Sikorsky delivers the first MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter replacement airframe to the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday, November 30, as part of a service life extension program for the fleet.

In a move that may upend maritime search and rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard abruptly cut the service life of their MH-60T Jayhawk Helicopters, grounding much of the fleet.

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has received from Sikorsky the first bare-bones airframe under a project to keep the service’s MH-60T Jayhawk medium-lift rescue helicopters flying into the 2040s.

The Coast Guard’s MH-60T Jayhawk is an all-weather helicopter, similar to the Navy MH-60S Seahawk and the Army H-60 Blackhawk. At 64 feet, the chopper weighs 21,884 pounds fully loaded and can ...