Overview
- Air Force Global Strike Command said the MH-139A reached initial operational capability on August 10, 2026, clearing some units to use and sustain the type for nuclear missile security.
- The Grey Wolf began real-world convoy work earlier this year when two MH-139s from the 40th Helicopter Squadron escorted a more-than-100-mile Minuteman III movement in about six hours without refueling.
- AFGSC highlights that the MH-139 is roughly 50 percent faster than the UH-1N Huey, can carry about twice as many troops, and adds updated defensive and command-and-control systems for wider-area response.
- The program was slowed by FAA certification and testing problems and a 2024 cut to planned buys that triggered a Nunn-McCurdy review, and procurement totals remain in flux after Congress and the Air Force partially restored buy targets.
- Boeing last reported on January 29, 2026, that 38 MH-139s were under contract and 21 delivered, and units at Malmstrom, F.E. Warren and Minot are preparing facilities and crews as the Huey is phased out and some missions shift to other helicopters.