Air Force fields FMS inquiries for MH-139 Grey Wolf helo as test campaign progresses

An MH-139 Grey Wolf flies in formation with UH-1N Hueys as part of an initial operational test and evaluation campaign. (US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mary Bowers)

AFA WARFARE 2025 — Ahead of potential orders, the Air Force has begun gathering interest in foreign military sales (FMS) for the service’s MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter, another signal of confidence in the platform that has now entered a key evaluation phase.

Supplied by Boeing as a replacement for the Air Force’s aging UH-1N Huey, the Grey Wolf as envisioned will be primarily tasked with supporting nuclear security, as well as ferrying VIPs in the Washington, DC-area. And, in an interview with Breaking Defense on Feb. 26, Boeing’s Manager for Utility Helicopter Programs Azeem Khan said the helo has already sparked international interest.

“As we look at the program moving forward, we’re also excited [about] the interest and the demand signal that we’re seeing, both domestically and from potential customers around the world,” he said, noting that the attention spurred the Air Force to open an FMS office. “We’re not far enough along to talk specifics at this moment, but the versatility of the platform [for] military customers is generating interest, and we’re continuing to take a look at those and see where we take this program on its next chapter.”

Asked to comment on an FMS office for the program, an Air Force official told Breaking Defense that the service “is fielding FMS inquiries for the MH-139. However, nothing has been formalized at this time.”

Foreign sales would be a boon for Boeing as well as the Italian firm Leonardo, whose commercial AW139 serves as the Grey Wolf’s baseline. It may also help restore some helicopters the companies were originally expecting to manufacture following the Air Force’s apparent move to cut the Grey Wolf’s program of record. Former Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter previously explained the cuts would likely affect some of the helo’s secondary roles, like VIP flights and search-and-rescue assistance. However, a Pentagon report last year revealed the service may be looking to add back in some aircraft for the Grey Wolf program, meaning that some roles may be on the table once again. 

Still, Khan said that though Boeing officials are aware of talks of trimming the MH-139 buy, a decision to change the program of record has not been finalized. 

“As of today, we have not been formally notified that our program of record has been cut. We execute on what we have in front of us, and it’s focusing on our requirements and our contractual deliverables,” he said, adding that a contract award for the program’s next production lot is expected sometime this year. 

As the evaluation campaign has proceeded, users have identified some needed changes to the platform, which the Pentagon’s top weapons tester said in a recent report [PDF] range from altering cabin seating to redesigning the aircraft’s gun mount and accompanying bag to catch spent shells. 

“What we’re delivering, from a configuration perspective, is what we are on contract for, and what the aircraft is being tested through is that configuration,” Khan said. Since the helicopter’s contract was awarded in 2018, “needs and desires have also changed, but we’re maintaining the contracted configuration, and we’re always open to opportunities to continue to enhance and improve that where it makes sense. And that’s just part of the journey of this product life cycle, and we’re in close coordination with the Air Force.” 

Meanwhile, the platform itself continues to progress through its test campaign. According to an Air Force press release, on Jan. 28 an MH-139 embarked on its first initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) flight at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana by escorting a missile convoy, kicking off assessments of the helicopter’s effectiveness in operational scenarios. 

The IOT&E stage is expected to continue through June of this year, the Air Force press release says. Khan said the aircraft’s initial operational capability, or the milestone that indicates when a system has been fielded in sufficient quantities and can be maintained to support real-world operations, is expected “toward the back end of the year.” Sometime after that, the program is expected to enter full rate production, he said.