MH-139 Grey Wolf reaches initial operational capability

The MH-139 Grey Wolf officially reached initial operational capability as the U.S. Air Force moves to replace the aging UH-1N Hueys.

As of Aug. 10, the Boeing twin-engine utility helicopter reached initial operational capability with “significant capability upgrades” compared to the medium utility Hueys, the service announced Monday.

The Grey Wolves are nearly 50% faster than the Hueys, can carry twice as many troops and contain improved defensive systems, allowing forces to mobilize and arrive sooner than before, with the previous Vietnam-era platform.

The Grey Wolves mark the ability for increased capabilities in the Air Force Global Strike Command’s nuclear security operations, an Air Force release reads.

“For more than half a century, the UH-1N Huey has been a key element of our Intercontinental Ballistic Missile security, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the crews who flew and maintained it over all these years,” Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of AFGSC, said in the release. “Securing these missiles demands our best efforts and the MH-139 will significantly improve our capabilities.”

The 20th Air Force, which oversees all three ICBM wings, was selected to receive the new aircraft to replace the Hueys at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

The service plans to procure 84 Grey Wolves, training devices and associated equipment from Boeing, according to a 2019 release.

The 20th, which has a 33,600-square-mile area of responsibility, covers an expansive area of prairies, plains and mountain ranges, furthering the need for an aircraft that can support missile field security over the terrain, in which the nuclear mission operates all day, every day, per the statement.

AFGSC is preparing to switch from the Minuteman III ICBM system to a next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel weapon system, and the new aircraft are slated to support this modernization effort.

The Sentinel program is meant to overhaul the force’s land-based ICBMs, the release says, and the Grey Wolf’s capabilities can assist in securing assets during the phased transition, ensuring that operations continue as the new Sentinel sites are activated and Minuteman III facilities are decommissioned.

The 582nd Helicopter Group, located at F.E. Warren, executed testing, conversion training and operational milestones to propel the aircraft toward initial operational capability. Earlier this year, the 40th Helicopter Squadron, based at Malmstrom, conducted the first operational Minuteman III ICBM convoy with two Grey Wolves.

During a six-hour movement, the 40th escorted missile maintenance and armored security vehicles to and from a launch facility over 100 miles from base without refueling.

Alongside convoy support and emergency response functions, Grey Wolf’s capabilities will also be used for search and rescue, disaster response and medical evacuations.