The 582nd Helicopter Group has revealed the successful conclusion of the initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) for the MH-139A Grey Wolf.
This achievement represents a significant step in the Twentieth Air Force’s initiative to update its helicopter fleet for enhanced nuclear security operations.
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The conclusion of the IOT&E was affirmed at a meeting of the Joint Reliability and Maintainability Evaluation Team, marking the end of an intensive six-month assessment period that started in January 2025.
The evaluation was carried out in collaboration with various mission partners and aimed to verify the aircraft’s ability to fulfil operational demands across diverse mission profiles.
During this period, six MH-139 helicopters underwent trials to determine their effectiveness under actual operational conditions.
The aircraft were subjected to a series of tests, including aerial gunnery at Gowen Field, convoy escort operations integral to Twentieth Air Force’s Nuclear Convoy Course at Camp Guernsey and emergency security response missions at missile wings.
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By GlobalData582 HG commander colonel Bryant Bevan said: “This milestone reflects the dedication and professionalism of our aircrews, maintainers and mission partners. The MH-139 brings increased speed, range, and survivability to our mission set and enhances our ability to protect and support the ICBM enterprise.”
Produced in the US by Boeing, the MH-139A Grey Wolf is based on the commercial AW139 helicopter.
It is designed to offer increased speed, extended range, greater payload capacity, and advanced defensive systems capabilities, stated Boeing.
According to the company, the aircraft delivers a 50% increase in cruise speed and flight range, a 30% larger cabin size, and a payload capacity that is 5,000lb greater than the legacy platform.
It is also equipped with advanced avionics system with advanced flight deck functionality and improved situational awareness resulting in reduced crew workload.
The MH-139A Grey Wolf is set to replace the UH-1N Huey, which entered the Air Force inventory in 1970.
The transition to the MH-139A Grey Wolf is already underway with the 40th Helicopter Squadron beginning to use the aircraft for weekend stand-by alert coverage.
In autumn, both MH-139 and UH-1N helicopters will be utilised during this transitional phase.
MH-139 programme integration officer lieutenant colonel Jeremy McPherson said: “The MH-139 represents a complete paradigm shift within our community and for the mission, its highly redundant system design and automation make for a powerful, safe and much easier to manage aircraft.
“This allows crew to spend more time solving complex mission sets and tactical problems instead of focusing most of their effort keeping the spinning side up.”
In April 2024, the US Air Force placed an order for seven more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters with Boeing in a $178m contract.
This will increase the number of units in their wider framework agreement to 26 rotorcraft in total.
