Clinstone Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) I've been doing research on a potential build of either GATOR 07 or SKAT 13 of the 55th Special Operations Squadron during Operation Allied Force and came across a bunch of information that I feel would be useful here. The information is scattered throughout the site but hopefully this thread will compile it all in one place for reference. This does not include the CREDIBLE HAWK UH-60A/HH-60D variants. The first MH-60Gs went into service in 1987 with the 55th Special Operations Squadron at Eglin AFB, FL. This variant was essentially a UH-60A painted in European One with straight exhaust cans, offset color weather radar, refueling probe, and a folding stabilator. No external hoist was installed. The original test aircraft did not have the ESSS fairings installed. Armament was provided internally by M240 machine guns or 7.62mm miniguns. The RWR antennas were located on the nose and under the stabilator supplemented by a single M130 chaff bucket on the LH aft fuselage. IRCM was provided by an ALQ-144; no flare system was equipped. Prominent external antennas included VHF homing antennas behind the cockpit doors, the HF "towel-rack" antenna along the tail boom, and a SATCOM antenna behind the ALQ-144. The 55th SOS deployed to Operation Desert Storm with their MH-60Gs. These aircraft were painted in the ubiquitous three-color desert camouflage and were equipped with HIRSS, external hoist, and possessed the ESSS fairings. Due to the IR-SAM threat these aircraft received the BULLDOG modification which included two downward facing M130 flare buckets in addition to the sole M130 chaff bucket. No other Air Force H-60 unit would carry the BULLDOG configuration until the late 1990s. These aircraft were test fit with a cabin floor mounted .50 caliber machine gun but I cannot find any evidence of it being used operationally. The first HH-60s delivered to the Air Force went to Nellis AFB. They received stock UH-60A aircraft painted European One camouflage while they were standing up the unit. These aircraft were not equipped with a SATCOM antenna, probe, or external hoist. Other units received the HH-60G very close to the test configuration. Some aircraft had HIRSS and/or ESSS fairings, others did not. All were painted in European One camouflage. The HH-60Gs were all standardized with an external hoist, HIRSS, and ESSS fairings by 1994-5. Sometime in the mid-1990s all MH/HH-60s were equipped with a bar below the right cabin window to prevent the hoist cable from being frayed on the cabin floor lip. Edited November 24, 2016 by Clinstone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) In 1993 all AFSOC MH-60Gs were repainted to “AFSOC Gray”. These aircraft were fitted with an AN/AAQ-16 FLIR and a PLS antenna on the bottom of the fuselage between the landing gear. No markings except for the “USAF” and the 5-digit tail number were present on the aircraft. Some aircraft were tested with the “snoopy-nose” placement for the color weather radar modeled after the MH-60L. Many were assigned to the 55th Special Operations Squadron following testing. The MH-60Gs that deployed in Operation Allied Force very similar to this configuration except the VHF homing antenna behind the pilot doors were removed and the PLS antenna was upgraded to a dual-blade model. GATOR 07 and SKAT 13 were the “snoopy-nose” variants. The 55th SOS was deactivated shortly after returning from OAF. Their aircraft were sent to Nellis AFB with the 66th Rescue Squadron. EDIT TO ADD: 87-26009 was GATOR 07 In the mid-1990s, HH-60s started to receive the AAQ-16 FLIR and the SH-60 “frameless” cockpit windows. A lack of available FLIR units meant that not all aircraft were equipped with them although they were fitted for it. In addition the “regular” Air Force HH-60s started to receive the BULLDOG defensive system upgrades in the late 1990s. From this point forward there would be no difference between the MH-60G and HH-60G. Edited December 23, 2015 by Clinstone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) Just after the turn of the century the HH-60 received the Improved Electronic War Suite (IEWS) and started the “Block 152 Upgrade.” For the next few years nearly every aircraft was in varying states of modification. The upgrades are noted in the image below but included: -Moving the rear RWR antennas to the tail fin -Addition of AAR-47 MWS sensors to the tail fin and sponsons. These were later moved to the nose after testing revealed that the location that the SOAR picked out was superior. -Addition of two aft-upward facing chaff buckets on each side of the tail boom in “do-all” brackets -Addition of two front-down facing flare buckets on each side of the tail boom in “do-all” brackets -Addition of two front-down facing flare buckets on each sponson aft of the MWS sensor in “do-all” brackets -Moved the navigation lights from the sponson to the ESSS pylon. IR position lights were also added to the varying locations on the aircraft -Removed “towel-rack” antenna and cockpit VHF homing antennas -Added upper UHF/VHF antenna above the APU exhaust and whip antenna to tail pylon -Added external gun mounts and ammunition boxes Here’s an aircraft with the nose mounted MWS sensors but internal guns Edited November 24, 2016 by Clinstone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) From what I have found it seems as though the aircraft stationed in Keflavik received the modifications last or close to it. Here is a picture from 2004 and the aircraft are nearly identical to OSW/ONW aircraft in 1996. Even when they were modified they sometimes flew “naked”. This picture shows all countermeasure buckets are removed as well as the external gun mounts. During the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the 301st RQS repainted a couple of their aircraft in a desert camouflage scheme. These aircraft had a partial 152 upgrades with the towel-rack antenna, sponson MWS sensors, and internal mini-guns. Completed Block 152 upgrade Edited December 21, 2015 by Clinstone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) In 2003 CSAR moved from ACC to AFSOC. The aircraft were still known as HH-60s but flew under an AFSOC patch. Also around this time all aircraft were repainted in the current dark grey as they went through depot level maintenance but it was not related to the AFSOC switch.The ESSS fairing position lights were added to a location behind the wire strike protector on the top of the helicopter in front of the main mast in the mid-2000s after the gunners complained of NVG washout. A second set of LED position lights were moved under the sponson and had a shield installed to reduce glare. A data-link antenna was installed midway down the tail boom starting in the late 2000s. The latest external upgrades for the aircraft are the replacement of the data-link and SATCOM antenna with an “egg-beater” type and the replacement of the upper UHF antenna with a different blade antenna as part of the Advanced Communications Suite Upgrade (ACSU). This is currently only on the ANG/AFRES aircraft but all will be getting the upgrade in the next couple years. Edited November 24, 2016 by Clinstone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Pretty cool info, Clintstone! Thanks alot. Should come in handy for anyone wanting to do a AF hawk. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
salvador001 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Great info and photos. Hope to build a Pavehawk some day, but after my Army hawk. Rod. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Floyd S. Werner, Jr. Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Your timing couldn't have gotten much better. Great photos too. I'm sure this will prove helpful. Wink, wink. Floyd Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Great summary, thanks for taking the time. This should get pinned since it's a pretty valuable resource. Wish we had something similar to trace the evolution of Army special ops Blackhawks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I second that!!! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lifeline Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Nice and helpful info.... Just my 2c, but what if we pin this post? got several unbuild hawks in my stash which could be a HH/MH-60G (someday) Cheers, Mario Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Here is a photo of four 55th SOS MH-60Gs folded and ready for transport in 1991. 87-26011 has been repainted to European One from the three-tone desert scheme that it sported six months earlier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
admiralcag Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I was with the 56th when we transitioned from the HH-3s to the HH-60s. I took a lot of pictures with an eye towards modeling, but I couldn't tell you where they are. Cool stuff! Vern Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doupnik Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Here is a photo of four 55th SOS MH-60Gs folded and ready for transport in 1991. 87-26011 has been repainted to European One from the three-tone desert scheme that it sported six months earlier. Cool pic! It is interesting since it shows helo that now have the snoopy nose with the side mounted radar. I don't know what the snoopy nose radar offers that the side mounted radar does not. I figure the MH-60s got upgraded after Desert Storm then? mason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 From what I have heard it was an attempt to incerase the new FLIR field of regard and decrease the chances of messing up the radar landing somewhere rough. Obviously it didn't work that much better because not all aircraft were modified. The FLIR in the Pavehawk is mostly slaved to the navigation system and used for obstacle avoidance and cueing for brownout landings, not for surveillance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doupnik Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Bumping this to the top, an awesome write up that clears up a lot of the changes to the MH/HH-60 family. We need a new tool H-60 kit in 48th, I am tired of the Acad/Italeri kits. mason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jefropas Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Quote We need a new tool H-60 kit in 48th It's probably coming sooner than we think.... Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DonSS3 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Nothing as exciting as the "in action"pics above, but hopefully this walkaround will prove useful. These are taken at Keflavik Iceland, and I think it was the summer of 1994. http://s20.photobucket.com/user/DDonSS3/library/HH-60G Pave Hawk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 The 82nd CAB was stationed at Pope AFB for awhile before we moved to Simmons AAF. When one of the HH-60's crashed at Pope one day, they put the wreckage in the hangar next to ours. I walked over and went into it one day, and it was somber. Pieces of what was left of a hawk and pieces stuffed into 55 gal drums. Hard to believe it was a big long Blackhawk helicopter at one time. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
italycrew Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Hello Clintstone, thank you for all news about the Pave Hawk. Wich is the FS color that is used currently? Thank in advance,Roberto Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyArty Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) On 11/30/2016 at 12:13 PM, italycrew said: Hello Clintstone, thank you for all news about the Pave Hawk. Wich is the FS color that is used currently? Thank in advance,Roberto The actual color is called AFSOC Gray. I don't know an FS # for it. The closest model color is Testor's Model Master Gunship Gray (FS36118). Edited February 3, 2020 by HeavyArty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
italycrew Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Thank you very much Gino Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted February 3, 2020 Author Share Posted February 3, 2020 Thread Revival: Deployed HH-60Gs are now outfitted with the AN/AAQ-45 DAIRCM (Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures) in place of the AAR-47s on the nose and tail. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 On 2/3/2020 at 11:34 AM, Clinstone said: Thread Revival: Deployed HH-60Gs are now outfitted with the AN/AAQ-45 DAIRCM (Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures) in place of the AAR-47s on the nose and tail. Interesting. Are they also getting fitted a DIRCM type system as well? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clinstone Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 No. DIRCM requires additional turrets while DAIRCM has the same capabilities without additional turrets or sensors. I would expect to see other rotary wing aircraft transitioning to the AAQ-45 over the next few years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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