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USAF Pave Hawk Takes a Close-Up Selfie While Landing, Looks Massive

Pave Hawk is how the U.S. Air Force calls the HH-60G derivative of the Black Hawk. The Sikorsky-made machine has been in service since 1982, and it is presently getting ready to exit the scene and be replaced by the Jolly Green II. But not before it pulls some more spectacular stunts across the country.
Pave Hawk during landing in Nevada 1 photo
Photo: USAF/Airman 1st Class Zachary Rufus
The main pic of this piece (click photo to enlarge) shows one of these Pave Hawks at the end of an improvised selfie stick. The shot was taken as the aircraft was getting ready to land, and responsible for it is Airman 1st Class Zachary Rufus.

Part of the fleet fielded by the 34th Weapons Squadron of the Weapons School stationed at the Nellis Air Force Base, the helicopter was recently part of a training competition held at the Nevada Test and Training Range. It was one of those moments when USAF’s Weapons School instructors had a chance to get out and show their skills.

And it shows. The squadron’s main job is to train Pave Hawk personnel for air rescue mission. The unit dates back to 1952, and was involved in rescue missions during the Korean War.

As for the Pave Hawk, the 4-people helicopter comes with a maximum speed of 221 mph (357 kph) and a range of 373 miles (600 km). Even if its primary goal is insertion and extraction, it packs a punch, as usually these two operations involve some type of activity very near and even behind enemy lines. As such, the aircraft is packed with machine guns.

As said, Sikorsky is presently working on a replacement for the Pave Hawk. It’s called Jolly Green II, and should come with double the range, achieved thanks to an improved fuel system, and the latest hardware in terms of defenses, weapons, and cyber-security.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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