New Hawaii Army National Guard medevac unit receives first helicopters
Detachment 1, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment has taken delivery of its initial HH-60Ms.
Detachment 1, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, the new Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) aeromedical evacuation unit, has taken delivery of its initial helicopters.
The new HH-60M models differ from the HIARNG’s current UH-60M Black Hawks, boasting an external hoist, a forward looking infrared radar (FLIR) and the capability to carry six litter patients or six ambulatory patients (or three of each) within its medevac cabin configuration. The four-person crew is made up of two pilots, one crew chief and one flight medic.
The detachment, whose mission is to provide medevac support to military entities, boasts some 30 soldiers, mostly drill status, or part-time forces. The unit will not provide full-time support to civil authorities, but when fully staffed, it may on occasion supplement local resources.
The Hawaiian Department of Defense noted that this unit is one of the most requested types of units to deploy, with its medevac speciality being in high demand abroad. It will initially operate from Wheeler Army Airfield, Army Aviation Support Facility #1, until administrative requirements are completed. The new unit will then operate from the almost completed Army Aviation Support Facility located at Kalaeloa.