In the interests of the search and rescue service of the US Air Force, work is currently underway to create a promising Sikorsky HH-60W helicopter. This project has been brought to small-scale production and military trials, and a full-fledged serial construction is expected to be launched in the foreseeable future. New helicopters with improved performance will have to replace the equipment of the previous model.
Modern replacement
Currently, the main PSS helicopter of the Air Force is the HH-60G Pave Hawk, created back in the eighties. 113 machines of this type remain in service, suitable for operation over the next several years. Despite the constant modernization, this technique is obsolete and needs to be replaced. Since the late nineties, attempts have been made to create a new helicopter, but the first projects of this kind have not been crowned with success.
In 2013-14. The Pentagon closed another program to replace the Pave Hawk and soon launched a new project. In June 2014, the Sikorsky company received an order for the creation of a modern modification of the HH-60 helicopter with the subsequent launch of serial production. Soon, the promising machine received the official index HH-60W. As a basis for this helicopter, it was proposed to use the existing UH-60M project.
The first contract, worth $ 1.3 billion, provided for the development of the project and the construction of four experimental helicopters. The next batch of five vehicles should have been delivered no later than 2020. In total, the Air Force wanted to receive 112 new helicopters by 2029. The expected total value of all such contracts is $ 7.9 billion.
First samples
On May 17, 2019, the first flight of the first prototype HH-60W took place, which lasted more than 70 minutes. During this time, the test pilots completed a voluminous flight program and confirmed the high flight characteristics of the helicopter. Just a few days later, a second car was lifted into the air. Two more prototypes went into flight tests over the next few months.
The first four machines belong to the Engineering & Manufacturing Development stage. Then it is required to build five more helicopters as part of the System Demonstration Test Articles. With the help of nine experimental vehicles, the Air Force and Sikorsky will study and work out all the issues of the design and application of technology.
As of the end of February 2020, seven HH-60W helicopters are participating in tests. This number includes four EMD prototypes and three SDTA helicopters. Two helicopters were handed over to the Air Force for testing in a real air base. The site for such a check was the Duke Field airfield from the Eglin base (Florida).
Based on the results of the first tests of experimental equipment, carried out last year, the Air Force approved the transition of the project to a new stage. In September, Sikorsky received an order for the so-called. low level initial production (LRIP). The first batch under the LRIP should include 10 helicopters for delivery in 2020-2021. The construction of this equipment will begin after the completion of work on the SDTA helicopters.
New order and new name
On February 27, new important events took place. Based on the results of previous work and recent successes, Sikorsky received a new order. This time we are talking about the second batch of "low-production" helicopters - 12 machines with a total value of more than $ 500 million. The first helicopters of this order are expected next year, following the completion of the first batch of LRIPs.
Also, the Air Force announced that the promising HH-60W helicopter, in accordance with existing traditions, will receive its own name. The new car was named Jolly Green II. This name refers to the nickname Jolly Green Giant ("Jolly green giant"), which during the Vietnam War received helicopters of the search and rescue service. Their characteristic green coloration was reminiscent of a character in a canned vegetable ad.
Plans for the future
Existing contracts, incl. signed the other day, provide for the delivery of four batches of HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters with a total of 31 units. 7 helicopters built and tested; 2 of them were transferred to the Air Force. Thus, in 2020-22. the Sikorsky company is to build another 24 helicopters - the remaining experimental SDTA and two LRIP batches.
After that, the launch of a full-scale series is expected, which will be able to ensure the implementation of all existing plans of the Air Force. A few years ago, it was announced that 112 new HH-60Ws would be ordered to replace 113 obsolete HH-60G helicopters. Thus, the renewal of the fleet will be carried out on a one-to-one basis in terms of quantity, but with noticeable consequences for quality.
The existing orders provide for the delivery of 26 production helicopters out of 112 planned. Thus, in the near future, the Pentagon and Sikorsky will sign new agreements for 86 machines with production within a full series. Probably, the contract will appear already this year, and its implementation will begin after the completion of the current stages.
According to existing plans, deliveries of the HH-60W Jolly Green II should continue until 2029. Depending on the launch date, full-scale serial production will last about 8-9 years. Thus, for the timely implementation of all plans, the manufacturing company will have to reach a pace of approx. 9-11 helicopters per year. So far, production is going slower, which is mainly due to the current stage of the project.
Main advantages
The new HH-60W helicopter was developed on the basis of the serial UH-60M, which first took off in 2008. The base helicopter compares favorably with the outdated HH-60G and has a number of important advantages. The current project Jolly Green II provides for a certain restructuring and re-equipment of the base helicopter in accordance with the requirements of the Air Force MSS.
The efficient and economical propulsion system has been retained. At the same time, the fuel system was supplemented with new tanks, which led to an almost twofold increase in capacity. The flight range has been increased from 360 miles (approx. 580 km) for the base model to 700 miles (over 1100 km). The duration of the flight has been correspondingly increased, which increases the efficiency of search and rescue operations. The helicopter also has an in-flight refueling boom.
The onboard electronics are partially borrowed from the UH-60M and supplemented with modern devices for various purposes. A modern "glass cabin" with all the necessary equipment is used. The avionics allow searching for casualties, maintaining communication and exchanging data between the helicopters and the leaders of the operation.
Like other helicopters in its family, the HH-60W can be equipped with machine guns for self-defense. So, in the advertising materials there is a configuration with two on-board machine-gun installations.
The cargo-passenger cabin in the middle of the fuselage can change its layout and configuration, as well as be equipped with various special equipment. It can accommodate different types of chairs and stretchers or other equipment that suits the task at hand. Re-equipment of the helicopter takes minimal time, after which it can begin to perform the mission.
Thus, the new search and rescue helicopter for the US Air Force has a number of important advantages that can positively affect the effectiveness of its real work. Maximum unification with existing technology should simplify production and operation, and the new equipment will provide the solution to the main tasks.
However, while the US Air Force MSS will have to use old technology. The Sikorsky company is engaged in the construction of the second batch of prototypes and has not yet moved on to assembling the first small series. Accordingly, mass production and supply of helicopters to combat units are still a matter of the future. Only after this will the process of renewing the search and rescue service fleet start, which will continue until the end of the decade. This means that the outdated HH-60G will still serve, although it will start to give way to the modern HH-60W.
