USCG Dolphins Log Million Hours

The U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet of 96 Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin helicopters surpassed one million flight hours on September 20. The USCG first acquired the twin-engine HH-65 in 1985 and uses the helicopters for patrol, law enforcement, armed interdiction and rescue missions throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean from 17 land bases and aboard ships. The HH-65 is a variant of the Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin. The total fleet of 983 has amassed more than 5 million service hours. The USCG is the largest fleet operator of the type.

Original HH-65s were delivered with Lycoming (now Honeywell) LTS101 engines; however, the entire USCG fleet recently upgraded to fadec-controlled Turbomeca Arriel 2C2s as part of the USCG’s “Deepwater” fleet modernization program and are now designated HH-65Cs. The new engines give the Dolphins 37 percent more power.