Don't get me wrong. The HH-60 might be a boss bird but it can't hold a candle to that old warhorse. The Jolly Green Giant that the Air Force flew in Vietnam was and will remain the BIG DAWG!
A couple of things. I think the USAF made a terrible mistake by not going with a larger airframe. The EH-101 would have been ideal (in my opinion), the CV-22 good and the CH-47 better platforms. My rationale is that the EH-101 hits all the sweet spots for size, range, and speed. The CV-22 hits it for the same with the down side being rotar wash for rescuing people which alone is probably why it wasn't considered. The CH-47 would have been awesome for its size advantage, speed and range too. But being so large makes me wonder how effective it would be in the role. Honorable mention goes to the CH-53K. That would have been the ULTIMATE Jolly Green Giant II, but it arrived too late.
Regardless I don't see the HH-60 serving in this role very long. It's just too small, the Para-Rescue guys are using vehicles now so it's payload is too restricted and the number of people it can carry out is limited too. Won't go into speed and range.
My verdict. Short term go with the EH-101. Long term look at the CH-53K.
