CRH Program Completes Preliminary Design Review

The Combat Rescue Helicopter program office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, recently completed preliminary design review of the new HH-60W aircraft, identifying operations and maintenance challenges for Sikorsky Aircraft to focus on as it moves forward. Some 200 participants from Sikorsky, its prime subcontractors, the program office, and other external government organizations participated in the review. Duane Sevey, chief engineer for the CRH program office, said the review was meant to ensure nothing was missed early on in the program. “Our goal was to identify any issues in advance of the review, capture them as action items, and come out of the review with no new critical action items,” said Sevey. The team accomplished its goal, according to a May 6 release. The HH-60W is based off the Army Blackhawk UH-60M. The Air Force awarded Sikorsky, which has since been acquired by Lockheed Martin, the $1.28 billion contract to develop CRH—the replacement to the existing HH-60G Pave Hawk—in June 2014. (See also Rescue’s Future from the June 2015 issue of Air Force Magazine.)