Officially Licensed US Navy HSC-7 Dusty Dogs squadron patch.
Dusty Dogs in the SAR pattern — Knighthawks of the IKE Strike Group, since 1969.
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 7 (HSC-7), the "Dusty Dogs," is a U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk squadron based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing THREE (CVW-3) aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and other air-capable ships of the strike group. HSC-7 was established on December 15, 1969 and has flown a continuous SAR/combat helicopter mission ever since — first as an HC squadron flying the H-46 Sea Knight and HH-3 Sea King, and now as an HSC squadron flying the Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk. The squadron's mission set is one of the broadest in naval aviation: search and rescue (SAR), anti-surface warfare (SUW), personnel recovery, Naval Special Warfare support (CSAR/SOF infil-exfil), combat logistics, antiterrorism force protection, vertical replenishment, medical evacuation, and a long list of overland and maritime mission profiles that the carrier air wing depends on every flight day. The Dusty Dogs have flown combat operations in the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, and the NATO operations in Bosnia, plus continuous Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Red Sea SAR/combat missions every CVW-3 deployment. As the carrier air wing's plane-guard, SAR-on-call, and overland strike-support helicopter squadron, the Dusty Dogs are the first wheels off the deck and the last back. This patch carries the Knighthawk lineage forward.
Perfect For: HSC-7 Dusty Dogs active-duty and veteran personnel, MH-60S Knighthawk pilots, aircrew, and rescue swimmers, HC-7 Sea Devils heritage members, NAVSTA Norfolk Sailors, CVW-3 and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower personnel, Naval Special Warfare support helicopter aviators, and Atlantic Fleet rotary community collectors.
Dusty Dogs — first off, last back, Knighthawks since 1969.
