AHI salutes CG & Dolphin helo

DALLAS, Texas – Airbus Helicopters Inc. saluted the Coast Guard on March 8 for its recent milestone achievement of reaching 1.5 million flight hours with the service’s fleet of MH-65 Dolphin patrol and search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters. From patrolling the skies over Lake Michigan to performing life-saving rescues in the Gulf of Mexico, the CG’s MH-65 Dolphin has become the most recognizable search and rescue aircraft in the world. “This is an enormous accomplishment for the U.S. Coast Guard, and for Airbus,” said Chris Emerson, AHI president. Airbus delivered the first of 100 Dolphins to the CG in 1984. The fleet played a critical role and performed lifesaving missions after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005. The MH-65 fleet is expected to remain in service into 2035. The CG is expected to introduce a next configuration of the Dolphin, which will include an all-glass cockpit and advanced navigation capabilities, in 2018. (Source: AHI 03/08/17) Gulf Coast Note: Coast Guard Station New Orleans and the CG Aviation Training Center at Mobile, Ala., both fly the MH-65 Dolphin for SAR missions throughout the Gulf Coast.