Description:
The SH-60 is a twin-engine,
medium lift,
utility or assault helicopter.
Features
The
Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter. It is used for anti-submarine
warfare, search and rescue, drug interdiction, anti-ship warfare, cargo
lift, and special operations. The Navy's SH-60B Seahawk is an airborne
platform based aboard cruisers, destroyers, and frigates and deploys
sonobuoys (sonic detectors) and torpedoes in an anti-submarine role.
They also extend the range of the ship's radar capabilities. The Navy's
SH-60F is carrier-based. The HH-60H, also aboard carriers and ashore,
is used for search and rescue (SAR) missions. By 2015, the only models
of Seahawk in the Navy will be the MH-60S and the MH-60R. Some
versions, such as the Air Force's MH-60 G Pave Hawk and the Coast
Guard's HH-60J Jayhawk, are equipped with a rescue hoist with a 250
foot (75 meter) cable that has a 600 pound (270 kg) lift capability,
and a retractable in-flight refueling probe. The Army's UH-60L Black
Hawk can carry 11 soldiers or 2,600 pounds (1,170 kg) of cargo or sling
load 9,000 pounds (4,050 kg) of cargo.
Background
The
UH-60 Black Hawk was fielded by the Army in 1979. The Navy received the
SH- 60B Seahawk in 1983 and the SH-60F in 1988. The first MH-60S
operational squadron was Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five (HC
5), homeported in Guam. The Air Force received the MH-60G Pave Hawk in
1982 while the Coast Guard received the HH-60J Jayhawk in 1992. The
unit cost varies with the version. For example, the unit cost of the
Army's UH-60L Black Hawk is $5.9 million while the unit cost of the Air
Force MH-60G Pave Hawk is $10.2 million. |
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