The Aerospatiale SA366G1 Dauphin was selected by the United States Coast Guard in 1979 as its new short range recovery (SRR) air-sea rescue helicopter, replacing the Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard.
In order to comply with american regulations relating to local content, engineering changes were required: most notably the french original Turbomeca Arriel engines were replaced with Lycoming LTS101 powerplants.
The Dolphin normally carries a crew of four: pilot, copilot, flight mechanic and rescue swimmer.
1984 : HH-65A Dolphin
2001 : HH-65B Dolphin : first avionics upgrade
2003 : HH-65C Dolphin : re-engined back with Arriel 2C2-CG and with new nose
2007 : The HH-65 is re-designated MH-65
2007 : MH-65C Dolphin. Replaced the MH-68A Stingray
2011 : MH-65D Dolphin. 97 aircraft with new avionics upgrade. The helicopter had a little fan on the top of the main rotor called OADS (Omni-directional Air Data System). It spins around and measures differences in air pressure to indicate relative winds. The system was set to be removed in the MH-65D variant as it was extremely maintenance intensive and not very accurate.
2013 (announced) 2018 (start deploying) : MH-65E Dolphin. Glass cockpit (CAAS) similar to MH-60T Jayhawk. Each MH-65D undergoes a six-month conversion at the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, NC. 13 stations are scheduled to operate this variant.
Serials: Bought new were 99 HH-65A plus 7 HH-65C
4101-4104 - test aircrafts
4105-4118 - original numbers ( changed later to 65nn )
4119-4123 - cancelled ?
6501-6598 - current ( ex 41nn included )
66nn - airframes received post 2000 (AS365N3)
In 2024 Alaska's Kodiak was the fourth station to transition to a single rotary wing fleet of MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters following Borinquen, Traverse City, and New Orleans.
The Coast Guard plans to have 98 helicopters converted to the MH-65E configuration by end 2024 to extend the aircraft service life to the late 2030s.
1984 : HH-65A Dolphin
2001 : HH-65B Dolphin : first avionics upgrade
2003 : HH-65C Dolphin : re-engined back with Arriel 2C2-CG and with new nose
2007 : The HH-65 is re-designated MH-65
2007 : MH-65C Dolphin. Replaced the MH-68A Stingray
2011 : MH-65D Dolphin. 97 aircraft with new avionics upgrade. The helicopter had a little fan on the top of the main rotor called OADS (Omni-directional Air Data System). It spins around and measures differences in air pressure to indicate relative winds. The system was set to be removed in the MH-65D variant as it was extremely maintenance intensive and not very accurate.
2013 (announced) 2018 (start deploying) : MH-65E Dolphin. Glass cockpit (CAAS) similar to MH-60T Jayhawk. Each MH-65D undergoes a six-month conversion at the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, NC. 13 stations are scheduled to operate this variant.
Serials: Bought new were 99 HH-65A plus 7 HH-65C
4101-4104 - test aircrafts
4105-4118 - original numbers ( changed later to 65nn )
4119-4123 - cancelled ?
6501-6598 - current ( ex 41nn included )
66nn - airframes received post 2000 (AS365N3)
In 2024 Alaska's Kodiak was the fourth station to transition to a single rotary wing fleet of MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters following Borinquen, Traverse City, and New Orleans.
The Coast Guard plans to have 98 helicopters converted to the MH-65E configuration by end 2024 to extend the aircraft service life to the late 2030s.
Units |
Platforms |
| Classes |
|---|
| W Famous MEC class |
| W Hamilton class |
| W National Security Cutter |
| W Reliance MEC class |
| AW Healy class |
| AW Polar class |
|
Deployments