Branch Rethinks Aviation Goals Amid MH-60T Operation Restrictions

As its role in security and rescue continues to grow, the US Coast Guard has finally decided it is time to make some serious aircraft operation changes. The kill shot was the recent chop in allowed total flight hours for its MH-60T helicopter fleet.

The US Coast Guard currently operates a fleet of around 200 aircraft. 45 of these are its primary workhorse helicopter, the Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk. This is a medium-range, twin-engine helicopter used for search and rescue, homeland security, law enforcement, environmental protection, and training missions.

Despite the Jayhawk’s crucial role within the Coast Guard, a new operational restriction was recently enforced that reduced its fleet size by nearly 20%. The branch was previously targeting a 20,000 flight hour limitation. Now, all MH-60Ts with more than 19,000 flight hours are being grounded, reducing their planned service life by up to two years. This caused the immediate grounding of eight aircraft, and several more aren’t far from joining them. Over 90 percent of the fleet had more than 16,000 flight hours in late 2023.

Compared to its total fleet size, eight helicopters may not seem like much. To the Coast Guard, however, the reduced number of MH-60Ts in service is a significant setback to moving out its MH65E Dolphin chopper. The machine is small, outdated, and difficult to maintain due to its base model, the Eurocopter H155, no longer being produced.

Seeming a little rattled by this limitation, Coast Guard leadership has finally decided that the time has come for an update to its aviation game plan. A Coast Guard representative stated that the branch is “developing a comprehensive strategy for the future of Coast Guard Aviation,” that “will outline aircraft transitions across our rotary and fixed-wing fleets, as well as the potential development of an uncrewed fleet.”

A draft of these revisions has allegedly been completed, though the branch is yet to release a formal document. With the change being so last-second, however, experts are unsure how much of an impact it will have.

FMI: www.uscg.mil