SH-60B seahawk

I fly the Navy SH-60B Seahawk with HSL-37

This SH-60B is shown with the FLIR (Forward Looking InfaRed) turret, 2 hellfires, and .50 cal

The seahawk is a fully integrated weapons/sensor platform that deploys on US Navy Cruisers, Destroyers, and Frigates. Our main missions are anti-submarine and anti-surface. We can also do MEDEVAC rescue, cargo, and comm relay. The main sensors are: search radar, ESM (electronic support measure: finds electronic emissions from other platforms), IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe), FLIR (Foward Looking InfaRed), Laser designator, sonobuoy processor, MAD (magnetic anomoly detector), and more. For weapons, we can carry up to 4 hellfire missiles, 1 penguin missile, 3 MK-46 or MK-50 torps, 25 sonobuoys, and either an M-60 or GAU-16 machinegun.

Click here to go to my squadron's homepage.

Below are two SH-60B's flying formation past a DD destroyer just like the one I am deploying on.

The picture to the left shows the RAST (Rapid Securing and Traverse) system in action. While the ship is in heavy rolls, a cable can be pulled up from the deck and locked into the helo. The LSO (landing safety officer, who is a pilot and in a bulletproof bubble in the deck) applies 4000 pounds of tension via the control console. This weight pulls the helo into the trap which latches onto the probe extended out the bottom of the helo.