The first lot of helicopters hit their flying hour limits next year. While the HC-130s have a longer life expectancy, they are faced with obsolescence subsystems that are no longer supportable as technology and battlefield demands have evolved. CSAR s deficient responsiveness is directly relateable to poor situational awareness the collection and dissemination of EEIs.
CSAR forces are innately observable when operating by both active and passive means.
Coupled with our reaction times, this gives hostile forces ample time to set up flak traps over isolated personnel. They can bee seen. Once seen, they can be hit. HH-60G downings over northern Iraq and Mogadishu illustrate just how fragile rotorcraft are when struck by even modest warheads. Despite being designed to be the most survivable helicopter of its day, the HH-60G was conceived when concepts like fault tolerant architecture and adaptive control surfaces were still very immature.