The 129th Rescue Wing held a retirement ceremony and final-flight event for HH-60G Pave Hawk tail number 27045 on September 10, 2026, at Moffett Air National Guard Base in California. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that an Air Force spokesperson identified it as the service’s last operational HH-60G. That did not mean every Pave Hawk had left the inventory that day: a few remaining aircraft were still to be processed out by September 30, the end of fiscal year 2026.
When was the Air Force’s last operational Pave Hawk flight?
The 129th Rescue Wing’s ceremony for tail number 27045 took place on September 10, 2026, at Moffett Air National Guard Base. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on September 24 that an Air Force spokesperson described the aircraft as the last operational HH-60G in the Air Force. The report also said a few aircraft remained in inventory for disposal or other closeout processing through September 30, the end of fiscal year 2026. The September 10 milestone therefore marked the end of operational HH-60G flying, not the date every remaining airframe disappeared from the inventory.
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For the unit-level milestone in Alaska, the 176th Wing reported that its 210th Rescue Squadron flew its final training mission with its remaining operational Pave Hawk on July 8, 2026. That completed the Alaska unit’s transition; it was earlier than, and distinct from, the Air Force-wide final operational flight in September.
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The U.S. Air Force’s HH-60G fact sheet describes the helicopter’s primary mission as day-or-night personnel recovery in hostile environments, including recovering isolated personnel during war. The aircraft also supported civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response and humanitarian assistance. Its listed duties extended to security cooperation and aviation advisory work, NASA space-flight support, and rescue command and control.
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The HH-60G was a heavily modified Black Hawk equipped with upgraded communications and navigation systems and features intended to support low-level flight and operations in adverse weather. Those capabilities served the central rescue mission: reaching people who needed recovery in difficult or dangerous conditions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What replaced the Pave Hawk?
The successor is the HH-60W Jolly Green II, which carries on the combat rescue and personnel recovery role. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that HH-60Ws began supplanting HH-60Gs in 2022. The transition happened in stages across units rather than in one fleet-wide handover: Alaska’s 210th Rescue Squadron completed its own changeover in July 2026, while the 129th Rescue Wing’s final operational HH-60G flight followed in September.
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The available reporting establishes the replacement relationship and mission continuity, but does not provide a detailed side-by-side technical comparison of the two helicopters. It is more accurate to describe the HH-60W as the successor than to infer specific performance differences from the retirement announcement.
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How the retirement unfolded
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1982 | The HH-60G entered service, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. |
| 2022 | HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters began replacing HH-60Gs, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. |
| July 8, 2026 | The Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th Rescue Squadron flew its final Pave Hawk training mission, completing that unit’s transition, according to the 176th Wing. |
| September 10, 2026 | The 129th Rescue Wing held the final-flight and retirement ceremony for tail 27045 at Moffett Air National Guard Base. |
| September 30, 2026 | The end of fiscal year 2026, by which the remaining HH-60Gs in inventory were to be processed out, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. |
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