{"id":32784,"date":"2018-02-20T19:02:36","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T19:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/20\/structural-issues-plague-us-pave-hawk-helicopters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:36:11","slug":"structural-issues-plague-us-pave-hawk-helicopters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/asia-pacific\/2018\/02\/20\/structural-issues-plague-us-pave-hawk-helicopters\/","title":{"rendered":"Structural issues plague US Pave Hawk helicopters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><i>But no slowdown in demand for combat search and rescue<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=d0d1bdec-9902-4f04-ba04-5cf2733ad5b7\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-d0d1bdec-9902-4f04-ba04-5cf2733ad5b7.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Defense News visited Kadena Air Base, Japan, and got an up-close look at the U.S. Air Force&#8217;s HH-60G helicopter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KADENA AIR BASE, Japan \u2014 The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/afa-air-space\/2016\/09\/19\/sikorsky-may-deliver-early-its-combat-rescue-helicopter\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter<\/a> is showing its age. Specifically, at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, the aircraft are experiencing structural cracks and frequent maintenance issues that hamstring the fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that doesn\u2019t stop the airmen of 33rd Rescue Squadron from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2015\/02\/20\/new-rescue-squadron-stands-up-at-raf-lakenheath\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">doing their jobs<\/a>, which regularly includes deploying from Japan to the Middle East \u2014 including to aid casualty evacuation operations in Afghanistan or conduct combat rescue missions in Iraq \u2014 or to other regions worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While other squadrons at Kadena prepare for the possibility of war, the members of the 33rd frequently find themselves in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHalf of our unit is actually deployed right now. About half of them in Afghanistan\u201d Capt. Chris Allen, an HH-60G pilot and flight commander, said in a Feb. 13 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/02\/12\/air-force-budget-calls-for-more-planes-drones-and-a-lot-more-bombs\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mq-9-reaper-1.jpg-1.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force budget calls for more planes, drones \u2014 and a lot more bombs<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Air Force\u2019s proposed budget for fiscal 2019 calls for increasing the number of F-35As, KC-46 tankers, MQ-9 Reapers, and rebuilding its stockpile of precision-guided munitions such as the Hellfire missile and Joint Directed Attack Munition.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur guys have been in and out of Afghanistan for years now,\u201d he said. \u201cLast year I came back from AFRICOM [U.S. Africa Command].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The squadron operates nine HH-60Gs, a variant of the ubiquitous Black Hawk sold by Sikorsky, which is now owned by Lockheed Martin. At any given time, one of those aircraft is usually going through depot or phased maintenance, Allen said. The rest of the squadron is split into two unit type codes, or UTC, one of which is always ready to deploy from Kadena or temporarily operating somewhere around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through all of this, the Pave Hawk is advancing in age. The oldest of the 33rd\u2019s HH-60Gs were manufactured in the late 1980s. All of them are either approaching their 7,000-hour lifespan or have exceeded it, Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result is an overworked fleet of aircraft that is literally coming apart at the seams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOver the past few years, we\u2019ve started to see airframe structural cracks,\u201d Allen said. \u201cUsually what that entails is we find it, it goes to maintenance, maintenance sends back to their headquarters for approval to basically stiffen that area, put in bracing and all that, and then it comes back to us. And then we see the crack either go somewhere else or progress, or whatever. So that\u2019s something we\u2019re constantly fighting these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, that doesn\u2019t keep the squadron from putting the aircraft to work. The HH-60G is frequently flown with heavier payloads than it was designed to handle. And it operates in the Middle East, where the environment can come with higher altitudes and temperatures than the helicopter was designed to handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"546\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15034\" data-id=\"15034\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capt.-Chris-Allen-in-cockpit.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capt.-Chris-Allen-in-cockpit.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capt.-Chris-Allen-in-cockpit.jpg.jpg?resize=300,137 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capt.-Chris-Allen-in-cockpit.jpg.jpg?resize=768,349 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capt.-Chris-Allen-in-cockpit.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,466 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Capt. Chris Allen, a flight commander in the 33rd Rescue Squadron, dons his helmet in an HH-60G before takeoff. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"658\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15038\" data-id=\"15038\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G.jpg.jpg?resize=300,165 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G.jpg.jpg?resize=768,421 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,561 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">An HH-60G from the 33rd Rescue Squadron lifts off from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1090\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15047\" data-id=\"15047\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-side-view.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-side-view.jpg.jpg 1090w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-side-view.jpg.jpg?resize=300,186 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-side-view.jpg.jpg?resize=768,477 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-side-view.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,636 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1090px) 100vw, 1090px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">A side view of a 33rd Rescue Squadron HH-60G as it is prepped for takeoff on a training flight. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1015\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15059\" data-id=\"15059\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg 1015w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The refueling probe on a 33rd Rescue Squadron HH-60G. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15072\" data-id=\"15072\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-front-view.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-front-view.jpg.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-front-view.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-front-view.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">An HH-60G of the 33rd Rescue Squadron on Kadena Air Base, Japan, is prepped for takeoff. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1015\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15080\" data-id=\"15080\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-Maintainers.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-Maintainers.jpg.jpg 1015w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-Maintainers.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-Maintainers.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Two maintainers inspect an HH-60G of the 33rd Rescue Squadron on Kadena Air Base. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"972\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15086\" data-id=\"15086\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-mustache.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-mustache.jpg.jpg 972w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-mustache.jpg.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-mustache.jpg.jpg?resize=768,535 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 972px) 100vw, 972px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">A mustache is painted on an HH-60G of the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It pays homage to the squadron&#8217;s &#8220;Pedro&#8221; call sign while deployed to Afghanistan. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15093\" data-id=\"15093\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33rd-patch.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33rd-patch.jpg.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33rd-patch.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33rd-patch.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The patch of the 33rd Rescue Squadron, part of the 18th Wing on Kadena Air Base. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"677\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15103\" data-id=\"15103\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-inspection.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-inspection.jpg.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-inspection.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-inspection.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">A pilot from the 33rd Rescue Squadron performs a preflight inspection of his HH-60G on Kadena Air Base. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"575\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15109\" data-id=\"15109\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-take-off-2.jpg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-take-off-2.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-take-off-2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,144 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-take-off-2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,368 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60-take-off-2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,491 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">An HH-60G of the 33rd Rescue Squadron takes off from Kadena Air Base, Japan. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of those mission requirements increase the load of maintainers, Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even at home station, the squadron flies twice a day, about four days a week, with at least one complex training scenario \u2014 usually staged at nighttime. The scenario could involve picking up a wounded operator with a radio, with red forces deployed as aggressors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor what they are, as old as they are, our maintenance guys have to work pretty hard. But they fly well once we get them up and going,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force plans to begin buying a new combat rescue helicopter, Lockheed Martin\u2019s HH-60W, in fiscal 2019. The service\u2019s newly released budget request includes the first procurement dollars, about $680 million for the first 10 low-rate initial production helicopters of a planned 112 aircraft acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The combat rescue helicopter program appears to be proceeding at pace, but the competitions leading up to the selection of the HH-60W were famously troubled. Under the combat search and rescue-X, or CSAR-X, program, the Air Force in 2006 selected a variant of Boeing\u2019s CH-47 Chinook helicopter but canceled the program after multiple protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It then scaled back its requirements and restarted the HH-60G replacement effort as the combat rescue helicopter competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The HH-60G\u2019s current predicament illustrates why it is critical for the military to acquire and field new technologies in a timely manner. Pushing new procurement programs too far into the future can hinder a critical mission \u2014 a fact not lost on the airmen flying the Pave Hawk today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCSAR-X happened, what is it, 10 years ago? We needed a new helicopter then,\u201d Allen stressed, \u201cbecause our birds are so old.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It will be \u201cyears, at least\u201d until active-duty units like the 33rd start getting the new HH-60Ws, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the structural issues plaguing the HH-60G inventory, Allen stressed safety comes first, especially in a training environment. When there seems to be an issue with one of the Pave Hawks, the crew will either hop to another helicopter or not fly that training mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe make a lot of decisions not to fly helicopters purely based on precaution. So it\u2019s things like: Would we in a real life \u2014 if there\u2019s someone actually floating out there we need to go pick up or a pilot just got shot down \u2014 would we fly that helicopter? Absolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cBut a lot of times here, we make the conservative choice and say: \u2018We\u2019ll just give it back to maintenance and let them fix it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Hot and heavy<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moving injured troops from the ground or sea into a helicopter to receive medical attention is a team effort. Typically, an HH-60G crew includes two pilots and two special mission aviators, who are responsible for flight engineer duties and operating the .50-caliber GAU-18 gun and GAU-2 minigun. It can also be augmented by two to three pararescue jumpers from the 31st Rescue Squadron, all of which are qualified combat medics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a UTC stays at Kadena or is deployed to a place like Africa, it will likely be regulated to flying training missions to keep its skills sharp; or, very rarely, it will conduct an actual rescue mission of a downed pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That all changes when a Pave Hawk squadron is sent to a place like Afghanistan, where an HH-60G will always be operating nearby other aircraft carrying out combat missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf there\u2019s a lot of activity, like a lot of dudes are getting shot or hit with [improvised explosive devices], our pace, our tempo rapidly increases. But it truly depends on where we\u2019re at, and what we\u2019re tasked to do because if we\u2019re not tasked to do [casualty evacuation], then most likely, we\u2019re not doing a whole lot [more] than flying training lines,\u201d said Master Sgt. Joshua Reid, a special missions aviator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evacuating troops in a warzone requires quick thinking and cooperation with other U.S. assets in the air. The first task for the Pave Hawk crew is figuring out the precise location of the operator needing help, which could entail talking to his or her wingman, using data from surveillance aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper, or contacting him or her directly using radios. Then, the HH-60G crew will call in other aircraft, which can help protect the operator on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1015\" height=\"677\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg 1015w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HH-60G-refueling-probe.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The refueling probe on a 33rd Rescue Squadron HH-60G. (Jeff Martin\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDepending on where he goes down, if he goes down in OIR [Operation Inherent Resolve] if he\u2019s in ISIS-controlled territory [in Iraq or Syria], then it becomes: Let\u2019s coordinate with anyone we have available, whether it be the guys he was with that have bombs or A-10s that were 100 miles away doing whatever,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt gets really busy, but that\u2019s the beauty of the crew and the helicopter. We always have one guy flying\u2026but that other pilot is there to mission manage. Additionally there\u2019s the guys in the back, those [special mission aviators],\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ll have notes in grease pen scribbled all the way down the window. [\u2026] Anytime new information comes through, they copy it down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the 33rd is fully manned on the pilot side, it\u2019s dealing with a shortfall of special mission aviators like Reid, who says he could fly two to three times a day even at home station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not critical, we\u2019re not going to fail at our mission set, but we can definitely use a few extra bodies,\u201d he said. \u201cThis job takes a toll on people, sitting in the back of the helicopter\u2014even in the front, I\u2019m not saying pilots don\u2019t have it rough \u2014 but sitting in the aircraft, people\u2019s knees get hurt, people\u2019s necks and backs start hurting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the earlier days of constantly being gone, I knew dudes who were on rotation for four months home, four months on the road, if not longer. But the constant rotation of deployments and exercises take away from people\u2019s lives and families and stuff, so a lot of people get out over time. They don\u2019t make it a career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Air Force&#8217;s 33rd Rescue Squadron is tasked with one of the service&#8217;s most important tasks, but many of its Pave Hawk helicopters used for those missions have begun exhibiting structural 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