Asia-Pacific
Air Force’s new Jolly Green helicopter makes first Indo-Pacific flight from Okinawa
Stars and Stripes
February 29, 2024
An Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II assigned to the 33rd Rescue Squadron lifts off for the first time at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Feb. 27, 2024. (Luis E. Rios Calderon/U.S. Air Force)
A new Air Force combat rescue helicopter, dubbed the Jolly Green II in homage to its Vietnam War-era predecessors, made its first Indo-Pacific flight this week, according to Pacific Air Forces.
The HH-60W Jolly Green II lifted off Tuesday from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, PACAF announced in a news release Wednesday. The release did not provide flight details.
An undisclosed number of new-era Jolly Green IIs arrived at Kadena in January to replace HH-60G Pave Hawks that have been in service there 21 years with the 33rd Rescue Squadron.
“I’ve been flying this HH-60W for three years and I was fortunate enough to return to Kadena for a second assignment,” Lt. Col. Brian Rhoades, the squadron’s combat rescue helicopter team lead, said in the release.
The 33rd flies combat rescue missions in all manner of weather, behind the lines and around the clock, according to the release.
“This is the first sortie this aircraft has flown since arriving at Kadena, and this is the first active-duty Air Force crew to fly this helicopter,” Rhoades said. “It flew exactly like how I expected it to and met all our expectations.”
Tech. Sgt. Shelby "Scar" Duncan, a 33rd Rescue Squadron special missions aviator, performs pre-flight checks on an HH-60W Jolly Green II before its first flight at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Feb. 27, 2024. (Luis E. Rios Calderon/U.S. Air Force)
All the squadron’s G-model Pave Hawks will be gone by August and more Jolly Green IIs will arrive before mid-2025, squadron commander Lt. Col. Louis Nolting said in the release.
“The HH-60W gives us a modern, combat capable helicopter with improved power avionics, defensive systems, weapon systems, survivability and personnel recovery,” he said.
The Air Force cut short its procurement plan for Jolly Green IIs last year after purchasing 75 ships, two-thirds of the 113 it planned to buy, according to a March 28 report on the Breaking Defense news website.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said a changing threat environment led to the decision, which would leave the service 25 combat rescue helicopters short of the number they’re meant to replace, the report said.
The next-generation Jolly Green II, based on the HH-60M Black Hawk frame, also comes with a larger fuel capacity for longer range and better threat detection and countermeasures, according to the Air Force.
It can carry two pilots, two gunners, two paramedics and two litters; the fuselage can be mounted on either side with .50-caliber and 7.62 mm machine guns, according to a September 2021 report on the Air Force Technology website.
Lt. Col. Louis "Shiner" Nolting, 33rd Rescue Squadron commander, left, and Lt. Col. Brian Rhoades, combat rescue helicopter team lead, step toward an HH-60W Jolly Green II for its first flight at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Feb. 27, 2024. (Luis E. Rios Calderon/U.S. Air Force)
The service announced the Pave Hawk’s retirement in 2010 and began development of the Jolly Green II in June 2014 with a $1.2 billion contract to Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin, according to Air Force Technology.
The Air Force began phasing out the Pave Hawks in 2022, and the Jolly Green II made its first operational flight that September when one flew a patient from Valdosta, Ga., to Tampa, Fla., according to the Air Force website.
The name Jolly Green II pays homage to the Sikorsky HH-3E, nicknamed the “Jolly Green Giant” due to its size and color, which set the precedent for current Air Force combat rescue crews, according to the service.