Combat Rescue Helicopter Program on Schedule.

• Author: Machi, Vivienne

* The Air Force's effort to field a new combat rescue helicopter in the 2020s is moving forward on time, a change from years of false starts and schedule delays that have held up a replacement for the current HH-60G Pave Hawk for nearly a decade.

The service in 2014 awarded the engineering and manufacturing development phase contract to Sikorsky--which is now under Lockheed Martin--to develop a Black Hawk derivative aircraft known as the HH-60W. The contract includes nine aircraft and related training and maintenance systems for a total value of nearly $1.6 billion. The Air Force has indicated a desire to purchase 112 aircraft to replace its aging Pave Hawk fleet.

The combat rescue helicopter program includes the HH-60W aircraft--a derivative of Sikorsky's UH-60M Black Hawk platform, said Tim Healy, Sikorsky combat rescue helicopter program director.

The company modified several capabilities to meet the Air Force's unique requirements for the combat rescue mission, he said in an interview.

One of the biggest changes was made to the fuel system, he said. Black Hawks possess a 360-gallon main fuel tank and the HH-60G was outfitted with large auxiliary tanks in the cabin. The Whiskey aircraft will have a 660-gallon tank, and will also include an air-refueling probe and system, as well as a dump system so pilots can jettison extra fuel if needed, he noted.

Sikorsky made structural changes to the aircraft to accommodate the extra fuel, and opened up space in the cabin for specialized seating, foldable stretchers and medical equipment with related power systems, he added.

These improved capabilities will provide significant benefits for HH-60W aircrew, Healy noted.

"We've actually been able to give them as much fuel as they had in the HH-60G, but give them back 20 inches of cabin space... from fore to aft," he said.

The HH-60W will also receive an upgraded tactical mission kit that provides new and improved avionics for the pilots and cabin crew, Healy said. It includes electro-optical/infrared sensors, radars and situational awareness systems "that bring intelligence and operational information into the cockpit," he added. The data will be integrated through two advanced mission computers and then displayed to the air crew on screens throughout the aircraft. The addition of more black boxes also prompted Sikorsky to improve the aircraft's avionics cooling system, he noted.

The company has also made changes to the weapon system. Healy, a retired...