Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an HH-60W Jolly Green II with the 106th Rescue Wing during the Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC) 2025 exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan on July 15, 2025.
The Air Force is seeking industry feedback on an advanced infrared countermeasures system (AIRCM) that the service could use for its Lockheed Martin HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters.
“The objective is to identify and assess potential industry sources capable of performing the research, development, test and evaluation, A-Kit production, full system integration, and final installation required to incorporate a government-furnished equipment AIRCM onto the HH-60W helicopter fleet,” according to an April 7 business notice. “This market research is focused exclusively on the design, modification, and integration effort, not the procurement of the AIRCM system itself.”
An “A-Kit” is a system’s backbone and includes components, such as structural mounting brackets, wire harnesses, antennas, and power cables.
The Air Force said that the AIRCM could be the Northrop Grumman Common Infrared Countermeasure system or the Leonardo DRS Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures system.
On April 3, the Pentagon used two HH-60Ws to rescue the pilot of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, and Iranian small arms fire hit one of the HH-60Ws during the operation, according to the Defense Department. The Pentagon has not named the aircraft that rescued the F-15E’s weapon systems officer on April 5, but that aircraft could have been an AH-6 or MH-6 Little Bird special operations helicopter–not normally used for CSAR.
DoD said it destroyed Little Bird aircraft and two Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II aircraft on the ground to prevent their capture by the Iranians.
The Pentagon has not said which type of counter-air weapon downed the F-15E, but one possibility is an infrared-guided, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile–a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). Iran has third generation and beyond MANPADS.
“The HH-60W helicopter currently lacks a capable AIRCM system,” according to the April 7 business notice. “This absence significantly increases the risk of infrared-guided missile engagement, jeopardizing mission success, aircraft survivability, and crew safety. The integration of an AIRCM system is critical to mitigating this threat and ensuring the platform can operate effectively in contested environments.”
In the last five years, the Air Force has talked about replacing the HH-60W’s missile warning system (MWS).
To counter third generation and beyond IR missiles, the HH-60W program said in October 2021 that it was exploring a directional infrared countermeasures system that weighs less than 150 pounds, “preferably replaces MWS entirely, although solutions that utilize MWS will be considered,” does not require external airframe modifications, has Band IV spectrum IR threat detection, is able to communicate with the ALE-47 to dispense countermeasures, allows future upgrades, and reduces ground clutter and ensures full lower hemisphere coverage.
A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.