A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk pilot flies near an MK-124 smoke and illumination signal during a joint Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force search and rescue exercise near Virginia Beach, Va., Oct. 22, 2020.

Joint training exercises are a critical piece of marine readiness and coastal defense. Elements from the different branches use these exercises to cross train on systems and techniques in order to better carry out multi-force search and rescue and maritime law enforcement operations.

The MH-60 Jayhawk is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range helicopter used for search and rescue, law enforcement, marine environmental protection mission and military readiness. The Jayhawk, which replaced the HH-3F Pelican, is a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family of helicopters that shares much in common with the Navy’s SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. But the Jayhawk is equipped with am advanced radar system used for search and weather observation which gives the Jayhawk its distinctive look.

As with all search and rescue birds, the Jayhawk is equipped with a hoist. In this configuration, it has a carrying capacity of 600 lbf and is equipped with a 200 ft hoist cable.

The MH-60T Jayhawk uses the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System as its primary long range navigational aid, using a Collins RCVR-3A radio to simultaneously receive information from four of the NAVSTAR system’s 18 worldwide satellites. The helicopter is normally based on land but can be based on 270 foot medium endurance Coast Guard Cutters (WMEC) or 378 ft high endurance Coast Guard Cutters (WHEC).