Boeing wins US$178 million US Air Force contract to deliver further MH-139A helicopters
The MH-139 is the military variant of Leonardo's AW139. (Photo: Boeing)
Boeing said it was on track to deliver the first Low-Rate Initial Production MH-139A helicopter to the US Air Force in mid-2024.
The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Boeing a US$178 million contract to produce seven more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, bringing the total number of ordered aircraft to 26.
The award came on the back of the first production aircraft’s initial flight in December 2023. With the first production aircraft currently undergoing additional testing and other aircraft in various stages of production, Boeing said it was on track to deliver the first Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) aircraft to the USAF during the US summer.
The MH-139 is the military variant of Leonardo's AW139. It was selected for the USAF’s $2.4 billion UH-1N Huey replacement programme in September 2018. It has an increased carrying capacity over the AW139.
“Building the Grey Wolf fleet and paving the way towards full rate production is a critical step in supporting the USAF’s modernisation priorities,” said Azeem Khan, MH-139 programme director at Boeing. “Delivering on these commitments and getting more capability into the hands of our customers is important to their mission [of] protecting vital national assets.”
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