HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter passes design review

May 31 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has announced that is successfully completed an Air Vehicle Critical Design Review for the U.S. Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter program. The review will allow the construction, testing and evaluation of the HH-60W helicopter to move forward.

"This milestone is an important achievement and demonstrates Sikorsky and the Air Force are well aligned on the technical requirements of the HH-60W," Tim Healy, CRH program director for Sikorsky, said in a press release. "We got here by conducting several milestones on or ahead of schedule, and we are committed to staying on that track as we build the first HH-60W aircraft."

Sikorsky was awarded the Combat Rescue Helicopter in June 2014 with a $1.28 billion development contract. The Air Force is expected to order 112 of the rotorcraft to replace the venerable existing fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters.

The original contract includes test aircraft, maintenance, training and simulation suites, and a $203 million modification in January 2017 brought the total number of test helicopters to nine.

The HH-60W is a modified version of the UH-60M Black Hawk, the standard medium-lift helicopter for the U.S. Army and other allied nations. It has greater range, larger internal cabin space and more powerful engines.