Five Aircrew Safe After U.S. Navy Helicopter Goes Down in Philippine Sea
PHILIPPINE SEA – Five aircrew were rescued after their MH-60S helicopter went down in the Philippine Sea Jan. 25. Three were transported by a Japanese helicopter to Naval Hospital Okinawa for evaluation.
Two aircrew returned by U.S. Navy helicopter to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19).
All five crewmembers are currently in stable condition.
The MH-60 assigned to Blue Ridge went down while conducting routine operations at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time.
Three aircrew were recovered by a Japan Air Self-Defense Force UH-60 search and rescue helicopter, and the other two were recovered by a USS Blue Ridge MH-60S helicopter.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japanese Coast Guard, USS America (LHA 6), USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and the U.S. Air Force all participated in the search and rescue.
Earlier this month,
The crew of a P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 located a missing mariner and his vessel during a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation Jan 17.
The crew of the P-8A located the vessel approximately 50 nautical miles from last known location, Jan 13. The crew deployed a search and rescue kit to the stranded mariner and reported the location to the U.S. Coast Guard to coordinate recovery.
The P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 was dispatched to aid in a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation about 600 miles off the coast of Guam, Jan 17.
A sixteen-foot skiff was reported missing around 1100 Zulu time, Jan 13.
Only one passenger is believed to have been on board the vessel. Guam’s U.S.
Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center responded but has since requested the assistance of VP-45’s fixed wing Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft.
VP-45, based out of Jacksonville, Florida, is operating out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. The squadron is conducting maritime patrol and reconnaissance as well as theatre outreach operations within U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
| MH-60 SEA HAWK HELICOPTER |
| Description A twin-engine, medium lift, utility or assault helicopter. |
| Features The Sea Hawk 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 has completed the full transition from the aging SH-60B and SH-60F Sea Hawk variants to the state of the art MH-60R and MH-60S which are based aboard cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships and nuclear powered aircraft carriers. The MH-60R’s primary missions are Antisubmarine Warfare(ASW), Anti-surface Warfare(SUW), and Electromagnetic Warfare (EW). The MH-60S is assigned to the SUW, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasure (AMCM) and combat support missions. Each variant, as well 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 cargo hook with a 6,000 lb capacity. |
| Background The UH-60 Black Hawk was fielded by the Army in 1979. The Navy received the SH-60B Sea Hawk in 1983 and the SH-60F in 1988. The first MH-60S was fielded in 2002 while the MH-60R’s reached initial operational capability in 2006. The Air Force received the MH-60G Pave Hawk in 1982 while the Coast Guard received the HH-60J Jayhawk in 1992. |