Last week, Boeing officially announced that the company had been awarded an additional contract to produce eight more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters for the United States Air Force. The deal, worth more than $173 million, includes training and sustainment support services, bringing the total number of rotorcraft under contract to thirty-four.
To date, Boeing has delivered a total of eighteen helicopters, including the twelve examples from the low-rate initial production (LRIP) batch. This year, the MH-139As were delivered to the first operational unit at Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) in Montana. The first set of aircraft is expected to be deployed to Minot AFB in North Dakota.
The USAF has recently completed its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation flights, and the MH-139A programme continues to move towards the Initial Operational Capability stage.
“The MH-139A offers increased speed, range and payload capacity critical to supporting US national security missions,” – said Azeem Khan, MH-139 programme director. “We look forward to delivering these advanced aircraft to bases across the country.”
The Grey Wolf is a multi-mission helicopter, designed for patrol, search and rescue, troop transport and cargo duties. The rotorcraft is based on the proven design of the AW139 from Leonardo Helicopters and is fitted with custom military equipment by Boeing.
“The MH-139A Grey Wolf represents the best of partnership and proven capability,” – said Robert Beyer, MH-139 senior programme manager at Leonardo Helicopters. “By building on the trusted AW139 platform, we have been able to deliver a versatile aircraft to the warfighter that is already demonstrating its value to the USAF. With each new lot, we are proud to continue strengthening national security missions while supporting American manufacturing and jobs.”
More information about the MH-139A acquisition by the USAF can be found in our previous articles: Boeing to commence production of MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters and Another “Wolf Pack” for the USAF.
Cover photo: An MH-139A conducts an early morning flight (Boeing/Fred Troilo Photos)
All photos and quotations © Boeing. Information from the Boeing Company press releases were used.
