The 582nd Helicopter Group has revealed the profitable conclusion of the preliminary operational check and analysis (IOT&E) for the MH-139A Gray Wolf.
This achievement represents a big step within the Twentieth Air Power’s initiative to replace its helicopter fleet for enhanced nuclear safety operations.
The conclusion of the IOT&E was affirmed at a gathering of the Joint Reliability and Maintainability Analysis Group, marking the tip of an intensive six-month evaluation interval that began in January 2025.
The analysis was carried out in collaboration with numerous mission companions and aimed to confirm the plane’s capacity to fulfil operational calls for throughout numerous mission profiles.
Throughout this era, six MH-139 helicopters underwent trials to find out their effectiveness below precise operational situations.
The plane had been subjected to a collection of assessments, together with aerial gunnery at Gowen Subject, convoy escort operations integral to Twentieth Air Power’s Nuclear Convoy Course at Camp Guernsey and emergency safety response missions at missile wings.
582 HG commander colonel Bryant Bevan mentioned: “This milestone displays the dedication and professionalism of our aircrews, maintainers and mission companions. The MH-139 brings elevated velocity, vary, and survivability to our mission set and enhances our capacity to guard and assist the ICBM enterprise.”
Produced within the US by Boeing, the MH-139A Grey Wolf is based on the commercial AW139 helicopter.
It’s designed to supply elevated velocity, prolonged vary, better payload capability, and superior defensive techniques capabilities, said Boeing.
In line with the corporate, the plane delivers a 50% improve in cruise velocity and flight vary, a 30% bigger cabin dimension, and a payload capability that’s 5,000lb better than the legacy platform.
Additionally it is outfitted with superior avionics system with superior flight deck performance and improved situational consciousness leading to decreased crew workload.
The MH-139A Gray Wolf is ready to switch the UH-1N Huey, which entered the Air Power stock in 1970.
The transition to the MH-139A Gray Wolf is already underway with the 40th Helicopter Squadron starting to make use of the plane for weekend stand-by alert protection.
In autumn, each MH-139 and UH-1N helicopters shall be utilised throughout this transitional section.
MH-139 programme integration officer lieutenant colonel Jeremy McPherson mentioned: “The MH-139 represents a whole paradigm shift inside our neighborhood and for the mission, its extremely redundant system design and automation make for a robust, protected and far simpler to handle plane.
“This enables crew to spend extra time fixing advanced mission units and tactical issues as an alternative of focusing most of their effort preserving the spinning aspect up.”
In April 2024, the US Air Power positioned an order for seven extra MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters with Boeing in a $178m contract.
This may improve the variety of models of their wider framework settlement to 26 rotorcraft in whole.
