NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla. -- The 920th Rescue Wing conducted an advanced air combat maneuvering training event at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, March 23–27, sharpening combat rescue tactics and improving HH-60W Jolly Green II survivability in austere environments.
The weeklong exercise included four HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters and Airmen from the 301st Rescue Squadron, 920th Maintenance Squadron and 920th Operations Support Squadron. Alongside the 920th RQW was the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron and the U.S. Navy Reserve’s Fighter Composite Squadron 111, known as the “Sun Downers.”
Hosted by VFC-111, the Sun Downers provided aggressor support by flying F-5N Tiger II aircraft to replicate an opposing threat and weapons systems. This allowed 301st RQS aircrews to test defensive tactics and improve self-protection procedures against realistic enemy air threats aligned with Indo-Pacific operational planning.
“This training is critical because every opportunity to mobilize, train and effectively integrate the HH-60W in a near-peer threat environment strengthens our combat capability. Even when the training is close to home, operating in an unfamiliar environment while managing limited resources builds the experience needed to succeed during real-world contingencies,” said Capt. Rafael Esquivel, 301st RQS pilot.
Intelligence personnel from the 920th OSS supported the event by researching threat systems and providing daily instruction on adversary capabilities and limitations. Their mission planning support ensured aircrews understood the threat picture and could deliberately plan combat search and rescue operations in a contested battlespace.
Aircrew instruction was further enhanced by personnel from the Combat Search and Rescue Combined Test Force at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, who provided recently tested and validated tactics to ensure crews received the highest level of operationally relevant training.
Maintenance teams played a critical role in sustaining the mission, generating 20 HH-60W sorties throughout the week and supporting more than 35 total flight hours shared between the HH-60W and F-5N aircraft. Weapons and munitions personnel also built and reloaded live expendables, including chaff and flares, for every sortie.
Training in unfamiliar locations also gave the wing valuable experience in deployment logistics, mission planning and sustainment outside of home station, helping identify challenges and solutions for future large-scale mobilizations.
The exercise marked an important milestone as the 301st RQS continues progressing toward full combat mission-ready status in the HH-60W, the Air Force’s newest combat rescue helicopter.
The 920th Rescue Wing is Air Force Reserve Command’s only combat search and rescue wing, whose mission is to plan, lead and conduct military rescue operations to deny competitors and adversaries the exploitation of isolated personnel.