So Long, Pave Hawk: Air Force’s HH-60G Combat Rescue Helicopter Completes Final Flight

TL;DR

The Air Force has completed retirement of its HH-60G Pave Hawk combat rescue helicopter fleet, with the final aircraft retired in September 2026 as part of the FY2026 budget. The HH-60G is being fully replaced by the HH-60W Jolly Green II, and the FY2027 budget requests over $200 million for continued HH-60W procurement. This is a material fleet modernization for Air Force combat search and rescue (CSAR) capability and creates follow-on demand across procurement, maintenance, training, and logistics support. Contractors that support aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and repair, CSAR systems, training and simulation, and aviation logistics should expect shifting requirements and a pipeline of opportunities tied to HH-60W fielding. Immediate implications include near-term sustainment contract transitions, capture opportunities on modernization procurements, and increased compliance emphasis for defense-controlled information and export-controlled hardware. Monitor solicitations and budget rollouts closely and prioritize capture and proposal readiness.

Key Points

• What happened: The Air Force completed retirement of the HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet; replacement is the HH-60W Jolly Green II per the Summary.
• Who is affected: Defense and aerospace market segments, including NAICS 336411, 336413, 488190, 541330, 611512, 811310, 336412; agencies listed include DOD, Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command.
• Timeline: Final HH-60G retired in September 2026 as part of the FY2026 budget; FY2027 requests include over $200 million for continued HH-60W procurement.
• What contractors should do NOW: Validate capture plans for CSAR modernization work, update compliance posture for ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification), NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171), DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) 252.204-7012, and FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) Part 25 (Buy American Act) where applicable; re-score opportunity pipelines for HH-60W sustainment and procurement; ready proposal teams and training systems for anticipated solicitations.

Who Is Affected

Affected segments are suppliers and services supporting transition from HH-60G to HH-60W across manufacturing, sustainment, training, and logistics. Specific items named in the segmentation:

• NAICS: 336411, 336413, 488190, 541330, 611512, 811310, 336412
• Agencies: DOD; Department of the Air Force; Air Combat Command; Air Force Materiel Command
• Contract vehicles: GSA (General Services Administration) Federal Supply Schedule; AFWERX; Air Force Contract Augmentation Program (AFCAP)
• Market segments: Defense; Aerospace; Aircraft Manufacturing; Aircraft Maintenance and Repair; Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR); Military Aviation; Defense Training and Simulation; Aviation Logistics Support
• Compliance surfaces: ITAR; CMMC; NIST 800-171; DFARS 252.204-7012; FAR Part 25 (Buy American Act)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why did the Air Force retire the HH-60G Pave Hawk now?

A: The Summary states the HH-60G retirement was completed in September 2026 as part of the FY2026 budget. Further rationale or internal decision documents are pending source review.

Q: Will there be continued procurement for the HH-60W Jolly Green II?

A: Yes. The Summary notes the platform is being fully replaced by the HH-60W Jolly Green II and that the FY2027 budget requests over $200 million for continued procurement.

Q: How should contractors position for follow-on work (sustainment, training, systems)?

A: Contractors should prioritize capture and proposal readiness for HH-60W procurements and sustainment work, update compliance programs for ITAR/CMMC/NIST/DFARS/FAR Part 25 as applicable, and monitor solicitations through their contract vehicle relationships. Specific solicitations and timelines are pending source review.

Definitions

• HH-60G Pave Hawk: The Air Force’s combat rescue helicopter platform referenced as retired in the Summary.
• HH-60W Jolly Green II: The replacement combat rescue helicopter platform referenced in the Summary.
• FY2026 / FY2027: Fiscal years referenced in the Summary tied to the retirement timing and procurement request.

Intelligence Response

• Cabrillo products to leverage:
• Cabrillo Signals War Room — Already detected this event and delivered this briefing. Use it to maintain continuous monitoring of related budget actions, policy notes, and official notices affecting CSAR programs.
• Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — Re-score and reprioritize your opportunity pipeline to surface HH-60W-related solicitations and sustainment prospects.
• Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — Configure saved searches for the listed agencies, NAICS codes, and contract vehicles to alert on SAM.gov (System for Award Management) and agency posting activity.
• Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) and Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — Prepare capture packages and run bid/no-bid decisions, compliance matrices, and 9-gate workflow execution for anticipated HH-60W opportunity responses.
• Who to notify internally: Capture lead, Proposal manager, Contracts lead, Program manager for Aviation/CSAR lines of business, Security/Compliance officer (for ITAR, CMMC, NIST/DFARS obligations), and Finance for forecasting.
• First 48-hour response playbook:
• Hour 0–4: Confirm receipt of this War Room brief with Capture and Proposal leads; open a dedicated HH-60W transition folder in Proposal Studio and assign owners.
• Hour 4–12: Use Signals Intelligence Hub saved searches to pull any related notices; run Match Engine rescore of active pipelines and tag opportunities with HH-60W/CSAR priority.
• Hour 12–24: Conduct a rapid compliance gap check (ITAR, CMMC, NIST 800-171, DFARS 252.204-7012, FAR Part 25) and document immediate remediation needs in Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker.
• Hour 24–48: Produce 48-hour capture plan with bid/no-bid recommendations, initial win themes, and required teaming actions; schedule briefing with executive sponsors and contracting leads.
• Additional resources: Review Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts), CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide), and CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide) for playbook augmentation and compliance details.