DURING AN official ceremony held at the AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation (Leonardo) plant in Pennsylvania on June 10, the first operational TH-73A helicopter was formally handed over to the US Navy. Eventually, the US Navy will take delivery of 130TH-73As in total, with deliveries continuing through to 2024. The new helicopters will replace the navy's ageing TH-57B/C Sea Ranger training platform, with the intention of overcoming the present capability and capacity gaps in the fleet. An initial contract was awarded on January 13, 2020, for the first 32 helicopters. A second contract awarded on November 12, 2020, exercised options for a further 36, bringing the total of firm orders to date to 68. The type is based on the instrument flight rules (IFR) certified variant of the commercial AW119Kx, suitably modified to meet US Navy training requirements.
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