US coast guard receives upgraded Jayhawk helicopter at Air Station Astoria

The US Coast Guard has delivered a newly revamped MH-60T Jayhawk medium-range recovery helicopter to its Air Station in Astoria, Oregon, as part of its service life extension program.

This modernization effort is aimed at extending the operational life of the Coast Guard’s Jayhawk fleet, which has been in use since the 1990s. The upgrades include new hulls, electrical wire harnesses, and main rotor blades, which will allow the helicopters to accumulate an additional 20,000 flight hours, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

In addition to these upgrades, the program also incorporates low-flight-hour US Navy H-60 hulls, specifically from the HH-60H Pave Hawk and SH-60F Seahawk airframes, to further expand the Jayhawk fleet.

Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, has already delivered three of the 45 new hulls required for the program.

Another upgraded MH-60T Jayhawk, featuring a converted Navy hull, was sent to a new air station in Point Mugu, California, in August 2024.

The Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, is handling the assembly, installation, and manufacturing tasks for the program.

This sustainment initiative is crucial for consolidating the Coast Guard’s rotary wing fleet into a single MH-60T airframe. This transition is intended to address sustainability challenges associated with the aging MH-65 short-range recovery helicopter and ensure the Coast Guard can maintain its rotary wing capabilities until future upgrades under the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift program.

The MH-60T Jayhawk measures 64 feet (20 meters) in length and has a wingspan of 53 feet (16 meters). Equipped for search and rescue, the helicopter can also be armed with weapons such as semi-automatic rifles or medium machine guns for added protection during missions.

Powered by two 1,890 horsepower gas turbine engines, the MH-60T can reach altitudes of up to 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), achieve a top speed of 207 miles per hour (333 kilometers per hour), and cover a range of 806 miles (1,296 kilometers).

By Vafa Guliyeva