Because of its versatility, the HH-60G may also perform peacetime operations such as civil search and rescue, emergency aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC), disaster relief, international aid and counter-drug activities.

Additionally, some Pave Hawks have color weather radar and an engine/rotor blade anti-ice system that gives the HH-60G an all-weather capability.

Pave Hawk mission equipment includes a retractable in-flight refueling probe, internal auxiliary fuel tanks, two crew-served (or pilot-controlled) 7.62 mm (0.308 in) miniguns or 0.50-caliber machine guns and an 8,000 pound (3,600 kg) capacity cargo hook.

Pave Hawk combat enhancements include a radar warning receiver, infrared jammer and a flare/chaff countermeasure dispensing system.

HH-60G rescue equipment includes a hoist capable of lifting a 600-pound (270 kg) load from a hover height of 200 feet (60 m), and a personnel locating system.

[12] By December 2012, competitors AgustaWestland, EADS, Boeing, and Bell Helicopter had withdrawn amid claims that the RFP favored Sikorsky and did not reward rival aircraft's capabilities.

Sikorsky was the only bidder remaining, with subcontractor Lockheed Martin supplying mission equipment and the electronic survivability suite.

Sikorsky and the USAF extensively evaluated the proposed CRH-60, a variant of the MH-60 special operations helicopter;[15] the CRH-60 differed from the MH-60 by its greater payload and cabin capacity, wider rotor blades, and better hover capability.

[6] During Operation Desert Storm, Pave Hawks provided combat search and rescue coverage for coalition air forces in western Iraq, Saudi Arabia, coastal Kuwait and the Persian Gulf.

[3][4] On 29 October 1992, a MH-60G Pave Hawk crashed in the Great Salt Lake of Utah about 100 yards north of Antelope Island during a training exercise in bad weather.

Twelve members of the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment and the Air Force's 1st Special Operations Wing died in the accident.

[6] In March 2000, three Pave Hawks deployed to Hoedspruit Air Force Base in South Africa to support international flood relief operations in Mozambique.

[6] In early 2005, Air Force Pave Hawks also took part in a massive humanitarian relief effort to help in Sri Lankan victims of the tsunami.

[25] In the fall of 2005, Pave Hawks from various Air Force commands helped rescue thousands of stranded survivors of Hurricane Katrina.