NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee’s Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team continues to strengthen its lifesaving capabilities with advancements in aviation technology, including a recent upgrade to the UH-60V Black Hawk.
HART, a state-coordinated program involving the Tennessee Army National Guard and the Nashville Fire Department, provides rapid-response rescue in high-risk environments such as floods and natural disasters. The team includes National Guard aircraft and aircrew and Nashville Fire Department paramedics and rescue divers.
Members of Tennessee HART’s recent deployment to Elizabethton in response to Hurricane Helene demonstrated the team’s adaptability and effectiveness.
“We were landing in backyards, at local landmarks — places designated only by names like ‘Bob’s or ‘Jason’s — to deliver aid and conduct rescues,” said Capt. Jayson Cooper, Army Aviation Support Facility #1 commander. “Without the enhanced capabilities of these new Black Hawk models, missions like these would be significantly more challenging.”
The Tennessee National Guard’s UH-60V “Victor” model Black Hawk helicopter is a major upgrade from the UH-60L “Lima” model. This modernization enhances avionics, flight safety and mission capabilities, particularly in search and rescue operations.
Tennessee received five aircraft from the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Texas, stationing three in Nashville and two in Jackson to support and improve HART operations.
“The new Victor model is a major leap in technology,” said Capt. Adam McCollum, an operations officer at AASF. “The avionics in the legacy UH-60L model date back to 1979.
“The Lima model has effectively zero digitization. It’s all traditional gauges with needles and painted numbers,” said McCollum. “In contrast, the Victor model provides a moving map display, real-time positional awareness, and more intuitive monitoring of engine readings, temperatures and pressures.”
Previously, pilots relied on paper maps or rudimentary digital readouts that only provided heading and distance. Now, pilots can preload flight plans into the system via a removable hardware card, similar to a USB drive.
“With the moving maps, we can see our route overlaying real-world terrain, obstacles and airspace boundaries in real-time,” said McCollum. “It’s a game-changer for situational awareness.
“I can drop a point on the ground, and the hover page function helps me stay within a 10-foot-by-10-foot area,” said Cooper. “This level of accuracy is critical when hovering over floodwaters or confined spaces.”
The Victor model also significantly improves safety by reducing pilot workload and mitigating spatial disorientation, a common hazard where a pilot loses their sense of position, motion or altitude due to conflicting sensory information.
“In the past, pilots would have to glance down at maps in their laps, increasing the risk of losing awareness of their surroundings,” said McCollum. “Now, all critical flight information is directly in front of them.”
The UH-60V also features an external hoist system similar to those used by the U.S. Coast Guard.
“The new external hoist system is faster, easier to manage, and provides more space for rescue technicians,” said Cooper.
The integration of forward-looking infrared technology, a thermal imaging system that detects heat signatures, allows pilots to track their hoist operators from below through darkness, fog and smoke.
“Previously, only the crew chiefs operating the hoist had visibility of the rescue operation,” said McCollum. “Now, with the FLIR camera, both pilots can monitor the process in real-time, ensuring stability and safety during extractions.”
The Tennessee HART team will use the UH-60V’s capabilities during annual training exercises and real-world missions across the state’s rivers, lakes and flood-prone areas.
“This modernization isn’t just about new helicopters — it’s about making sure we’re equipped to save lives when every second counts,” said Cooper.