Red Wolves and and Firehawks going away

[Blackhawk]

Bummer. Worked with them a few times when in the 160th and thought about assessing with them a few times when I left active duty. Timing never worked out. Sorry to see them go.
No, regular Navy units can't do the SOCOM mission. Sorry, Army learned that lesson years ago. Of course this is the same Navy that decided to kill several crews learning the same lessons the Army learned about NVGs years prior, such as flipping them up prior to landing over a dark ocean is a bad idea.

http://www.navytimes.com/story/mili...ec-ops-helicoper-squadrons-shutdown/70025352/

 

[Soku39]

Bye bye more operational readiness. Congress is killin it!

 

[draglink]

I had the honor of being assigned to the Redwolves for 4 years (2009-2013)....Great squadron and great group of people....I agree with your assessment that regular Navy squadrons would have a hard time filling their shoes. Politicians and big Navy killed the funding.

 

[Vector]

The way I see it is this, Congress will slash and cut until it hits the bone and then something will have to happen. There is definitely a need to cut but my, I am not sure the right cut is being made.
But in other news, the F-35 is still going strong!

 

[H46Bubba]

More Navy B.S. to pinch pennies! The Navy needs to keep both squadron, but make them true reserve squadrons and take them out of the NSW/SOCOM game. The Navy needs to find two active fleet HSC squadrons to take over the task full time. It can be done.

 

[Vector]

More Navy B.S. to pinch pennies! The Navy needs to keep both squadron, but make them true reserve squadrons and take them out of the NSW/SOCOM game. The Navy needs to find two active fleet HSC squadrons to take over the task full time. It can be done.

Maybe the recent accident will drive home the importance of dedicated SOC/SPECWAR asset

 

[H46Bubba]

IMHO, the four services need to pick active duty squadrons from each and combine them into a joint squadron attached to JSOC. The money for funding is funneled through JSOC's Fiscal Budget.. They will train together and operate together. Navy MH-60s, Army MH-60s and MH-47s, Marine MV-22, Air Force CV-22s, Pavehawks, and MC-130s. The Navy and Air Force can provide logistical support via ship and Transport aircraft.

 

[scoobs]

What does the Redhawk have that the Seahawk doesn't?

 

[Blackhawk]

What does the Redhawk have that the Seahawk doesn't?

I don't know if it was fixed with recent models, but one issue with the Sea Hawk was the door on one side. Not very good for troop insertion.

 

[Blackhawk]

IMHO, the four services need to pick active duty squadrons from each and combine them into a joint squadron attached to JSOC. The money for funding is funneled through JSOC's Fiscal Budget.. They will train together and operate together. Navy MH-60s, Army MH-60s and MH-47s, Marine MV-22, Air Force CV-22s, Pavehawks, and MC-130s. The Navy and Air Force can provide logistical support via ship and Transport aircraft.

The Army has had the 160th doing this since the 1980's. Marines had no interest in JSOC and took pride in saying they were all "special"... until they saw the money involved in it and jumped in. Air Force as their Special Operations squadrons, but they are just another assignment with no assessment. I don't think the two Navy squadrons had an assessment program but they did screen applicants and had some great experience.

 

[H46Bubba]

What does the Redhawk have that the Seahawk doesn't?

Redhawk??? No such thing. The Navy currently uses 5 versions of the Seahawk. There are still squadrons using the SH-60B/F/H. Eventually all will transition to the MH-60R & MH-60S. The SH-60B is the LAMPS version for anti-submarine(ASW)/anti-surface warfare (ASuW)duty on small ships such as FFG, CG, and DDG. The SH-60F is the carrier based version used for ASW only. The HH-60H is also carrier based and is used for ASuW, Combat Search and Rescue(CSAR) and Naval Special Warfare(NSW). All three of those airframes have only one cabin door. The HH-60H really isn't suited well for CSAR and NSW due to only having one cabin door on the starboard side. The gun mount is located in the door and puts the gunner in the way during fast rope operations. It does have the capability to carry the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. HSC-84 and HSC-85 use the HH-60H. The MH-60R is the replacement for the SH-60B and SH-60F. The MH-60S is the replacement for the CH-46 and HH-60H. It is the same design as the Army's MH-60L minus the aerial refueling probe, and has the two cabin door configuration. It can utilize external weapons systems such as the Hellfire, Hydra 70 rockets. For a while HSC-85 was using the MH-60S, but they went back to the HH-60H, due to the creation of a new active duty squadron which took the MH-60's.