Sikorsky has delivered the first of 45 MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter airframes to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as part of a 10-year service life extension program (SLEP) designed to keep the aircraft flying through the 2040s. The USCG has been flying the aircraft for 33 years and much of the fleet is approaching its 20,000-hour airframe flight limit, with the average airframe now at 16,000 hours.
Under the $374 million program, Sikorsky will deliver 12 airframes per year through 2027 to the USCG’s Aviation Logistics Center (ALC) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The ALC currently services and repairs the Jayhawk fleet. Under the SLEP, the ALC will remove all dynamic components, digital cockpit, mission systems, and engines from existing aircraft and then rebuild them with the new airframe consisting of nose, cabin, and aft transition structures.
The USCG reports that Jayhawks have flown 730,430 hours since 1990, conducting 48,300 search and rescue missions and saving 11,900 lives. “The MH-60T is an important part of the execution of many Coast Guard missions, including search and rescue, and our service life extension program is vital in maintaining its capability,” said Rear Adm. Michael Campbell, director of USCG acquisitions programs and program executive officer.