Old USAF UH-1N Hueys flying alongside their replacement, the MH-139A Grey Wolf

The Bell UH-1 Huey is a widely used helicopter that became famous for its participation in the Vietnam War.

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This helicopter is far from extinct. The US Marines still use a heavily modernized version, the UH-1Y Venom. In addition, the US Air Force also uses old Hueys. We already saw here in 2023 the TH-1H Huey II used in training missions, but there are other helicopters of this type still in service in the USAF with a more critical mission: the UH-1Ns of the 40th Helicopter Squadron.

The unit was created in 1968 during the Vietnam War, operating out of Thailand as a rescue unit specializing in locating downed pilots. Today it is located at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, where it serves the USAF Global Strike Command as a unit that supports U.S. nuclear missile launch sites.

In September 2018, the USAF chose the Leonardo AW139 to replace these UH-1N. Specifically, Boeing has made a local version of that Italian helicopter under license: the MH-139 Grey Wolf (below these lines).

In addition to being used to service missile silos, this unit's secondary purpose is rescue, as well as training aviators in survival skills.

The MH-139 Grey Wolf began entering USAF service in March 2024. A month ago, the new helicopters arrived at Malmstrom AFB to begin the transition phase from the Huey to the Grey Wolf.

The Grey Wolf has a very delicate task ahead of it, since the USAF units equipped with it are not only responsible for the missions assigned to them, but are also being trained to recover launch bases that have been captured.

Below you can watch a video recorded by Senior Airman Mary Bowers and released by the USAF showing a joint flight of the UH-1N and the MH-139A around Malmstrom AFB on January 28th. The video was published on February 12th by DVIDShub.net, the multimedia portal of the US Armed Forces:

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Photos: U.S. Air Force / Malmstrom AFB.