How does a Military Helicopter work? (Pave Hawk)
Jared Owen・14 minutes read
The Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk is a specialized Black Hawk helicopter used by the US Air Force for combat and search and rescue missions. It features various components like missile warning sensors, radar systems, and Miniguns operated by special missions aviators, with plans for an upgraded version, the HH-60W Jolly Green II, in the future.
Insights
- The Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, used by the United States Air Force, is a specialized aircraft designed for combat and search and rescue missions, featuring a crew of four, including a pilot, co-pilot, special missions aviators, and pararescuemen, and equipped with essential components like missile warning sensors, radar warning receiver, and GAU-2 Miniguns.
- Helicopter controls, such as the collective for altitude, cyclic for direction, and tail rotor pedals for yaw, along with gyroscopic precession, play a crucial role in maneuvering the Pave Hawk, with the upcoming HH-60W Jolly Green II model set to enhance electronics, fuel systems, engines, armor plating, and weapons systems, while maintaining common helicopter control features.
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What is the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk?
A specialized Black Hawk helicopter for combat and rescue missions.
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Summary
00:00
Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk Helicopter Overview
- The Black Hawk helicopter discussed in the video is a specialized version known as the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk, operated by the United States Air Force since the early 1980s for combat and search and rescue missions.
- The Pave Hawk typically has a crew of four, including a pilot, co-pilot, two special missions aviators, and additional pararescuemen depending on the mission, often flying in pairs.
- Costing around 40 million US dollars, the Pave Hawk is approximately 20 meters long and 5 meters high, featuring main rotors, fuselage, cockpit, cabin, tail, stabilator, and tail rotors.
- The helicopter runs on jet fuel, with a main fuel tank and an auxiliary fuel tank for extended range, refueling on the ground or in-flight using an air refueling probe.
- Essential components include missile warning sensors, radar warning receiver, radio compartment, weather radar, forward-looking infrared camera, LARS antenna, and cockpit with various controls.
- The Pave Hawk is equipped with GAU-2 Miniguns operated by special missions aviators, missile defense systems, fast rope insertion extraction system, hoist for survivor retrieval, chaff and flare buckets for defense.
- The helicopter is powered by General Electric T-701c turboshaft engines, spinning the main rotors at a constant 258 RPM, with tail rotors counteracting torque and providing lift.
- Maneuvering the helicopter involves the collective control for altitude, cyclic control for direction, and tail rotor pedals for yaw, utilizing the swashplate assembly to adjust rotor blade pitch.
- Understanding gyroscopic precession is crucial for helicopter control, where applying force to one part of the rotor system results in a delayed effect, necessitating adjustments for precise maneuvering.
- The Pave Hawk's flight controls, including the collective, cyclic, and tail rotor pedals, enable pilots to control altitude, direction, and yaw, respectively, with the cyclic automatically compensating for gyroscopic precession.
15:12
Helicopter controls and transport of Pave Hawk
- The controls of a helicopter include the collective for moving up or down, the cyclic for moving forward, backward, or side to side, and the tail rotor pedals for rotating left or right. These controls, along with the swashplate assembly and gyroscopic precession, are common features in most helicopters, not unique to the Pave Hawk model.
- To transport a Pave Hawk helicopter, preparations involve folding the main rotor blades, tail rotors, and stabilator back towards the tail, allowing it to fit inside another aircraft like a C-17. The upcoming replacement for the HH-60G Pave Hawk, the HH-60W Jolly Green II, will bring improvements to electronics, fuel system, engines, armor plating, and weapons systems.
