Boeing Wins First MH-139A Full-Rate Production Order

Boeing landed a roughly $85 million order for four more Grey Wolf helicopters weeks after the Air Force declared initial operational capability. The new aircraft are not expected before 2028.

Boeing said Thursday it has received the first MH-139A full-rate production order, a contract for four Grey Wolf helicopters for the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear missile field security mission.

A Boeing spokesperson put the award at roughly $85 million, including some sustainment work, and said it was made Sept. 25, Defense News reported. Boeing’s written announcement, issued from Philadelphia, did not give a value.

The order follows the Air Force’s declaration of initial operational capability for the helicopter, which took effect Aug. 10, according to an Air Force Global Strike Command release dated Aug. 31.

Boeing says the award supports scaling Grey Wolf deployment for real-world operations and missile-field security. That is the company’s characterization. No independent analyst commentary on the order was available as of Friday, and the contract document itself has not been made public; the award date, value and delivery window rest on the spokesperson’s account.

“This milestone validates key readiness levels for Grey Wolf and supports the service’s fielding plans to secure vital national assets across the country’s strategic missile fields,” Kathleen Jolivette, vice president and general manager of Vertical Lift Programs for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in the company’s announcement.

“Adding these aircraft to the production queue brings additional momentum to ongoing fielding and modernization efforts,” Jolivette said.

What the order adds

Boeing now has 42 MH-139A helicopters under contract and has delivered 27, including 20 built under low-rate initial production, Janes reported, citing company figures. In January, Boeing put those totals at 38 and 21.

Boeing expects to deliver the four newly ordered helicopters in 2028 or 2029, according to Defense News. That is a company expectation, not a fixed schedule.

The Grey Wolf is replacing the UH-1N Huey at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Defense News reported. Which bases will receive the four new aircraft has not been established.

A milestone, not the finish line

Initial operational capability validates training and support systems for real-world missions and sets a baseline toward full operational capability, Boeing said in a Sept. 29 feature that also described the four-aircraft award.

Air Force Global Strike Command describes the transition as a modernization of its nuclear-security operations. The command lists convoy support and emergency response as the helicopter’s core tasks, with search and rescue, disaster response and medical evacuation as additional uses.

The command says the Grey Wolf is nearly 50% faster than the Huey, carries twice as many troops and has enhanced defensive systems.

The helicopter flew a documented operational mission before the August declaration. Two MH-139As from the 40th Helicopter Squadron escorted Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile maintenance and armored security vehicles Jan. 8 on a movement from Malmstrom, according to an Air Force account by John Turner of the 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office.

The movement lasted six hours and required no refueling, Turner wrote. The launch facility was more than 100 miles east of the base.

“The MH-139 allows us to continue supporting our ICBM enterprise for decades to come with increased speed, range and lift,” Maj. Gen. Stacy Huser, the 20th Air Force commander at the time, said in that account.

The Air Force described the convoy as operational experience gained while working toward initial operational capability. How many operational missions the fleet has flown since January has not been confirmed.

Earlier orders and background

The full-rate award is the third Grey Wolf order in about a year. Boeing announced an eight-aircraft contract last October, valued at more than $173 million including training and sustainment, and said in January it would build four more. The two awards together exceeded $262 million, including related sustainment, the company said.

The Air Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request seeks $252.94 million for four MH-139A aircraft, according to Janes. That figure is a budget request and is separate from the roughly $85 million award.

The MH-139A is based on the Leonardo Helicopters AW139 and fitted with custom military equipment, Boeing says. It is designed for patrol, search and rescue, and troop and cargo transport.

The Air Force cleared the program for low-rate initial production in a March 2023 decision that came with a contract for the first 13 aircraft, according to a Leonardo release from that month. Leonardo identified itself as the original equipment manufacturer and Boeing as the prime contractor responsible for militarization and support, with helicopters built in northeast Philadelphia and transferred to Boeing’s Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, site for military equipment.

The 550th Helicopter Squadron completed the type’s first initial operational test and evaluation flight in January 2025, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.

The announcement capped a busy week for Boeing’s defense business. The Pentagon selected the company for the Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation fighter development contract, worth $20 billion, Reuters reported Sept. 29. Boeing the same day reported a $2.38 billion contract to build 22 additional F-15EX Eagle II fighters for the Air Force.