Air Guard Pilots Test HH-60 Helicopters Against an F-15 Fighter Attack

In a first, the Air National Guard recently tested how its new rescue helicopter would survive against attacks from enemy fighter aircraft to prepare for a potential war in the Pacific.

Guard pilots engaged electronic countermeasures on a HH-60G Pave Hawk and on the newer HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter when an F-15D Eagle fighter launched simulated attacks over water. The test was designed to evaluate the helicopters’ defenses in a maritime environment against real-world aerial threats, Air Force officials said.

The 129th Rescue Wing, based out of Moffett Air National Guard Base, Calif, are replacing its Pave Hawks with six new Jolly Green IIs, the unit announced in February. The HH-60W is equipped with more powerful engines with increased torque and improved survivability equipment such as upgraded radar and missile-detection systems.

The HH-60W flown in the test came from the 305th Rescue Squadron, based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The F-15D came from the 144th Fighter Wing stationed at Fresno Air National Guard Base, Calif. The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, or AATC, conducted the evaluation.

Air Force officials said they would not release specific details about the test because of operational security concerns.

“The recent testing was conducted over a four-day period and produced a significant amount of valuable data,” a spokesperson from the California Military Department said. “As the HH-60W is a new aircraft, this type of evaluation is an essential step in furthering our understanding of its performance and capabilities.”

The Guard units conducted the test to help them transition from the counter-insurgency threats of the past 20 years to “where we are potentially going” which will likely involve combat rescue operations in the Pacific against a near-pear adversary, the spokesperson added.

This is the first time the HH-60W has undergone this type of evaluation, which will “help us determine how effective U.S. countermeasures are against fighter aircraft over water,”  Air Force Lt. Col. Don Smith, deputy director of AATC’s HH-60 Division, said in a statement.

Electronic countermeasures are designed to disrupt enemy sensors and weapons systems. The test data will inform future training and equipment upgrades aimed at enhancing the survivability of rescue helicopters, but AATC would not comment on when the analysis of test data is scheduled to be complete.

The Air Force has changed its plans for the HH-60W several times since the aircraft achieved its initial operating capability in 2022. The service cut its plan to buy 113 HH-60Ws to 85 in 2023. Congress added money for 10 more in 2024 and four additional aircraft in 2025. The service’s 2026 budget request includes enough funding to procure 100 Jolly Green IIs.

Former Air Combat Command Commander Gen. Mark D. Kelly said that ACC has looked at alternatives to the HH-60W, such as buying more CV-22 Ospreys, to handle search and rescue missions beyond the practical range of the Jolly Green II.

Still, Lt. Col. Terry Parham, director of AATC’s HH-60 Division, said that the test was a significant opportunity for Air Guard members that have to “execute the same critical missions as active duty but often have fewer specialized training opportunities.”