Helicopter   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Policy & Military Strategy  

USAF plans to modify HH-60W Jolly Green II for VIP airlift and continuity-of-government “doomsday” evacuation missions, replacin

The Air Force will modify its HH-60W Jolly Green II fleet for VIP airlift and continuity-of-government evacuation missions in Washington, D.C., moving away from aging UH-1N Twin Hueys. The change reframes the HH-60W as a broader continuity-of-operations platform, not only combat rescue.

Discovered 2026-04-24T12:22:49.827182-07:00 | 2026-04-24T12:22:49.827182-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The HH-60W’s mission set is expanding to VIP and continuity-of-government evacuation, which raises platform requirements for availability, sustainment, and mission assurance.
  • This development follows the Air Force’s active focus on survivability for HH-60W CSAR operations—particularly infrared countermeasures—highlighted in USAF says HH-60W lacks effective infrared countermeasures and USAF requests industry input for AIRCM.
  • Replacing UH-1N Twin Hueys with HH-60W for “continuity of government” tasks signals a near-term fleet transition that will affect how the service plans procurement, upgrades, and operational readiness for special-purpose rotorcraft roles.

Reported By

Air & Space Forces Mag militarnyi.com defcrosnews.com The War Zone
Sources Tracked
4
First Seen
2026-04-24T12:22:49.827182-07:00
Latest Update
2026-04-28T17:20:11.239164-07:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.

Related Coverage