The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
and
combat search and rescue
Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.
A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refuelin ...
(CSAR)
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...
. The HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" was initially developed to replace the
HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant". The U.S. Air Force's MH-53J/M fleet was retired in September 2008.
["MH-53s fly final combat missions"](_blank)
US Air Force, 1 October 2008.
Design and development
The US Air Force ordered 72 HH-53B and HH-53C variants for
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
units during the Vietnam War, and later developed the MH-53J Pave Low version for Special Operations missions.
The Pave Low's mission was low-level, long-range, undetected penetration into denied areas, day or night, in adverse weather, for
infiltration
Infiltration may refer to:
Science, medicine, and engineering
*Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil
*Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings
*Infiltration (me ...
,
exfiltration and resupply of
special operations force
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
s. Pave Lows often worked in conjunction with
MC-130H Combat Talon for navigation, communications and combat support, and with
MC-130P Combat Shadow
The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the ...
for in-flight refueling.
The large green airframe of the HH-53B earned it the nickname "
Super Jolly Green Giant
The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...
". This name is a reference to the smaller
HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant", a stretched variant of the
H-3 Sea King
The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engin ...
, used in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
for combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) operations.
HH-53B
The US Air Force regarded their Sikorsky S-61R/HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" long-range CSAR helicopters favorably and was interested in the more capable S-65/CH-53A. In 1966, the USAF awarded a contract to Sikorsky for development of a CSAR variant of the CH-53A.
![HC-130P refueling HH-53B over North Vietnam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/HC-130P_refueling_HH-53B_over_North_Vietnam.jpg)
The HH-53B, as it was designated, featured:
* A retractable in-flight refueling probe on the right side of the nose
* Spindle-shaped jettisonable external tanks with a capacity of , fitted to the
sponsons
Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing.
Watercraft
On watercraft, a spon ...
and braced by struts attached to the fuselage
* A rescue hoist above the right passenger door, capable of deploying a
forest penetrator
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
on of steel cable
* Armament of three pintle-mounted General Electric
GAU-2/A 7.62 mm (.308 in) six-barreled
Gatling
The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon.
The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...
-type machine guns, with one in a forward hatch on each side of the fuselage and one mounted on the tail ramp, with the gunner secured with a harness
* A total of of armor
* A Doppler navigation radar in the forward belly
Early HH-53Bs featured T64-GE-3 turboshafts with each, but these engines were later upgraded to T64-GE-7 turboshafts with . Five crew were standard, including a pilot, copilot, crew chief, and two
pararescuemen
Pararescuemen (also known as PJs) are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These speci ...
.
HH-53C
![HH-53C lowers pararescueman June 1970](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/HH-53C_lowers_pararescueman_June_1970.jpg)
The HH-53B was essentially an interim type, with production quickly moving on to the modestly improved Air Force HH-53C CSAR variant. The most visible difference between the HH-53B and HH-53C was that the HH-53C dispensed with the fuel-tank bracing struts. Experience with the HH-53B showed that the original tank was too big, adversely affecting performance when they were fully fueled, and so a smaller tank was adopted in its place. Other changes included more armor and a more comprehensive suite of radios to improve communications with C-130 tankers, attack aircraft supporting CSAR actions, and aircrews awaiting rescue on the ground. The HH-53C was otherwise much like the HH-53B, with the more powerful T64-GE-7 engines.
![HH-53C over Vietnam October 1972](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/HH-53C_over_Vietnam_October_1972.jpg)
A total of 44 HH-53Cs were built, with introduction to service in August 1968. Late in the war they were fitted with countermeasures pods to deal with heat-seeking missiles. As with the HH-53B, the HH-53C was also used for covert operations and snagging reentry capsules, as well as snagging reconnaissance drones. A few were assigned to support the Apollo space program, standing by to recover an
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
capsule in case of a launchpad abort, though such an accident never happened.
In addition to the HH-53Cs, the Air Force obtained 20 CH-53C helicopters for more general transport work. The CH-53C was apparently very similar to the HH-53C, even retaining the rescue hoist, the most visible difference being that the CH-53C did not have an in-flight refueling probe. Since CH-53Cs were used for covert operations, they were armed and armored like HH-53Cs.
A good number of Super Jollies were converted into ''Pave Low'' special-operations helicopters.
PAVE
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
or ''Pave'' is an Air Force code name for a number of weapons systems using advanced electronics.
HH/MH-53H
The USAF's Super Jollies were useful helicopters, but they were essentially daylight / fair weather machines, and downed aircrew were often in trouble at night or in bad weather. A limited night / foul weather sensor system designated "Pave Low I" based on a low-light-level TV (LLLTV) imager was deployed to Southeast Asia in 1969 and combat-evaluated on a Super Jolly, but reliability was not adequate.
In 1975, an HH-53B was fitted with the much improved "Pave Low II" system and re-designated YHH-53H. This exercise proved much more satisfactory, and so eight HH-53Cs were given a further improved systems fit and redesignated ''HH-53H Pave Low III'', with the YHH-53H also upgraded to this specification. All were delivered in 1979 and 1980.
The HH-53H retained the in-flight refueling probe, external fuel tanks, rescue hoist, and three-gun armament of the HH-53C; armament was typically a
minigun
The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...
on each side, and a Browning gun in the tail to provide more reach and a light anti-armor capability. The improvements featured by the HH-53H included:
* A
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...
AN/AAQ-10 forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imager.
* A Texas Instruments AN/APQ-158 terrain-following radar (TFR), which was a digitized version of the radar used by the A-7. It was further modified to be able to give terrain avoidance and terrain following commands simultaneously (first aircraft capable of this unique feature).
* A Canadian Marconi Doppler-radar navigation system.
* A Litton or Honeywell inertial guidance system (INS).
* A computerized moving-map display.
* A radar-warning receiver (RWR) and chaff-flare dispensers.
The FLIR and TFR were mounted on a distinctive "chin" mount. The HH-53H could be fitted with 27 seats for troops or 14 litters. The upgrades were performed by the Navy in Pensacola, reflecting the fact that the Navy handled high-level maintenance on Air Force S-65s. In 1986, the surviving HH-53Hs were given an upgrade under the ''CONSTANT GREEN'' program, featuring incremental improvements such as a cockpit with blue-green lighting compatible with
night vision goggle
A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The devi ...
s (NVGs). They were then reclassified as "special operations" machines and accordingly given a new designation of ''MH-53H''.
The HH-53H proved itself and the Air Force decided to order more, coming up with an ''MH-53J Pave Low III Enhanced'' configuration. The general configuration of the MH-53J is similar to that of the HH-53J, the major change being fit of twin T64-GE-415 turboshafts with 4,380 shp (3,265 kW) each, as well as more armor, giving a total armor weight of 1,000 lb (450 kg). There were some avionics upgrades as well, including fit of a modern
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
(GPS) satellite navigation receiver. A total of 31 HH-53Bs, HH-53Cs, and CH-53Cs were upgraded to the MH-53J configuration from 1986 through 1990, with all MH-53Hs upgraded as well, providing a total of 41 MH-53Js.
MH-53J/M
![An MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter approaches the refueling basket of an MC-130P Combat Shadow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/An_MH-53M_Pave_Low_IV_helicopter_approaches_the_refueling_basket_of_an_MC-130P_Combat_Shadow.jpg)
The MH-53J Pave Low III helicopter was the largest, most powerful and technologically advanced transport helicopter in the
US Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
inventory. The
terrain-following and terrain-avoidance
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
,
forward looking infrared
Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation.
The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...
sensor,
inertial navigation
An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dir ...
system with Global Positioning System, along with a projected map display enable the crew to follow terrain contours and avoid obstacles, making low-level penetration possible.
Under the Pave Low III program, the Air Force modified nine MH-53Hs and 32 HH-53s for night and adverse weather operations. Modifications included AN/AAQ-18 forward-looking infrared, inertial navigation system, global positioning system,
Doppler navigation systems, APQ-158 terrain-following and terrain-avoidance radar, an on-board mission computer, enhanced navigation system, and integrated avionics to enable precise
navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
to and from target areas. The Air Force designated these modified versions as MH-53J.
The MH-53J's main mission was to drop off, supply, and pick up special forces behind enemy lines. It also can engage in combat search and rescue missions. Low-level penetration was made possible by a state-of-the-art terrain following radar, as well as infrared sensors that allow the helicopter to operate in bad weather. It was equipped with armor plating. It could transport 38 troops at a time and sling up to 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg) of cargo with its external hook. It was capable of a top speed of 165 mph (266 km/h) and had a ceiling of 16,000 feet (4,900 m).
The MH-53M Pave Low IV was modified from the MH-53J configuration with the addition of Interactive Defensive Avionics System/Multi-Mission Advanced Tactical Terminal or IDAS/MATT. The system enhanced the defensive capabilities of the Pave Low. It provided instant access to the total battlefield situation, through near real-time Electronic Order of Battle updates. It also provided a new level of detection avoidance with
near real-time
Real-time computing (RTC) is the computer science term for hardware and software systems subject to a "real-time constraint", for example from event to system response. Real-time programs must guarantee response within specified time constrai ...
threat broadcasts
over-the-horizon
Over-the-horizon radar (OTH), sometimes called beyond the horizon radar (BTH), is a type of radar system with the ability to detect targets at very long ranges, typically hundreds to thousands of kilometres, beyond the radar horizon, which is ...
, so crews can avoid and defeat threats, and replan en route if necessary.
Operational history
While waiting for delivery of the HH-53Bs, the Air Force obtained two
Marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
CH-53As for evaluation and training. The first of eight HH-53Bs performed its initial flight on 15 March 1967, and the type was performing CSAR missions with the USAF Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Service in Southeast Asia by the end of the year. The Air Force called the HH-53B the "Super Jolly". It was used for CSAR, covert combat operations, and "snagging" reentry capsules from
photo
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...
-
reconnaissance satellite
A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.
The ...
s.
The Air Force lost 17 Super Jollies during the Southeast Asia conflict, with 14 lost in combat – including one that was shot down by a North Vietnamese
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...
on 28 January 1970 while on a CSAR mission over
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
– and three lost in accidents.
The Super Jollies made headlines in November 1970 in the unsuccessful
raid into North Vietnam to rescue prisoners-of-war from the
Son Tay
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current co ...
prison camp, as well as in the operation to rescue the crew of the freighter
SS ''Mayagüez'' from
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
n
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
fighters in May 1975.
The HH-53B, HH-53C, and CH-53C remained in Air Force service into the late 1980s. Super Jollies operating in front-line service were painted in various camouflage color schemes, while those in stateside rescue service were painted in an overall gray scheme with a yellow tailband.
The first nine HH-53H Pave Lows became operational on 1 July 1980, and were transferred from the
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...
, where they were to have been CSAR assets, to the
1st Special Operations Wing
The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
The 1st Special Operations Wing is ...
in the aftermath of the ''
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas ( fa, عملیات طبس) in Iran, was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at the ...
'' disaster. Two of the HH-53Hs were lost in training accidents in 1984, and so two CH-53Cs were brought up to HH-53H standard as replacements.
Five MH-53Js of the
20th Special Operations Squadron
The 20th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates Bell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys on special operations missions. It traces its history back to the activation of the 20th ...
deployed to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
as part of
Operation Just Cause
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
in December 1989. During the operation, MH-53Js conducted missions including reconnaissance, small team insertion, medivac, logistics, and fire support. The MH-53's terrain-following and terrain-avoidance radar, along with GPS, enabled the helicopters to reach objectives other helicopters could not; in one case, an MH-53 used its precision navigation capability to lead a SEAL team on
MH-6 Little Bird
The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird (nicknamed the Killer Egg) and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, w ...
helicopters to their remote objective. 20th SOS crews flew 193 sorties during the operation, totaling 406.1 hours of flying time.
The MH-53 Pave Low's last mission was on 27 September 2008, when the remaining six helicopters flew in support of special operations forces in Southwest Asia. These MH-53Ms were retired shortly thereafter and replaced with the
V-22 Osprey
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...
.
Variants
![MH53 night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/MH53_night.jpg)
* TH-53A – training version used by US Air Force (USAF)
* HH-53B –
CH-53A type for USAF search and rescue (SAR)
* CH-53C – heavy-lift version for USAF, 22 built
* HH-53C – "Super Jolly Green Giant", improved HH-53B for USAF
* YHH-53H – prototype Pave Low I aircraft
* HH-53H – Pave Low II night infiltrator
* MH-53H – redesignation of HH-53H
* MH-53J – "Pave Low III" special operations conversions of HH-53B, HH-53C, and HH-53H.
* MH-53M – "Pave Low IV" upgraded MH-53Js
For other H-53 variants, see
CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...
,
CH-53E Super Stallion
The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, ...
and
CH-53K King Stallion
The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion (Sikorsky S-95) is a heavy-lift cargo helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and l ...
.
Operator
;
*
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Aircraft on display
![MH-53 Pave Low IV Maxwell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/MH-53_Pave_Low_IV_Maxwell.jpg)
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 68-10928, was retired 29 July 2007 and placed on display at Air Commando Park,
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Sp ...
, Florida on 3 December 2007. This helicopter took part in the May 1975
Mayagüez incident
The ''Mayaguez'' incident took place between Kampuchea (now Cambodia) and the United States from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting the U.S.-backed Khmer Republic. After the ...
rescue operation and sustained major battle damage to the engine, rotor blades, and instrument panel. The aircraft flew in combat during the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
*Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...
and the
War in Iraq
This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states.
Other armed conflicts involving Iraq
* Wars during Mandatory Iraq
** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921
* Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...
for its last seven years of service, completing its last combat mission in Iraq during the summer 2007.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 68-10357, was retired in March 2008 and placed on display at the
National Museum of the US Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...
at
Wright-Patterson AFB
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...
, Ohio on 8 July 2008. This MH-53 carried the command element during
Operation Ivory Coast
Operation Ivory Coast was a mission conducted by United States Special Operations Forces and other American military elements to rescue U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. It was also the first joint military operation in United States ...
, the mission to rescue American prisoners of war from the
Son Tay
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current co ...
North Vietnamese prison camp in 1970.
[Bardua, Rob]
"New MH-53M helicopter exhibit opens at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force"
. USAF National Museum, 8 July 2008.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 70-1626, was retired 11 August 2008 and will be placed on display at the
Museum of Aviation,
Robins AFB
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...
, Georgia.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 68-8284, was retired on 30 September 2008 and arrived at the Cold War Exhibition at the Royal Air Force Museum,
RAF Cosford
Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford (formerly DCAE Cosford) is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton, Bridgnorth, Albrighton.
History
Origins
RA ...
, UK on 17 December 2008.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 73-1652, was retired 5 September 2008 and placed on display at the
Air Force Armament Museum
The Air Force Armament Museum is a military aviation museum adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, dedicated to the display of Air Force armament. It is supported by the private, non-profit Air Force Armament Museum Foundation.
...
next to
Eglin AFB
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
. This MH-53M was involved in operations shortly after the
Jonestown Massacre
The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationa ...
.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 73-1649. It was retired and intended for a museum when it erroneously ended up in the "Boneyard" of the
. Its last dedicated Crew Chief discovered it and "rescued" it. It is on display at the
Pima Air & Space Museum
The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus occ ...
.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 69-5785, on display at
Maxwell AFB
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
. It was dedicated on June 8, 2009, and is in the base's Air Park.
*MH-53J Pave Low III, AF serial number 66-14433, on display at
Kirtland AFB
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Ro ...
. This aircraft was the prototype for the Pave Low III configuration. It was the first H-53 to reach 10,000 flight hours.
*MH-53M Pave Low IV, AF serial number 68-10369, was retired in September 2008 and is now on display at
Hill Aerospace Museum
Hill Aerospace Museum is a military aviation museum located at Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah. It is dedicated to the history of the base and aviation in Utah.
History
Preparations for a museum began in 1984, when ground was broken on an "Ae ...
.
Specifications (MH-53J)
Notable appearances in media
See also
References
External links
USAF MH-53 page (archived)USAF MH-53 PAVE LOW site an
{{DEFAULTSORT:MH-53 PAVE LOW
Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low
The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stall ...
1960s United States helicopters">Sikorsky aircraft">H-053, M
1960s United States helicopters
Twin-turbine helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 1967