CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Pilots with the West Virginia Army National Guard will be at the controls of the most modern aircraft available when they set out on missions of mercy. The National Guard this week received the first of six HH-60M “Mike” model Black Hawk helicopters.
“The aircraft itself is an upgrade of almost 30 years of advancement in Blackhawk technology,” said Lt. Colonel Harold Nicely, the head Aviation Officer for the West Virginia Army National Guard.
“It has improved engines, rotor systems, drive lines, and hundreds of other improvements. Probably the biggest one is a digital cockpit. It’s a really impressive aircraft and we’re happy to have it here in the West Virginia National Guard,” he said.
The choppers will be based in Williamstown at the Guard’s Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, Aeromedical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Company. The unit expects to get six of the new aircraft over the course of 12 months. Pilots and mechanics will immediately begin transition training. The old aircraft of the unit will be returned to the regular Army for redeployment or sale as new ones arrive.
The chopper’s mission first and foremost is an air ambulance. The design has increased its capability to move wounded soldiers off the battlefield quicker or victims of national disaster out of harms way more rapidly.
“The current aircraft moved about two people, this one gives us the capability to move up to six and we can get those folks to the hospital quicker,” he said.
The quarters to haul six victims on a litter are cramped, but the trade off is quick care and a faster response to the hospital. The helicopter has on-board oxygen generation capability.
The guard’s aircraft were critical back in 2016 when they were hoisting West Virginians off the roofs of flooded homes and helping to find those trapped in the dark amid rising water. The new Mike model Blackhawk keeps the capability intact. It can also be easily tasked to carry out personnel transport, search and rescue, resupply, aerial reconnaissance, cargo transport, and wildfire suppression missions, making it a truly multi-purpose aerial asset.
“The new HH-60M airframe increases our ability to support emergency response missions throughout West Virginia, the rest of the nation, and during overseas deployments,” said Maj. Ryan Wolfe, commander of Co. C, 2-104th GASB. “This is the best aircraft the U.S. Army offers, and it tremendously enhances our capability to treat patients and fly safely in even the harshest of environments.”