In a major operational shift for United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the U.S. Air Force has permanently established its first dedicated rotary-wing combat search and rescue (CSAR) capability in East Africa. On June 10, 2026, massive strategic airlifters—C-5 Super Galaxies from Air Force Reserve Command—touched down at Camp Lemonnier, disgorging the highly sophisticated HH-60W Jolly Green II. This deployment marks the first overseas operational showcase for the 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron (ERQS) since its historic transition from the legacy HH-60G Pave Hawk. Integrating directly under the 406th Air Expeditionary Wing, the 56th ERQS joins forces with the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and the Joint Personnel Recovery Centre, forging an airtight and immediate-response architecture.
Historically, AFRICOM operations in the volatile Horn of Africa operated without an organically stationed, permanent CSAR rotary fleet. Rescue operations across vast swathes of remote terrain required complex synchronization, often leaning heavily on assets out of theatre or relying on fixed-wing platforms that lacked the tactical versatility to extract personnel from restrictive and hostile locations. With U.S. and allied units operating via a distributed network of cooperative security sites—frequently executing counterterrorism missions against al-Shabaab in Somalia or monitoring critical choke points near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—the tyranny of distance presents a persistent danger. Having dedicated rescue air assets in theatre greatly increases our team’s ability to quickly and efficiently save lives, noted Capt. Jason Hill, commander of the 82nd ERQS.
Manufactured by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, to supersede the decades-old HH-60G, the HH-60W “Whiskey” variant has been precision-engineered for long-range expeditionary survival in austere and highly contested battlefields. The platform is driven by twin General Electric T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines delivering approximately 2,000 shaft horsepower each, allowing maximum speeds of 180 mph (290 km/h). Crucially, the aircraft features an internal fuel capacity of 680 gallons. This nearly doubles the capacity of a standard UH-60M and removes the aerodynamic drag and cabin clutter of external tanks, extending the aircraft’s operational reach across hundreds of kilometres of infrastructural desert.
To withstand modern threats, including insurgent Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS), the helicopter is outfitted with a comprehensive defensive electronics suite. This includes missile and radar warning sensors, digital infrared countermeasures and heavy ballistic protection. Inside the cockpit, a fully integrated digital glass cockpit and multi-band links allow real-time, simultaneous data-sharing between ground networks, aircraft and command elements. For hot extractions, high-volume suppressive fire configurations—including 7.62 mm M240H machine guns or hard-hitting .50-caliber GAU-18/A and GAU-21 guns—are available to secure landing zones.
While the Jolly Green II was born out of the mandate for deep-penetration combat rescue, its arrival yields secondary tactical dividends for AFRICOM commanders. The expansive, medical-equipment-integrated cabin is built to stabilize casualties on the fly, optimizing the platform for critical medical evacuations, disaster relief and humanitarian interventions, and noncombatant evacuation operations. As asymmetric threats multiply near the Red Sea corridor and the eastern edge of the African continent, the permanent positioning of the HH-60W ensures that the foundational mandate of U.S. power projection—”That Others May Live”—is secured by modern technology.
