ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Special Operations Forces and Personnel Recovery Division of the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces recently converted the first six of 19 Army UH-60L aircraft into HH-60G Pave Hawks.
The milestone was met in early August as part of the Operational Loss Replacement program, which was established in May 2012 to replace loss of HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft through attrition over the years.
Mark Ducksworth, Lead OLR Program manager at Robins, said the program helps the Air Force mission continue.
“The primary mission of these aircraft is to ensure the Air Force continues to meet personnel recovery mission requirements until the Combat Rescue Helicopter is fielded,” he said. “In addition, these aircraft will be supporting domestic and overseas missions.”
The converted aircraft will be fielded to Air National Guard units at Moffett Field in California, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, and Gabreski Airfield in New York.
“With additional aircraft in the field, this significantly helps the availability of aircraft that’s desperately needed in the field,” Ducksworth said.
Ducksworth said any time additional capability is provided to the field it’s always a great feeling.
“Having these aircraft on hand at their respective bases will allow for the units to conduct their mission at home and abroad,” he said.
The achievement wouldn’t have been possible without a team effort, Ducksworth said.
“A lot of hard work went in to getting these aircraft ready,” he said. “Everyone involved should feel a sense of accomplishment. None of this would have been accomplished without everyone working together to make this tremendous event possible.”