The United States government has authorized the potential sale of new HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to equip the Royal Norwegian Air Force, specialized in combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions. The operation, valued at US$2.6 billion, was notified by the Department of State to the U.S. Congress for approval through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
As was the case with operators such as Australia and Belgium, Norway confirmed in 2022 the termination of its contract for the acquisition of new NH90 helicopters, in order to proceed with their retirement and replacement by U.S.-origin aircraft.
At the time of the announcement, made in early June 2022, the Royal Norwegian Air Force had only eight (8) fully operational NH90s. This fact was significant for the Nordic country’s authorities, since, more than 20 years after signing the original agreements with NATO Helicopter Industries (NHI) in 2001 — which envisioned the delivery of 14 units for rescue and anti-submarine warfare missions — the fleet had failed to meet the performance requirements set by the institution.
In the words of then Director General of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Gro Jære: “We have made repeated attempts to resolve the issues related to the NH90 in cooperation with NHI, but more than 20 years after the contract was signed, we still do not have helicopters capable of performing the missions for which they were acquired, and NHI has failed to present any realistic solution.”
Along with terminating the contract and requesting the return of already committed funds, Norway moved forward in parallel with negotiations with the United States to acquire a proven and reliable platform to replace the problematic NH90s. This effort materialized with the confirmation that Norway would proceed with the acquisition of six new MH-60R Seahawks, even announcing in March 2023 the start of training for the first crews with Sikorsky aircraft.
With this background, on June 11, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported that the Norwegian government had requested from the United States the purchase of up to nine (9) new HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters—a variant derived from the UH-60M Black Hawk and specialized in combat search and rescue missions, introduced into U.S. Armed Forces to replace the MH-60/HH-60 Pave Hawk.
The authorized package, valued at the aforementioned US$2.6 billion, lists Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as the main contractor, and includes a comprehensive set of equipment and logistical support. Among the highlights are specialized navigation systems, missile warning systems, communications, countermeasure dispensers, electronic warfare systems, and armament such as GAU-21 machine guns—all vital to fulfill the specialized CSAR role.
Lastly, and with no further official details, it remains unclear whether this new request for Jolly Green IIs will replace or complement the MH-60Rs. This is no minor point, as the Royal Norwegian Air Force needs a platform capable of performing the aforementioned rescue and transport missions, as well as anti-submarine warfare operations.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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