CH-60S / MH-60S Knighthawk
The Navy's CH-60S helicopter was redesignated as the MH-60S multi-mission helicopter effective 06 February 2001. The MH-60S will replace Boeing's H-46, Bell Helicopter Textron's H-1, and Sikorsky's H-3 and HH-60H helicopters. The Fiscal Year 2006 Budget requested $655.5M in procurement and $48.1M in RDT&E for the replacement of the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK III SH-60B and carrier-based SH-60F helicopters with the new configuration designated as MH-60R. The procurement quantity was reduced to provide an orderly production ramp. A Full Rate Production decision is scheduled during the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2006. The Fiscal Year 2006 Budget requests $632.2M in procurement and $78.6M in RDT&E funds for the MH-60S, which is the Navy?s primary combat support helicopter designed to support Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups. It will replace four legacy platforms with a newly manufactured H-60 airframe. The MH-60Swas in the full rate five-year MYP contract with the Army. The Army and Navy intend to execute another platform MYP contract commencing in Fiscal Year 2007.
The CH-60 Fleet Combat Support Helicopter will complement and eventually replace the Navy's aging fleet of H-46 helicopters. As a result of the advanced airframe life of the H-46 fleet, the Navy's logistics helicopter force is experiencing a near-term inventory shortfall. The replacement aircraft must satisfy all the requirements of the current aircraft and remain compatible with all current and future combat logistics force (CLF) ships. This will be a non-developmental item program that will provide commonality with existing integrated logistics systems and fleet trainers. The CH-60 is the future aircraft for organic mine countermeasures operations, combat search and rescue, special operations, and logistics helicopter forces in the Navy.
Combining the tested and battle-proven US Army UH-60 Blackhawk fuselage and Navy SH-60 Seahawk dynamic components, the CH-60 promises to be a superb aircraft. The commonality bred into the helicopter not only contributes to mission effectiveness, but will provide logistics and acquisition efficiencies. The CH-60 is the linchpin of the Navy Helicopter Master Plan. Out-year buys of additional aircraft will replace H-46s as they retire and increase standardization for training, maintenance, and operations as older SH-3s, UH-1Ns, and potentially MH-53s are replaced.
The CH-60S Knighthawk is an amalgam of the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter and its Seahawk variant. It is a baseline Black Hawk configuration with Naval Hawk engines, rotor system and dynamics, including the Seahawk's automatic rotor blade folding system, folding tail pylon, improved durability gearbox, rotor brake and automatic flight control computer. The CH-60S also features a Lockheed Martin developed glass cockpit which will ensure commonality with the SH-60R. The glass cockpit incorporates four 8-by-10 inch active matrix liquid crystal displays, dual integrated programmable keysets, dual flight management computers, an audio management computer, and a dual embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation system.
Because it is a hybrid of the Black Hawk and the Seahawk, the CH-60 presents a quandary for Sikorsky’s marketing strategy: what does one call the CH-60? A possibility being considered, partly in tribute to the H-46 Sea Knight that the CH-60 will replace, is Knighthawk. The Navy still has not assigned a type/model/series designation to the CH-60; the next letter available in the H-60 series is “S.” If used, the aircraft’s official designation would be CH-60S.
The Black Hawk airframe provides the larger cabin volume and double-door feature needed for cargo and passenger transport. The CH-60S incorporates a unique integrated cargo handling system. Also from Black Hawk, the CH-60S retains provisions for mounting the external stores support system. This will offer a variety of weapon and fuel tank options that will be very useful for a wide range of missions, including combat search and rescue and special warfare support. The robust CH-60S retains the Black Hawk 9,000-pound external cargo hook, and mounts a Seahawk rescue hoist for SAR missions.
The current Fleet Combat Support Helicopter provides the Navy's Combat Logistics Force (CLF) with an at-sea Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) capability. It also serves as the primary Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter for the Amphibious Task Force (ATF), providing essential support to amphibious operations.
The primary missions of the CH-60S Knighthawk will include day and night VERTREP, day and night amphibious SAR, vertical onboard delivery, and airhead operations. Secondary missions of the CH-60 will include Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Special Warfare Support (SWS), recovery of torpedoes, drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and unmanned undersea vehicles, noncombatant evacuation operations, aeromedical evacuations, humanitarian assistance, executive transport, and disaster relief. The CSAR/SWS version of the CH-60S will have additional mission equipment installed that will provide the Navy with capabilities for CSAR and SWS in both the active carrier-based Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadrons (HS) and in the Reserve Helicopter Combat Support (Special) (HCS) Squadrons.
In April 1997, the Navy awarded Sikorsky a contract to build a YCH-60S helicopter demonstrator to verify the design concept and validate mission suitability. A joint Navy-Sikorsky crew conducted a shipboard demonstration in the YCH-60 later that year. The first demonstration CH-60S was produced in FY 1997 and first flew in October 1997. Preliminary testing was completed and the demonstration aircraft met all expectations. The highly successful YCH-60 demonstrator program created the Milestone II Low Rate Initial Production decision in May 1998. The Navy has since joined in a multiservice, multiyear procurement with the Army. Production development began in FY 1998, and Sikorsky completed the sale of the first two CH-60s Fleet Combat Support Helicopters to the Navy in December 1999. The Lot I contract awarded in September 1999 calls for delivery of five CH-60S aircraft in 2000 and an option aircraft in 2001. Sikorsky has also been awarded a follow on production contract award for 14 Lot II aircraft for deliveries from July 2000 to June 2001.
The CH-60S flight test program is expected to last into 2004. The first phase of the testing will focus on the job of undertaking cargo hauling now performed by the aging H-46. That testing will continue into 2001, with the initial operating capability expected in 2002. The second stage of the helicopter's development will involve the CH-60's role as the replacement for the MH-53, a heavy-lift anti-mine helicopter. It is expected to be operational in that capacity in 2005. Finally, the CH-60S will be readied to perform the combat search and rescue and special operations missions of the HH-60, becoming operational in that role in 2006.
The Navy has a procurement objective of more than 200 CH-60S aircraft to replace the CH-46D in support of the Navy's Helicopter Master Plan.Based on the current deployment schedule, the CH-60S will first replace the H-46D helicopters in active Navy Helicopter Combat Support (HC) Squadrons. After the H-46s have been replaced, the CH-60S will replace the HH-60H helicopters in the Reserve HCS squadrons, then the UH-3H and HH-1H helicopters used as Naval Air Station SAR, range support, and executive transport missions. Finally, the CH-60S will replace the HH-60H helicopters in active Navy HS squadrons.
The CH-60S configuration evolved to fill the Navy’s need for a comprehensive, rugged utility helicopter to replace the helicopters engaged in vertical replenishment (CH-46D, UH-46D and HH-46D), amphibious assault ship search and rescue (HH-46D), strike rescue and special warfare (HH-60H), station search and rescue (HH-1N and UH-3H), utility transport and target recovery (UH-3H), and VIP transport (VH-3A and UH-3H). The CH-60 will also be capable of carrying FLIR and Hellfire missiles, making it an even more versatile platform. The Navy needed a Seahawk variant but could not afford a utility version. Since the Army Black Hawk was much less expensive, the solution was to build a hybrid—a “navalized” Black Hawk that would meet the cost constraints but could be modified to operate in a ship-board environment. This takes advantage of the existing H-60 support infrastructure and reduces the number of different types of aircraft in the inventory. The Navy will save an estimated $20 billion in life-cycle costs over the life of the program.
The CH-60 will be an Army UH-60 Blackhawk utility airframe in combination with Navy SH/HH-60 transmissions and dynamic components. The CH-60 will incorporate new design items that are not in use by either the UH-60 or SH/HH-60 airframe lines. The CH-60 will adapt the Naval H-60 Tail Pylon to the Blackhawk tail cone with a CH-60 unique canted bulkhead at the tail cone, tail pylon interface. This bulkhead will “marry” the two components by providing a Naval H-60 interface on its aft face to accommodate the Naval H-60’s fold hinges and quick disconnect mechanism; and a UH-60 interface on its forward face to accommodate the UH-60’s tail landing gear and tail cone interface. The Blackhawk’s tail cone flight controls will be rerouted to accommodate the Naval H-60 rapid fold tail pylon. With a large cabin, double cargo doors and external stores support system winglets, the aircraft externally resembles a Black Hawk. Most of its Seahawk features are internal: engines, rotor brake, folding tail pylon, automatic flight control system, rescue hoist and a more durable gearbox. The production version of the aircraft will be equipped with reversible floor-boards on the cabin cargo floor, and one side will be fitted with rollers to handle up to two standard four-foot-square cargo pallets.
Both the SH-60R Seahawk and the CH-60S Seaknight will be equipped with the Lockheed Martin Common Cockpit. This cockpit incorporates cutting edge avionics architecture and includes two "smart" multi-function displays (SMFD), two multi-function displays (MFD), limited hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) capability, embedded GPS/INS, two mission computers and a flight control computer, all linked by a 1553B data bus. Each SMFD presents flight instrument, warning/caution/advisory (WCA), navigation, and engine information, while each MFD presents aircraft system, detailed WCA, and mission information. Particularly noteworthy, is the novel WCA system which breaks the paradigm of the standard caution/advisory panel, incorporating logic, prioritization, and graphics functions during WCA processing and display on the MFD's.
The CH-60 will be able to operate day or night, under adverse weather conditions, including flight in light icing. The helicopter will be compatible with all current and future Aircraft Carriers, CLF, and ATF ships to include fitting inside the hangars of all CLF ships without ship alteration. The helicopter will be capable of operating over all designated ship hover areas, both day and night, and be compatible for limited operation aboard both aviation and air capable ships proportionate with a fixed fore-to-aft wheelbase of 29 feet.
Reducing the types of helicopters in the fleet inventory to two airframes may enable the Navy to consolidate its HS and HC (helicopter combat support) squadrons. One possibility now being considered is for a carrier battle group to deploy with SH-60Rs and CH-60s on board the carrier, with other CH-60s detached to the battle group’s logistics ship.
The CH-60 has several advantages over the HH-60H Seahawk as a strike rescue and special warfare helicopter. The Blackhawk-style tail wheel, positioned further aft, allows for a steeper landing approach to a confined area. The CH-60’s larger cabin will enable it to carry more troops; its two larger cargo doors will allow more rapid deployment of the rigid inflatable boats for Navy sea-air-land team members (SEALs). The CH-60 also will be more crash-worthy, and will be fitted with better self-sealing fuel tanks capable of withstanding rounds up to 7.62 mm. The external stores support system installed on the CH-60 will allow more fuel and weapons to be carried.
Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM)
The Navy hopes that the CH-60 will be able to meet its biggest challenge—replacing the gigantic Sikorsky-built MH-53E Sea Dragon minesweeping helicopter. Although the CH-60 is too small to tow the heavy MH-53E minesweeping sleds, lightweight towed systems and laser imaging detection and ranging systems promise to make the CH-60 a capable mine hunter.
The investigation of transitioning the Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) mission to the H-60 platform required the demonstration of the capability to tow water-borne weapon systems from a YCH-60 prototype aircraft. Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division was tasked by Naval Air Systems Command to conduct a multi- phased test during the concept demonstration. The purpose of the Phase I and II testing was to investigate the YCH-60 aircraft capability to conduct the AMCM tow mission under dynamic conditions. Specifically, the test was designed to determine maximum tow tension and speed and to collect usage spectrum structural data. Flight tests were conducted during a joint Navy and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation flight test from 17 November 1999 to 17 January 2000 at the Sikorsky Aircraft facility, Stratford, CT and at NAS Patuxent River, MD.
The test aircraft, YCH-60 BuNo 966673, was a variant of the Sikorsky Aircraft H-60 Blackhawk helicopter, modified to incorporate a SH-60 Seahawk rotor system, dynamic components, and flight control system. The aircraft was fitted with a tow fitting on the lower airframe in the transition area aft of the main cabin, a tow boom assembly, and a tow cable emergency release circuitry. Tests were conducted at two aircraft takeoff gross weight and center-of-gravity (CG) combinations, a light build-up configuration and a heavier mission representative configuration, achieved using an Army External Stores Support System (ESSS) and two jettisonable 230 gallon auxiliary fuel tanks ballasted with water. Qualitative and quantitative flight tests were conducted under static and dynamic conditions. Aircraft structures were evaluated using real-time telemetry and onboard data recording. Static testing was flown while tethered to the ground and included critical-azimuth events, and incremental tension, skew, and stabilator incidence angle sweeps. Four tow cable jettison events were flown during static test at varied tension / skew / aircraft weight / CG combinations. Dynamic testing included one-engine inoperative (OEI) height-velocity (HV) testing and water-surface towed-body testing using from one to five magnetic orange pipes (MOPs). The OEI HV test phase consisted of un-tethered build-up and 5 tethered simulated engine failures at 3,000 and 6,000 lb. tow tension. Dynamic tow testing included critical-azimuth events, incremental speed, tension, skew, and stabilator incidence angle sweeps, AMCM turns from 2-4 ° /sec, and a maximum tow tension demonstration.
The aircraft demonstrated the capability to tow up to 6,000 lbs. tow tension and 40 knots ground referenced speed in straight and level flight and turns. A tow tension of 8,900 lbs. was demonstrated for structural validation. The forward flight tow-boom-extended envelope for the test boom configuration was established to 90 KIAS and 30° angle-of-bank. The aircraft performance, handling qualities, and flight control margins were within acceptable limits and were consistent with H-60 Seahawk historical critical-azimuth flight test data. The OEI HV testing showed repeatable recoveries from engine failure under tow were possible with less than 85-100 feet of altitude loss. As a result of these finding, recommendations were made for proceeding to follow-on test of a mission representative sub-surface towed body. Flight-test lessons-learned re-emphasized the build-up approach to testing as ‘surprises’ during test were readily handled with minimum risk. Overall, the test represented a tremendous flight test partnership as both the cockpit and flight test telemetry room were shared during all events by joint Navy / Sikorsky crews.
The CH-60S ORD was modified in May 2000 to add Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasures (OAMCM) as a primary mission for the CH-60S. The
The LFT&E results and legacy H-60 databases indicate that the MH-60S is operationally survivable in its intended operational environment for the baseline configuration missions. The MH-60S is a damage-tolerant aircraft that can withstand multiple small caliber projectile hits, continue to fly, and often complete its mission in spite of incurred damage. The data from the joint LFT&E program was adequate to evaluate the survivability of the Block I MH-60S configuration while conducting its wartime missions. The joint LFT&E program will extend into FY05 and consider Block II and Block III configurations of the aircraft.
