US Air Force is planning a significant upgrade in firepower for its combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters. The focus of this upgrade will be on new mounted guns. Tested in the 943rd Rescue Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, the doorway gun mount would arm HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopters with 4 additional M-240 machine guns. Currently, the USAF HH-60G mounts 2 of either the GAU-2C 7.62 mm minigun, the GAU 18/A .50 caliber machine gun, or the M-240 machine gun, situated forward of the main troop compartment. The addition of firepower will be made by 4 M-240s — attached as a linked pair mounted on each side — would effectively triple the aircraft’s firepower, bringing the number of its onboard weapon systems from 2 to 6.The new PAVE HAWK will be a complete gunship, with 2 GAU-2C 7.62 mm miniguns with ranges of up to 1,000 m (firing up to 2,000 rounds per minute), or 2 GAU-18/A .50 caliber machine guns (with firing rates of 650 to 800 rounds per minute) with ranges of up to 1,800 m, alongside 2 twin M-240 machine gun mounts, each carrying 1,200 rounds of ammunition and capable of raining down fire at 650 rounds a minute at targets up to 1,800 m away. The new upgrade will not be expensive due to a design made entirely using parts that are already in military inventories. The Air Force initially considered adding additional .50 caliber machine guns but, as per many other helicopters, the torque they generated was too much for the aircraft. Adding additional miniguns was also disqualified because it would take too much power to operate both weapons. With the HH-60G PAVE HAWK close to the retirement, the gun mount will also be compatible with the newer HH-60W JOLLY GREEN II model and hopefully in the future, for the V-280 VALOR, recent FLRAA project winner. In a typical CSAR scenario, one of these gunships would provide escort to the rest of the aircrafts. According to the Air Force, the next step will be the operational testing at the Air Guard Air Reserve Test Center.