The “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two One (HSC-21) provide logistic, search and rescue, naval special warfare and vertical replenishment support to the west coast fleet of the U.S. Navy. For this task, HSC-21 flies ten MH-60S helicopters, which are generally parceled out in pairs in expeditionary detachments. This means they are usually embarked aboard amphibious assault ships or fast supply vessels. This multi-mission squadron of the U.S. Navy is based at NAS North Island in San Diego, alongside HSC-23 “Wildcards”. HSC-23 was formed on 1 October 2006, and is organized the same as its aforementioned counterpart. Thus it possesses the same number of MH-60S helicopters ready for missions in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The MH-60S “Knighthawk” was developed after a decision to phase out the CH-46 Sea Knight, making the Knighthawk its designated successor. The design is actually a hybrid, utilizing the main fuselage of the proven UH-60 Black Hawk and the engine/drive train/rotors of the naval SH-60 Seahawk version. Dragon’s most recent 1/144 scale set contains two MH-60S helicopters in kitset form. These are highly detailed models that make use of Dragon’s advanced molding technology and engineering expertise. The pair of model helicopters is carefully designed in this miniature scale, and they are easily assembled by modelers of any skill level. Cartograf has provided beautiful set of decals portraying craft of HSC-21 and HSC-23. The markings are extremely colorful and contribute to dramatic modeling subjects. These craft from the Blackjacks and Wildcards will strengthen the hand of every modeler’s collection!