USAF designates Combat Rescue Helicopter HH-60W
The US Air Force has designated the Combat Rescue Helicopter as the HH-60W, it was announced on 25 November. The aircraft will be referred to as the 60-Whiskey until an official name is determined at a later date.
Sikorsky is under contract to undertake the initial engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of a programme that will see the US Air Force acquire up to 112 HH-60W aircraft to replace HH-60G Pave Hawks which began service in 1982. The aircraft will be used for personnel recovery, and will be a derivative of the UH-60M Black Hawk.
Like the Black Hawk, the 60-Whiskey will be powered by T700-GE-701D engines, with composite wide-chord main rotor blades, and fatigue- and corrosion-resistant machined aero-structures to sustain manoeuvrability at high density altitudes. The aircraft will also feature increased internal fuel capability to deliver the required range with increased internal cabin space.
Col. Michael J Schmidt, PEO for ISR and SOF, said: ‘The formal designation of HH-60W for the Combat Rescue Helicopter is a significant step in the process for replacing the US Air Force personnel recovery fleet of aging HH-60G helicopters. The Combat Rescue Helicopter programme office is working hard to provide our warfighters the capability they require to continue to conduct the critical personnel recovery mission far into the future.’
The programme’s next major step is the System Requirements Review which is scheduled for 2015, with initial deliveries expected to begin in 2019.
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