The first air-refuelable helicopter to be produced, the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant’s retractable fuel probe and external fuel tanks gave it a range limited only by the endurance of the aircrew
Sikorsky, a company owned by Lockheed Martin, marks its 100th anniversary during the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, highlighting the strong and lasting connection and the continuous mission preparedness and operational achievement shared between Sikorsky, its Polish workforce, and its European commercial and defense clients.
The Paris Air Show features prominently in Sikorsky’s history: It was fifty-six years ago when two Sikorsky HH-3E search and rescue helicopters—pioneering as the first air-refuelable helicopters ever constructed—completed the first nonstop helicopter journey across the Atlantic Ocean from New York, passing over London, and ultimately arriving at Le Bourget during the 27th Paris Air Show.
The “Jolly Green Giant,” as the Sikorsky HH-3E helicopter was nicknamed, was developed by the US Air Force (USAF) to conduct combat search and rescue (CSAR) operations for retrieving downed Airmen during the Southeast Asia War. The HH-3E represented a heavily modified version of Sikorsky’s CH-3 transport helicopter and featured both armor plating and weapons to protect it from enemy forces while rescuing aircrews in combat zones.
Fifty CH-3Es were converted to HH-3Es with the addition of armor, defensive armament, self-sealing fuel tanks, and a rescue hoist. With a watertight hull, the HH-3E could land on water, and its large rear door and ramp permitted easy loading and unloading.
“Today Sikorsky helicopters around the world regularly make long-range flights in some of the toughest conditions,” said Paul Lemmo, Sikorsky President, in a company news release. “Those HH-3E flights in 1967—with refueling supported by a Lockheed HC-130P Hercules tanker—were a testament to the ingenuity and innovation that began 100 years ago with our founder Igor Sikorsky. Innovation is central to our 21st Century Security mission of supporting our customers with systems to address their most difficult challenges.”
“I was there with my father to welcome the crew of the U.S. Air Force’s HH-3E, the original ‘Jolly Green Giant,’ when it arrived at Le Bourget,” said Sergei Sikorsky, one of Igor’s sons who lived in Germany supporting the country’s CH-53G heavy-lift helicopter program starting in 1972. “On the flightline at Le Bourget, we watched the first HH-3E perform a flawless refueling demo with a HC-130P Hercules tanker and then land 30 hours and 46 minutes after it left New York.”
The HH-3E featured a retractable fuel probe and external fuel tanks that extended its range, limited only by how long the aircrew could endure.
On June 1, 1967, the aircraft completed a 4,270-mile journey at approximately 131 mph before landing at Le Bourget at 1:53 p.m. local time. Arriving about 12 minutes later was the second HH-3E, which had taken a slightly different route to establish the New York to London record.
This extensive range capability enabled HH-3Es to execute CSAR operations throughout the Southeast Asia theater, and they were involved in the 1970 attempt to rescue American prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp.
The first USAF HH-3Es arrived in Vietnam in 1967, and they operated out of Udorn Air Base, Thailand, and Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam. During the Southeast Asia War, HH-3 crewmen were awarded one Medal of Honor, twenty-four Air Force Crosses, and over 190 Silver Stars. A quarter of a century later, HH-3Es participated in Operation Desert Storm, and they provided rescue support in the early years of the Space Shuttle program. The USAF retired its last HH-3Es by 1995.
Photo by Sikorsky Archives
