PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The last two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters departed on their final flight after nearly three decades as a cornerstone of combat search and rescue operations for the 920th Rescue Wing.
The Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine helicopter derived from the U.S. Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk and modified for CSAR operations. It was designed to locate and recover isolated personnel in austere or hostile environments, day or night and in all weather conditions. The aircraft is equipped with an in-flight refueling probe, advanced avionics, radar and infrared systems, and a crew-served weapons package that allows it to operate while protecting aircrew and rescued personnel.
The Pave Hawk carries a specialized crew that includes two pilots and two special mission aviators who operate the hoist and onboard weapons. Together, these teams, alongside pararescuemen, perform rapid insertion, extraction and lifesaving medical care in dense urban environments, over water and in combat zones.
Air Force Reserve Command’s conversion to Pave Hawk began in the mid-1990s when the squadrons still flew the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant. At Davis-Monthan AFB, the 305th Rescue Squadron completed conversion to the HH-60G in 1994, participating in early operations such as Provide Comfort II over northern Iraq. The 920th RQW’s 301st RQS would soon follow and complete their conversion process in 1997.
Since then, the 301st and 305th RQS have logged tens of thousands of flight hours and conducted thousands of sorties in both training and operational missions. In the past decade alone, records show that the 301st RQS totaled more than 20,000 flight hours across 11,000 sorties while the 305th RQS flew more than 12,600 flight hours across 5,000 sorties. Combined, they leave a legacy of more than 5,000 lives saved through CSAR, humanitarian operations and disaster responses.
The 301st RQS has also supported human spaceflight since the early 1960s, beginning with Project Mercury’s Freedom 7 mission in 1961 where the unit stood ready as a rescue contingency during America’s first orbital launch. Over the years, the Pave Hawk helicopters have provided essential surveillance and range-clearing coverage for space launches from Cape Canaveral, including missions involving Space Shuttle launches and modern commercial rockets.
“The HH-60G Pave Hawk has carried this wing’s rescue mission for decades and its impact is measured though the thousands of lives saved. From rescues overseas to disaster relief at home, the aircraft proved itself time and again as a platform we could rely on. Every mission we launched reflected the dedication of our aircrew and maintainers who kept these helicopters flying in some of the most demanding conditions imaginable,” said Lt. Col. Melvin Bonifacio, 301st RQS commander.
To maintain readiness, HH-60G crews train across diverse and austere environments from over-water hoist operations and night vision goggle flights to desert landings and simulated combat scenarios. These exercises integrate pilots and special mission aviators to ensure seamless teamwork for real-world missions, preparing them to recover downed personnel in combat, conduct civilian rescues during hurricanes and floods, and perform long-range medical evacuations.
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, the wing prepared three HH-60Gs for deployment the following day; only two weeks after returning from an Afghanistan deployment rotation. The crews flew into New Orleans within the first 24 hours of the storm’s aftermath. That night, air crews scanned the flooded city for flashlights signaling distress and rescued their first three survivors from rooftops.
“The first night we were in New Orleans there were only two Coast Guard helicopters and our pair of Pave Hawks trying to cover an entire city of people trapped on rooftops. We started looking for flashlights and pulling survivors out,” said Lt. Col. John Lowe, 920th Operations Group commander.
Over the next several weeks, aircrews operated day and night across the region, evacuating residents from homes, bridges and collection points. In total they conducted approximately 1,043 rescues during Katrina response operations, more than one and a half times the number of lives the wing had saved in its entire history from 1957 to that point.
“The HH-60G became a lifeline to those survivors. The operational flexibility of these helicopters gave us the reach and capability to save thousands of lives. All those involved were true professionals,” said Lowe.
Over their many years of service, HH-60G Pave Hawk crews from the 301st and 305th RQS deployed worldwide in support of nearly every major U.S. contingency operation. In the 1990s, aircrews participated in Operations Southern Watch and Northern Watch. Following the September 11th attacks they supported Operation Noble Eagle as well as Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. Subsequent missions included Operation Iraqi Freedom from Kuwait, Tallil and Baghdad, Operation Inherent Resolve in Jordan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, and Operation Octave Shield from Baledogle, Somalia. These deployments showcased the wing’s CSAR across multiple theaters.
In July 2017, the 920th RQW executed one of its most challenging long-range rescues when two German citizens were stranded 500 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral after their vessel caught fire. The mission required coordination between HC-130 King aircraft, HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, and Guardian Angel pararescuemen who parachuted into the Atlantic to stabilize and recover the father and son. The father and son were then transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. For their actions, the Airmen of the 920th RQW were awarded the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service’s Medal of Honor on Ribbon for Rescue Missions at Sea in Gold, the organization’s highest award for lifesaving at sea.
In May 2023, the 920th RQW carried out a complex civilian medical evacuation when a young boy fell critically ill aboard a cruise ship more than 350 nautical miles off the U.S. east coast. The Wing launched two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, and Guardian Angel pararescuemen to reach the ship and extract the patient. The operation required three aerial refuelings to extend the helicopters’ range. After being hoisted aboard a Pave Hawk and stabilized in flight, the child and his mother were transported to a U.S. hospital. The mission spanned more than 1,000 miles and eight hours, which demonstrated the wing’s ability to quickly mobilize and conduct long range rescues.
The HH-60G Pave Hawk leaves behind a legacy of valor and service, written not only in numbers and statistics but in the lives rescued and the communities supported. For the Airmen of the 920th RQW and the 943d RQG, that history will continue to guide the mission as the HH-60W Jolly Green II takes its place in the skies.
A very distinctive feature of many HH-60G Pave Hawks over the years has been the painted mustache on the aircraft’s nose. The tradition dates back to the Vietnam-era HH-3E Jolly Green Giant, when crews added nose art mustaches as a mark of identity and esprit de corps. The practice was carried into the Pave Hawks where the mustache became an identifiable symbol of combat rescue heritage and a tribute to the Airmen who flew before them.
The HH-60G Pave Hawk even found its way into popular culture when four aircraft were featured in the 1998 film Armageddon. Among them, tail number 90-26230 served as the lead helicopter during the movie’s rescue scenes, placing the Air Force’s rescue platform on the big screen.
As the HH-60G Pave Hawk completes its retirement, the wing will convert to the HH-60W Jolly Green II. The new model brings extended range, improved survivability, and advanced avionics to meet the demands of future missions.
“The conversion to the HH-60W Jolly Green II, ensures we are taking the next step in ensuring our Airmen can save even more lives in the years ahead. The mission has always been about bringing people home, and this new platform ensures we will continue to do that,” said Bonifacio.
The 920th Rescue Wing is Air Force Reserve Command’s only combat search and rescue wing, whose mission is to plan, lead and conduct military rescue operations to deny competitors and adversaries the exploitation of isolated personnel.
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)