New combat rescue helicopter for Air Force finishes key tests
Rachel S. Cohen
The Air Force wrapped up the latest round of tests on its new combat rescue helicopter Tuesday, moving the Sikorsky-built HH-60W Jolly Green II a step closer to full-time operations.
The last step of developmental testing checked whether the helicopter’s weapons worked in flight and were properly configured, the Air Force said in a release Thursday. HH-60Ws wield a 7.62 mm Gatling gun that fires 3,000 rounds per minute, a .50 caliber machine gun that can fire 1,100 rounds per minute, and a .50 caliber machine gun that can reach 800 rounds per minute.
Search-and-rescue forces will fly the Jolly Green II, named after the green Vietnam War-era rescue helicopters, into remote and dangerous areas to find downed airmen who could be in peril or need medical evacuation. It replaces the HH-60G Pave Hawk, an earlier version of the Army’s Black Hawk that the Air Force has flown since the 1980s.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/04/15/new-combat-rescue-helicopter-for-air-force-finishes-key-tests/
