Sikorsky HH-60W flight trainers in final assembly

Sikorsky’s first HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter Weapons System and Operational Flight Trainers are in the final stages of assembly for delivery to the U.S. Air Force. The trainers will train U.S. Air Force pilots to fly the new HH-60W aircraft that will replace the H-60G Pave Hawk fleet that performs critical combat search and rescue and personnel recovery operations for all U.S. military services.

Sikorsky's contract for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase of the Air Force program of record includes the delivery of nine HH-60W helicopters, six aircrew and maintenance training devices and instructional courseware designed for the HH-60W aircraft.

Sikorsky’s flight simulators will train pilots and special mission aviators together in the same device with complex and realistic training scenarios. It will comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards and include the capability to link with other simulators on the Combat Air Forces Distributed Mission Operations (CAF DMO) network.

Director of Air Force Programs at Sikorsky, Tim Healy says combat rescue missions require in-flight planning that is time-critical, and the simulators will train aircrews at the highest fidelity and realism, which will help them practice the networking and information capabilities within the HH-60W aircraft.

Sikorsky expects the training systems to be completed in the first quarter of 2019 by subcontractor FlightSafety International. The Weapons System Trainer will be located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, which is home to the former HH-60W training unit. The Operational Flight Trainer will be located at the site of the first operational unit at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.