920th Rescue Wing Airmen at Patrick Space Force Base Deliver Retiring HH-60G Pave Hawk to Boneyard

HH-60G Pave Hawk has served as a critical asset in rescue missions for decades

BREVARD COUNTY • PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, FLORIDA – Airmen from the 301st Rescue Squadron and the 920th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marked the end of an era recently, as they prepared and flew a retiring HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter from Patrick Space Force Base to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

The mission was part of the 920th Rescue Wing’s ongoing transition to the HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force’s newest combat search and rescue helicopter.

The delivery to Davis-Monthan, known as the Boneyard, is where decommissioned military aircraft are stored and maintained for parts, preservation, or future disposal.

The HH-60G Pave Hawk has served as a critical asset in rescue missions for decades, known for its role in personnel recovery and combat search and rescue operations.

Its retirement reflects the broader modernization efforts underway within the Air Force Reserve’s 10th Air Force and across active duty units.

The 920th Rescue Wing continues to lead in its mission to provide combat search and rescue capabilities, now with the advanced HH-60W platform, which offers improved survivability, range, and avionics to meet the demands of future operations.

Headquartered at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, the 920th RQW is AFRC’s premier combat search and rescue (CSAR) unit.

The wing consists of over 2,500 combat rescue Airmen, trained and equipped to locate and recover U.S. Armed Forces personnel during both peacetime and wartime military operations.

Additional missions have included crewed spaceflight support, such as providing rescue support for NASA Space Shuttle missions during that program’s operation; providing search and rescue support for civilians who are lost or in distress over land or at sea; and lending support in humanitarian and disaster relief operations.

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