USAF's HH-60W Jolly Green II Deploys to Africa

Derived from the UH-60 Black Hawk, the search and rescue chopper marks its first deployment.

Friday, January 06, 2023 at 04:23 PM ET

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A HH-60W combat rescue helicopter follows behind its wingman in support of a casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) exercise at an undisclosed Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa area of responsibility, Dec 8, 2022. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force's HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters are currently on their first deployment in eastern Africa, specifically Djibouti.
The helicopters are participating in exercises like casualty evacuations (CASEVACs) to enhance the Warfighter Recovery Network and coordinate efforts among forces.
The HH-60W is a revamped combat search and rescue aircraft with improved range, avionics, and survivability compared to its predecessor, the HH-60G Pave Hawk.
Its name, Jolly Green II, honors the legendary Vietnam-era HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant," which pioneered combat search and rescue missions.

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The U.S. Air Force’s HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters have been operating in Africa on their first deployment, according to reports.

The Air Force last October announced that the revamped combat search and rescue aircraft based on the venerable Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was ready for action. In November the service shared certain details regarding preparations its members were making for the Jolly Greens’ first deployment but did not reveal its location.