First Air Force Pilot Flies HH-60W Helo

An Air Force pilot has completed the service’s first flight of an HH-60W Combat Rescue helicopter, according to a recent news release. The test flight, completed by a pilot from the 413th Flight Test Squadron, took place at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rescue helicopter is based on the Army’s UH-60M Black Hawk and is designed for locating and rescuing pilots who have gone down in hostile territory. The Air Force has a contract to purchase 113 of the HH-60W helicopters to replace HH-60G Pave Hawks. The test flight served to collect performance data, a step toward moving the Air Force’s program into the production and deployment phase of acquisition. The 413th’s HH-60W operations are scheduled to begin at Eglin Air Force Base's Auxiliary Field #3 this fall. Read more at AF.mil.