MH-139A Grey Wolf Makes First Flight From Malmstrom Air Force Base
A MH-139A Grey Wolf made its first flight from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana on March 18, the first time the Air Force helicopter conducted a mission from the air base that will serve as its future operational testing hub.
The first Grey Wolf arrived at Malmstrom AFB on March 5, with an official ceremony held to commemorate its arrival on March 9. Malmstrom is one of three Air Force bases that serve as launch sites for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, with the Grey Wolf set to replace the UH-1N Hueys used to patrol the missile silo fields at Malmstrom AFB, F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming, and Minot AFB in North Dakota once fully operational.
The Grey Wolf is a version of Leonardo’s AW139 jointly developed by Boeing and Leonardo. It was selected to replace the UH-1N in 2018, receiving the MH-139 designation and Grey Wolf name in December 2019 when the first prototype was delivered. According to the Air Force, the Grey Wolf can cruise 50% faster and farther than the Huey, while also having a 30% larger cabin and capability to lift an additional 5,000 pounds of payload.
The new helicopter is part of the Air Force’s nuclear modernization program, which also includes the development of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM to replace the Minuteman III, and the upgrading or replacement of Minuteman III launch infrastructure to support the Sentinel.
While the Air Force originally planned to procure 84 MH-139s, its fiscal 2025 request cuts the planned order size to 34. Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter told reporters on March 12 that the cuts mean that only the UH-1Ns used to patrol ICBM bases will be replaced with the Gray Wolf, while the Hueys used for missions like transporting officials around the National Capital Region and search and rescue face retirement without a replacement.