The US Coast Guard has shipped a modified MH-60T Jayhawk medium-range recovery helicopter to Air Station Astoria in Oregon as part of its service life extension program.
The modernized aircraft is part of an ongoing effort to extend the operational lifespan of the coast guard’s existing Jayhawk fleet — in service since the 1990s — by fitting them with new hulls, electrical wire harnesses, and main rotor blades.
Through the process, the helicopters will gain about 20,000 additional flight hours.
Another approach to this initiative involves using low-flight-hour US Navy H-60 hulls, specifically from the HH-60H Pave Hawk and SH-60F Seahawk airframes, to further increase the size of the Jayhawk fleet.
Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, has already delivered three of the 45 new hulls ordered for the program.
A new air station in Point Mugu, California, received another upgraded MH-60T with a converted navy hull in August 2024.
Assembly, installation, and related manufacturing tasks to complete the program are being performed at the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
“The sustainment effort has expanded to include increments for fleet growth as the service transitions to an all MH-60T fleet,” the coast guard said.
“Consolidation of the Coast Guard’s rotary wing fleet to a single MH-60T airframe is necessary to mitigate sustainability challenges with the MH-65 short range recovery helicopter and maintain the service’s rotary wing capability until recapitalization in line with the Department Defense’s Future Vertical Lift program.”
The MH-60T Helicopter
The Jayhawk measures 64 feet (20 meters) long and has a wingspan of 53 feet (16 meters).
In addition to its search and rescue equipment, the platform can be mounted with weapons for enhanced protection during deployments, including semi-automatic rifles or medium machine guns.
It flies with two gas turbine engines with 1,890 horsepower each for an altitude of up to 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), a top speed of 207 miles (333 kilometers) per hour, and a range of 806 miles (1,296 kilometers).