The US Coast Guard has delivered an MH-60T Jayhawk all-weather medium-range recovery helicopter to its latest air station at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu, California.
Designated as CGNR 6055, the aircraft is the first of three MH-60Ts to be integrated at the base.
All of the systems will be produced at the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in North Carolina, using US Navy low-flight-hour HH-60H Pave Hawk and SH-60F Seahawk airframes.
Service Life Extension Program
The milestone is the third handover of the coast guard’s program to extend the operability of its 45 Jayhawks through the 2040s and bolster aerial assistance to modern cutter operations.
The initiative combines older or stock helicopters with new parts to fulfill the service’s corresponding objective to transition into an all-MH-60T fleet. This was supported by a contract for 25 new hulls awarded to Jayhawk developer Lockheed Martin in January 2021.
Primary tasks under this framework involve replacements of electrical components and motor blades.
Eight stations will operate the MH-60T by the program’s end in 2025, with the service saving approximately $5 million per aircraft compared to purchasing new helicopters.
The first MH-60T completed through the SLEP effort arrived in November 2023.
“We were able to utilize completed Navy hull conversions that were already in storage to facilitate the Ventura stand-up; this allowed the program to save one year on the ability to stand up Ventura,” Coast Guard MH-60T Acquisition/Sustainment Program Manager Reid Adams explained.
“The next 13 hulls will be used to fulfill the [service life extension program] or fleet growth demands, as required; with the new hulls now in the mix, the program anticipates the majority of the converted Navy hulls to be utilized for fleet growth purposes.”
The Jayhawk Helicopter
The MH-60T Jayhawk has an overall length of approximately 64 feet (19.5 meters) and a wingspan of approximately 53 feet (16 meters).
It is powered by twin gas turbines with about 1,890 horsepower each for a top speed of 180 knots (333 kilometers/207 miles per hour), a service ceiling of 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), and a range of 700 nautical miles (1,296 kilometers/805.5 miles).
The Jayhawk can be armed with medium machine guns or semi-automatic rifles.