The U.S. Air Force's HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter has completed a joint flight test with the AH-64 Apache from Eglin Air Force Base, marking a new developmental milestone.
Jolly Green II led the Apache, which came from Redstone Army Test Center in Alabama, during the test mission, USAF said Wednesday.
"The unique configuration of the AH-64 Apache gave our team the opportunity to test capabilities of the HH-60W in ways normally not possible here,” said Christopher Martin, lead engineer of the 413th Flight Test Squadron that works with Sikorsky Aircraft personnel to conduct HH-60W integrated tests. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.
The joint test's completion follows Jolly Green II's other milestones achieved this year such as communications and extreme environment testing.
“We are very proud of the work our integrated test team accomplished in 2020 despite a myriad of operational restrictions due to COVID-19,” said Shawn Hammond, program manager for HH-60W tests.
