is What The Night Stalkers' MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator Brought To The Venezuelan Op |
 | Air-to-surface missile | The DAP weapons mix includes AGM-114 Hellfire missiles for precision fire support from the special-operations Black Hawk gunship. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge, This Is What The Night Stalkers' MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator Brought To The Venezuelan Op |
 | Air-to-air missile | DAP armament references list Air-to-Air Stinger missiles among the aircraft's modular missile options. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge |
 | .50 caliber gun pod | DAP source material identifies GAU-19/B .50 caliber gun pods as one of the aircraft's optional externally carried gun fits. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge |
 | 7.62 mm minigun | DAP descriptions include 7.62 mm miniguns in the helicopter's modular weapons package for close fire support. Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L, SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge |
GlobalSecurity says the MH-60L DAP/AH-60L upgrade was initiated around 1990 with FLIR, radar, and external-stores support added to MH-60L airframes.
Sources: MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator / AH-60L
The Army Aviation Museum describes Super 68 as one of the first 160th SOAR aircraft converted to DAP configuration in the mid-1990s.
Sources: SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge
The Army Aviation Museum records Super 68 as displayed in its Afghanistan 2012 COMNAV IDAP configuration with rocket, 30 mm cannon, and fixed minigun armament.
Sources: SN. 90-26288 'Super 68' - Razor's Edge
Current public references describe the MH-60M DAP as the Night Stalkers' medium-attack Black Hawk configuration for armed escort and close air support.
Sources: MH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters, This Is What The Night Stalkers' MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator Brought To The Venezuelan Op
