The United States Department of Defense plans to provide additional protection for nuclear weapons mines. Boeing will help with this.
What is known
The American manufacturer received a $285 million contract to build 13 MH-139A Gray Wolf helicopters. They will replace the Bell UH-1N Huey, which is currently engaged in protecting mines where American intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads are installed.
Under the new $285 million contract, Boeing is the prime contractor. The Italian company Leonardo will supply the equipment and will provide its production facilities in Pennsylvania.
The MH-139A Gray Wolf will be based on the Boeing AW139 commercial helicopter. The company believes that by using proven components and a proven design, it can reduce manufacturing and operating costs. It is expected that the US Air Force will be able to save $ 1 billion over the entire life of the helicopter.
The UH-1N Huey has a maximum speed of 240 km/h and a range of up to 460 km. The MH-139A Gray Wolf will be one and a half times faster, the range will also increase by 50%, and the maximum payload weight will increase by 2.3 tons. The main tasks of the helicopter will be patrolling the territory and transporting personnel to military bases where mines with nuclear weapons are located.
Source: Boeing
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