Night Hawks in the Wild

Report and photos by George Karavantos

July 3, 2025

The main task of the 55th Rescue Squadron (RQS) ‘Night Hawks’, a component of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona, is to provide rapidly deployable combat search and rescue forces worldwide. The 55th used to operate the HH-60G Pave Hawk until switching to the newer HH-60W Jolly Green II in May 2023, while the last airframe was received in January. They employ these CSAR helicopters and crew in hostile environments to recover downed aircrew and isolated personnel during day, night, or marginal weather conditions. The 55th took the HH-60G to Davis-Monthan in 2003 and has since used the type to support deployments across the globe, while conducting humanitarian assistance/ disaster relief operations in the US.

Mission

George Karavantos flew on a live-fire gun training mission in the R3L firing range, north-east of Davis-Monthan in addition to aerial refueling with a HC-130J. Two helicopters, 14507 and 14516 (our own) were involved with callsigns ‘HK11’ and ‘HK12’ respectively. We headed to the helicopter with two SMAs (Special Mission Aviators) to watch the preparation. The duo started their pre-flight checks by inspecting the whole aircraft under two different duties. One officer was responsible for the engines and the upper part of the helicopter, while the other was tasked with the lower part, checking rotors, drive shafts, antennas, wheels etc. “We divide the tasks on each flight. For example, one reads the checklists during flight and the other does the paperwork by writing the tech-log of the aircraft,” explained SrA William Donnelly Jr.

Each gunner is responsible for his/her own gun, so that day they both had to check and prepare their own guns while also loading them with ammunition. The two gunners sat in opposite seats facing outside their own smaller windows, which could be slid open during the flight. They each had a Multi-function LCD next to them which was sharing images or navigation maps like the ones serving the flight crew. “We have the ability to transfer data or images to our screens for better targeting or navigation during missions under night or adverse weather conditions,” TSgt Hayden Reynolds said. Later on our pilots arrived.

Capt Cody Page who was our co-pilot and Maj Jesse Reynolds, our captain. After running through their checks, they told us to put our helmets on and strap ourselves inside because they were about to start the APU (auxiliary power unit). We were able to plug in our helmets to listen to their intercom. A couple of minutes later, the rotors started to spin and the aircraft started to taxi, then it departed in a north easterly heading to our firing range.

As we were flying in formation towards the range, the helicopters flew low-level, terrain hopping across several mountains while executing hard banks on either side to avoid the rising terrain. When we entered the firing range, the pilots identified and opted which helicopter would attack what target, while both gunners were checking and preparing their guns. There were many vehicles like Humvees, tanks, containers, even abandoned helicopters in the area, while there were also some markings on the sand, probably to distinguish specific firing missions or routes for helicopter pilots. We were ready to engage!

The helicopters started their attacks at the nominated targets simultaneously, flying in parallel. Both then pitched up on a steep 30° climb, to avoid ‘enemy’ fire and by gaining extra energy they started their dive towards the targets. The gunners were shooting together at two vehicles parked next to each other. When the helicopter was close enough, they paused to allow the pilots to perform a hard left turn bank away from the target. After a couple of seconds, the helicopters, one behind the other, started flying perpendicular to the targets so each gunner could fire his weapon at his own target. When the gunners stopped firing, the helicopters performed another hard 180° turn for another pass. During those raids, one pilot was using his infrared image to assess the hits of each gunner and decide whether it was successful or not. We practiced these firing raids four times before we ran short of ammunition. Both helicopters then landed in the desert and the gunners stepped outside to secure their weapons for the next part of our mission.

The helicopters departed the range and started climbing to a higher altitude, while staying in close formation, so they could be spotted easily. Suddenly our refueler appeared, flying in an opposite heading, and after crossing us a mile away, started turning towards us. The tanker was a HC-130J Combat King II of the 211st RQS belonging to Alaska Air National Guard (ANG). The aircraft approached to our right and deployed both its ‘baskets’, the two refueling drogues that are on two underwing pylons. We then split and our leader flew towards the right drogue, and we stayed on the left one.

During this type of scenario, when two helicopters need to be refueled at the same time, they don’t try to hook up at once because there is a danger of them hitting their rotors. So, the leader (always on the right side), hooks up first and then stays on the outer side of the wingtip – the cables of the drogue can be moved freely up to a certain limit – so that the No.2 could have extra space for maneuvering. It may look easy, but it definitely isn’t, particularly at 5,000ft with strong winds and turbulence, and often performing a turn, because the airspace for these kinds of maneuvers isn’t unlimited!

After the first complete refueling, the helicopters swapped positions, and we became No.1 to practice again. Each time the helicopters were in contact with the drogues they were receiving 400 gallons of fuel. When we finally finished the second attempt, the HC-130J retracted its baskets and climbed out, giving us room to rejoin and head back to our base. We descended to a pretty low altitude and started performing evasive maneuvers that saw us pulling Gs to simulate avoiding ‘enemy fire’. The turns were so hard that the aircraft was losing all of its energy, and the speed sometimes dropped from 120kts to almost zero, but the aircraft was not stalling due to its huge rotors which instantaneously offered the energy to accelerate again. The mission was coming to an end when we passed through the last mountains and Tucson city started to appear again on our horizon, along with the base with its distinctive huge aircraft storage area, known as the Boneyard. Both helicopters touched down on the 55th RQS apron at 1430hrs local time, after flying for three hours and 30 minutes.

INTERESTING 55TH HISTORY

The 55th Air Rescue Squadron was activated on 14 November 1952, at Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, where it replaced the 6th Air Rescue Squadron, when Air Rescue Service expanded its squadrons to groups and replaced their flights with new squadrons. It remained at Thule and trained and performed rescue and recovery missions until March 1960, when it moved to Kindley AFB, Bermuda, where it was inactivated on June 18, 1960. The squadron was reorganized at Kindley on June 18, 1961.

Until January 1966 the unit supported crewed spacecraft recovery operations. Then it was renamed the 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS). It moved to McCoy Air Force Base, Florida in February 1970. From McCoy, and after June 1971, from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida the unit provided coverage for Apollo missions through the early 1970s.

In 1988 the rescue role changed to special operations missions. During Operation Just Cause, the 55th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), as it was known then, performed combat search and rescue in Panama between December 20, 1989 and January 14, 1990. CSAR was maintained while involved in the 1991 Gulf War between January and March 1991, and again in the Persian Gulf region and then Kosovo, in 1998-1999.

On February 25, 1993, the 55th moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida, where the squadron was inactivated on November 11, 1999. On January 22, 2003, the squadron was reactivated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Since then the squadron has provided rapidly deployable CSAR forces worldwide and deployed aircraft and crews in response to national disasters, domestic search and rescue, and medical evacuation missions, during Hurricane Katrina for example.

HH-60W ORIGINS

The HH-60W is the result of a development of the HH-60G Pave Hawk that was based on the existing and proven framework of the latest UH-60M Black Hawk production model. The M model was an upgrade program for over 1,500 Black Hawks that started in the early 2000s. It was designed to meet requirements for extreme temperatures from 131°F (55°C) to -40°F (-40°C) while it featured new wide-chord composite spar main rotor blades, strengthened fuselage, and advanced infrared suppression. Its glass cockpit had four Rockwell Collins multifunction displays, two Canadian Marconi electronic flight management systems, dual Honeywell embedded GPS inertial EGI, and Goodrich integrated vehicle health management system. The General Electric T700-701D military engine is known for its exceptional performance in combat and harsh environments. With over 50 million hours of operation, it is rugged, reliable, and easy to maintain. It also powers the Boeing AH-64E Apache, offering improved durability and performance and commonality to its inventory.

On October 22, 2012, the USAF issued request for proposals (RFPs) to all the helicopter manufacturers for a program of up to 112 Combat Rescue Helicopters (CRH) to replace the HH-60G with the primary mission of personnel recovery from hostile territory. This number was eventually reduced in 2022 to 75, which meant three ANG units never re-equipped. Sikorsky and USAF extensively evaluated the proposed CRH-60, a variant of the MH-60M. The CRH-60 differed from the MH-60 with its greater payload and cabin capacity, wider and more silent rotor blades due to their inclination, and better hover capability.

On June 26, 2014, USAF awarded Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin a $7.9bn contract for the procurement of these helicopters. On November 24, 2014, the Air Force officially designated the UH-60M derived CRH as HH-60W. It first flew on May 17, 2019, while in February 2020 the HH-60W was officially named Jolly Green II, a nickname which had been used for the Sikorsky HH-3Ε helicopter, performing the same role from the 1960s until 1991. The unofficial nickname of the HH-3E, Jolly Green Giant was in reference not so much to the size of the helicopter (which was nevertheless impressive), but to the footprints left by its two wheels of each main landing gear on the ground in relation to the mascot and trademark of the eponymous American frozen and canned goods company (now a subsidiary of B&G Foods).

Moody AFB received its first two aircraft on November 5, 2020, followed by Kirtland AFB December 17, 2020, while the whole production will be completed in 2029. It features a suite of advanced systems aimed at improving safety and operational efficiency in contested environments. These include the AN/ AAR-57(V)3 common missile warning system, the AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser set, the AN/AVR-2B(V)1 laser detecting system, and the AN/ APR-52(V)1 radar warning receiver (RWR).

The cabin and cockpit are reinforced with armor, while advanced communication capabilities, such as the Link 16 tactical data link network and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, enhance mission effectiveness, tactical moving map displays, upturned IR-masking exhausts, and efficient wide chord rotor blades. The cockpit has four fully interchangeable display screens so that one pilot can operate all critical subsystems. Three additional screens in the cabin are reserved for the mission crew, whose members are known as SMA (Special Mission Aviator), to have a correspondingly high situational awareness to carry out their role, including the firing of guns and locating personnel for rescue-recovery.

In terms of armament, the HH-60W retains the infrastructure from the latest versions of its predecessor with mirror guns, ammunition power supply and electrical control that can accept either a 7.62mm GAU-2/A Minigun (with a 3,000rpm velocity) or GAU-18/A and GAU-21/A 12.7mm heavy machine guns (with respective 650-800rpm and 950-1100rpm velocities). They are mounted externally rather than hinged to fold internally which takes up valuable space, while ammunition is also stored outside the cabin. The added advantage of this change is that machine guns can lock the side doors closed in a position that allows firing towards the forward bow by the commander or co-pilot. Its mission equipment includes a retractable in-flight refueling probe, internal auxiliary fuel tanks and an 8,000lb (3,600kg) capacity cargo hook. 

ALASKAN HC-130J

The HC-130J was from the 211th Rescue Squadron (211th RQS), a unit of the Alaska ANG 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The USAF HC-130J Combat King II combat rescue variant has modifications for in-flight refueling of helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, including refueling pods on underwing pylons and additional internal fuel tanks in the cargo bay. The HC-130J Combat King II is also capable of being refueled in flight by boom-equipped tankers such as the KC-135 and KC-46. The first HC-130J was delivered to the USAF in September 2010 but underwent further testing before achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2012.

Acknowledgements:

The author would like to thank the flight crew of HK12, pilots Major Jesse Reynolds and Captain Cody Page and SMAs TSgt Hayden Reynolds and Senior William Donnely Jr. for helping so much in taking the aerial photos but especially Captain Mallory Ambrose for organizing this unique flight. What a ride Mallory!