Crews off-load from two HH-60W “Jolly Green II” combat rescue helicopters at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 17, 2021. The HH-60Ws arrived from Eglin AFB, Fla., to conduct flight test operations. The HH-60W, manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., features advanced and improved defensive systems, vulnerability reduction, hover performance, electrical capacity, avionics, cooling, weapons, cyber-security, environmental and net-centric requirements. The Air Force plans to purchase up to 108 HH-60W helicopters to replace the HH-60G Pave Hawk.
Crews from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., off-load equipment from two HH-60W “Jolly Green II” combat rescue helicopters at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 17, 2021. The HH-60Ws arrived from Eglin AFB, Florida, to conduct flight test operations. The primary mission of the HH-60W helicopter will be conducting day or night combat search and rescue operations into hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during war. The HH-60W will also be tasked to perform military operations other than war, including civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, security cooperation/aviation advisory, NASA space flight support, and rescue command and control. In February 2020, the Air Force named its newest combat rescue helicopter, the HH-60W, the “Jolly Green II,” following the legendary tradition of the Vietnam-era HH-3E Jolly Green and HH-53 Super Jolly Green crews, who pioneered the combat search and rescue mission.