Image of Leonardo Thrasher TH-73A helicopter operated by the US Navy for its Advanced Helicopter training System programme. Credit: Leonardo.

Leonardo has announced the 100th delivery of the Thrasher TH-73A helicopter to the US Navy on 17 September 2024.

A ceremony marking the occasion took place in North Eastern Philadelphia. Attendees included the Naval Air Commander, Vice Admiral Daniel Cheever; Naval Air Force, US Pacific Fleet, Lieutenant General Bradford Gering; Deputy Commandant for Aviation for the US Marine Corps, along with a crowd of more than 100 dignitaries.

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In early 2020, the Navy selected the Thrasher, and advanced Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rated version of the commercial AW119Kx.

IFR means that there are specific rules governing aircraft operations in conditions where visual reference is not safe. IFR pilots fly by referring to the instruments in the flight deck and use electronic signals for navigation, as opposed to operating the platform visually.

Thrasher will replace its ageing TH-57B/C Sea Rangers, of which there are 113 units, which began being phased out in fiscal year 2023 and concludes in fiscal year 2025.

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The new rotorcraft now fulfills the role as the Navy’s primary training helicopter. The first unit was delivered in July 2021, according to the US Navy.

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The platform represents a modernisation in Navy helicopter training technology, shifting from analogue to digital avionics, and the force anticipates it to serve beyond 2050.

Using a skills-based approach to training with just-in-time methodology, incorporating modern technology, the TH-73A  will ensure rotary wing aviators are produced at a higher quality, more efficiently, ready to meet the challenges faced in the fleet.

As of mid-August 2024, the Navy’s Advanced Helicopter Training syllabus is comprised of more than 317 total Student Naval Aviators, of which 185, or 58%, are currently in the TH-73A training curriculum.

This number is projected to peak at 66% when the second of three squadrons complete the transition this autumn. The third and final squadron, Helicopter training Squadron 28, is due to begin the transition to the TH-73 later this year.

The call for 130 TH-73A units will ensure the Navy has capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida.