The Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range

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 ...

operated by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

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 ...

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...

, military readiness and marine

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

s. It was originally designated HH-60J before being upgraded and redesignated beginning in 2007. Chosen to replace the

HH-3F Pelican The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States A ...

, the MH-60T is a member of the

Sikorsky S-70 The Sikorsky S-70 is an American medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the United States Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Black Hawk and spawning a ...

family of helicopters and is based on the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...

helicopter. Development began in September 1986, first flight was achieved on 8 August 1989, and the first HH-60J entered USCG service in June 1990. Production ended in 1996 after 42 helicopters were produced; three retired SH-60F Seahawks were also remanufactured to MH-60T specifications beginning in 2010. A total of 42 MH-60Ts are in service with the Coast Guard.MH-60T: Jayhawk
. U.S. Coast Guard

Development

Chosen to replace the

, the HH-60J was based on the United States Navy's SH-60 Seahawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family. Compared to its predecessor, the HH-3F, the HH-60J is lighter, faster, and equipped with more sophisticated electronics and more powerful engines. The HH-60J was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Navy's HH-60H Rescue Hawk.Leoni, Ray D. ''Black Hawk, The Story of a World Class Helicopter'', pp. 212-213.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...

, 2007. .

Sikorsky began development in September 1986 and aircraft registration number 6001 achieved first flight on 8 August 1989. The first aircraft was delivered to the USCG for developmental testing in March, 1990 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. In March 1991, ATC Mobile, Alabama became the first USCG unit to fly the HH-60J, allowing instructor pilots to prepare for pilot training.

Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City is a United States Coast Guard Air Station co-located at Elizabeth City Regional Airport in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, along the Pasquotank River near the opening of the Albemarle Sound. The base has ...

, North Carolina was the first USCG operational unit to fly the HH-60J. Sikorsky produced 42 HH-60Js with sequential registration numbers from 6001 through 6042. Sikorsky ended production in 1996 after completing the 42 units on contract. Subsequently, the Coast Guard has converted three ex-Navy SH-60F Seahawks into MH-60T Jayhawks (registration numbers 6043-6045) as attrition replacements."SH-60F to MH-60T Conversion Process"
.

, 4 April 2014

MH-60T upgrade program

The USCG began converting its 42 HH-60Js to MH-60Ts in January 2007. This avionics and capabilities upgrade is part of the USCG's

Integrated Deepwater System Program The Integrated Deepwater System Program (IDS Program or Deepwater) was the 25-year program to replace all or much of the United States Coast Guard's equipment, including aircraft, ships, and logistics and command and control systems. The $24 billi ...

and will provide a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

, an enhanced electro-optic/infrared sensor system as well as a radar sensor system and airborne use of force capability.Aviation Update newsletter
. US Coast Guard, January/February 2007. The airborne use of force package includes both weapons for firing warning and disabling shots and armor to protect the aircrew from small arms fire. The MH-60T upgrades were completed in February 2014.Acquisition Update: Final Jayhawk Completes Conversion to MH-60T Model
. U.S. Coast Guard, 19 February 2014.

Design

The normal cruising speed of the MH-60T is and the aircraft is capable of reaching for short durations. It can fly at for six to seven hours. With a fuel capacity of , the helicopter is designed to fly a crew of four up to offshore, hoist up to six additional people on board while remaining on-scene for up to 45 minutes and return to base while maintaining an adequate fuel reserve. The Jayhawk has a radar for search/weather that gives its nose a distinctive look. A

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 ...

(FLIR) sensor turret can be mounted below its nose. It can carry three fuel tanks with two on the port side rack and one on the starboard side rack. The starboard side also carries a capacity rescue hoist mounted above the door. The hoist has of cable. It uses the

NAVSTAR 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 sys ...

Global Positioning System as its primary long range navigational aid, using a Collins RCVR-3A radio to simultaneously receive information from four of the NAVSTAR system's 18 worldwide satellites. The helicopter is normally based on land but can be based on 270 foot medium endurance Coast Guard Cutters (WMEC) or 418 foot Legend-Class National Security Cutters (WMSL) . The MH-60T is equipped with a

7.62 mm The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the imperial unit and customary unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for ...

M240H medium machine gun and a

.50 This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a ...

Barrett M82 The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Also called the Light Fifty (due to its chambering of ...

semi-automatic rifle for firing warning and disabling shots. These weapons also serve as defensive armament.

Operational history

In 1990, HH-60J Jayhawks began replacing HH-3F Pelican and CH-3E Sea King helicopters in service with the US Coast Guard. HH-60Js perform search and rescue missions, along with other missions such as maritime patrol and drug interdiction.Tomajczyk, Stephen F. ''Black Hawk'', pp. 74-74. MBI, 2003. . Coast Guard cutters with their HH-60Js and other helicopters performed security and interdiction in the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of

Operation Desert Storm 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 ...

and also in 2003 for

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. In January 2011,

Juneau Mountain Rescue Juneau Mountain Rescue (JMR) is a mountain search and rescue agency, located in Juneau, Alaska, United States. JMR is a member of the Alaska Search and Rescue Association, and facilitates rescues involving wilderness terrain, rope rescues on rock ...

volunteers, working with the

Alaska State Troopers The Alaska State Troopers, officially the Division of Alaska State Troopers (AST), is the state police agency of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a division of the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS). The Alaska State Troopers is a full- ...

and the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

, rescued an injured hiker on Ripikski Mountain, near Haines. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, dispatched from

Sitka russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

, transported the hiker to Bartlett Regional Hospital in

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

. On 29 October 2012, Jayhawk number 6031 (70-1790) was used during the offshore rescue of the crew of HMS ''Bounty'' during

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

. Starting in 2009, Coast Guard Jayhawks have been tasked with a secondary mission of drug patrol/enforcement. These missions are usually conducted in cooperation with coast guard cutters. In 2016, some Jayhawks were delivered in a yellow color scheme celebrating 100 years of Coast Guard aviation. The yellow color scheme represented colors used on certain Coast Guard and Navy helicopters in the 1940s and 1950s. The first of the operational aircraft in this color scheme was delivered to Air Station Astoria in Oregon on January 15, 2016. The Jayhawk along with the

Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for medevac-capable search and rescue (SAR) and armed Airborne Use of Force missions. It is a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS3 ...

are the two helicopter types in the Coast Guard inventory.

Variants

;HH-60J: Medium range recovery helicopter. 42 units delivered to the USCG between 1990 and 1996. ;MH-60T: Medium range recovery helicopter. 39 surviving HH-60J airframes received upgraded avionics and operational capabilities, including armaments, from 2007 to 2014. Three SH-60Fs were converted to MH-60T specifications as attrition replacements.

Operators

; *

** CGAS Astoria ** CGAS Cape Cod **

CGAS Clearwater United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater (CGAS Clearwater) is the United States Coast Guard's largest United States Coast Guard Air Stations, air station. It is located at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, ...

** CGAS Elizabeth City **

CGAS Kodiak Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard located in Kodiak, Alaska. It is the largest in the service's Pacific Area, with a crew of 85 officers and 517 enlisted personnel, and the largest Coast Guard Bas ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

** CGAS San Diego ** CGAS Sitka ** CGAS Traverse City ** CGAS Borinquen **

Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile Coast Guard Aviation Training Center is an air base of the United States Coast Guard located at Mobile, Alabama, where it shares an airfield with the Mobile Regional Airport. The Alabama Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation ...

Accidents

As of July 2010, three Jayhawks have been involved in crashes, including two fatal crashes.

Specifications (HH-60J)

: Most data is for HH-60J with data for MH-60T noted below.

References

External links

MH-60T on US Coast Guard site

HH-60J JAYHAWK Helicopter Product Information
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

an

Rotor & Wing

VTOL.org {{Current US Coast Guard aircraft United States military helicopters Search and rescue helicopters H-060, H 1980s United States helicopters Twin-turbine helicopters H-060 Jayhawk Aircraft first flown in 1989