SES Delivers the first HH-60G Pave Hawk Production Aircraft to the U.S. Air Force
August 1, 2019
On 1 August 2019, SES conducted a ceremony with Air Force officials commemorating the delivery of the first five production HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopters to the Air Force. These five aircraft are in addition to two aircraft previously delivered that have undergone testing prior to aircraft production. Nineteen aircraft will be delivered under this Logistics Support Facility contract. Representing the Air Force was Mr. David Schairbaum, Deputy Director Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and Special Operations Forces (SOF), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command.
The HH-60G is used to conduct combat search and rescue operations. The Operational Loss and Replacement program will restore the service’s HH-60G fleet to its authorized size, replacing aircraft lost in nearly 15 years of deployed combat operations since 9/11.
The Air Force acquired 19 Army UH-60Ls and contracted with SES to perform comprehensive modifications and the engineering and integration of additional equipment to convert them into Air Force HH-60Gs.
The Air Force worked with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command to contract SES to modify the initial UH-60L aircraft. This effort began in October 2012 and required the program office and SES to integrate all of the modifications implemented on the HH-60G fleet throughout its more than 30-year history into a single technical data package. As a result, the production aircraft introduced on 1 August has several systems upgrades that are only now beginning to reach the rest of the HH-60G fleet and are immediately deployable and ready for operational use.
Air Force units scheduled to receive the re-missionized aircraft will see a marked improvement in sustainability as numerous aging and obsolescent systems were modernized to match today’s state-of-the-art capabilities. Among the more than 70+ modifications, upgrades include: color weather radar, a digital symbol generator, improved tactical air navigation, refueling probe, hoist capability, new radar warning receivers, an automatic direction finder, and a digital intercommunication system.
SES congratulates the men and women that continue to support this vital DoD program that provides immediate increased support to the Warfighter at home and abroad.
