Goodbye Pave Hawk: Last HH-60 retired from the USAF

The US Air Force has retired the last of its Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters. Derived from the UH-60 Black Hawk, the type is being replaced by the HH-60W Jolly Green II.

US Air Force retires final Pave Hawk combat rescue helicopter

The Pave Hawk’s final operational flight took place on 10 September, when the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing marked the aircraft’s retirement with a ceremony at Moffett Air National Guard Base.

The ceremony commemorated the retirement of the last Pave Hawk, tail number 27045, while also honouring its legacy. The aircraft operated in some of the Air Force’s most challenging environments, recovering people from combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The 129th Rescue Wing said that while the last HH-60G has flown its final Air Force mission, its legacy will continue wherever rescue crews answer the call to bring someone home.

More than 300 combat saves in Afghanistan

Since 1977, the 129th Rescue Wing has been credited with saving 1,190 lives, many of them with the Pave Hawk playing a critical role. Not all of these rescues were in combat environments; the helicopter was also used extensively during natural disasters, including hurricanes.

During deployments to Afghanistan, Pave Hawks carried 129th crews on missions that contributed to more than 300 combat saves.

The Pave Hawk, often called the “Golf”, entered service in 1982. It can carry more than eight passengers, fly at speeds of around 180 mph and has a range of around 580 miles. It can also be refuelled in flight, while its folding rotor blades allow it to be transported in strategic airlifters such as the C-5M Galaxy.

The Pave Hawk will be replaced by the HH-60W Jolly Green II

The HH-60W Jolly Green II, or “Whiskey”, is now taking on the Air Force’s combat rescue mission. It is designed to operate in a variety of threat environments, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Fiscal 2026 budget documents listed the final 11 HH-60Gs for retirement. The Air Force said the airframes had reached the end of their expected service lives, with savings to be reinvested in the HH-60W and future combat search and rescue modernisation.

The HH-60W has integrated mission systems designed to improve situational awareness and help crews operate in contested environments. Its equipment includes radar, laser, missile and hostile-fire warning systems, integrated chaff and flares, cockpit armour and Link 16.

Whiskey builds on the development of and lessons learned from the Pave Hawk. Among the first units to receive the new combat rescue helicopter were the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 512th Rescue Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The Air Force originally planned to acquire 113 Whiskey helicopters, but later reduced that figure to 91. Lawmakers have questioned whether the smaller fleet will provide enough aircraft for combat rescue, particularly with 26 HH-60Ws earmarked for duties in the Washington area.