Kirtland AFB has begun a new era
On 17 December 2020, The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB (NM) welcomed USAF’s newest Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) helicopter, the HH-60W Jolly Green II. Having transited for more than one day, The HH-60W with serial 14485 (Fiscal Year most probably "17-"), flew from Lockheed Martin Sikorsky’s Stratford (CT) facility, via Houston (TX), to its new home Kirtland.
The Jolly Green II is named after the legendary Vietnam-era Sikorsky HH-3E “Jolly Green” and Sikorsky HH-53E “Super Jolly Green,” whose crews pioneered the CSAR mission and will be used to train future USAF aircrew members with the 512th Rescue Squadron. At this moment the 512th RQS operates Bell UH-1N Twin Huey and Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters in the training role.
In early November, the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB (GA), was the first operational unit to receive the HH-60W. And although there are some, not insurmountable, deficiencies because the USAF laid out their capability requirements for the HH-60W nearly a decade ago, it was stated that the Whisky is a leap forward in technology, between offensive and defensive weapon systems, crew survivability and the ability to plug into the "Fifth-generation" hierarchy. The Jolly Green II features advanced and improved defensive systems, vulnerability reduction, hover performance, electrical capacity, avionics, cooling, weapons, cyber-security, environmental and net-centric requirements. The primary mission of the HH-60W will be conducting day or night CSAR operations into hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during war.
Earlier, the Air Force also selected Kirtland as the preferred location for the relocation of the AC-130J Ghostrider Formal Training Unit (FTU) from Hurlburt Field (FL).
Photo by USAF, graphic via ADS-B: Houston Air Watch and patch via aviatorgear.com