TH-73A delivered to NAS Whiting Field

Leonardo Helicopters has delivered the first operational TH-73A training helicopter to NAS Whiting Field on Aug. 6.

MILTON, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2021) The Navy’s first TH-73A Thrasher arrives at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton Aug. 6, 2021. The TH-73A will be assigned to Training Air Wing 5 on base and will replace the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger as the undergraduate rotary and tilt-rotor helicopter trainer for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Michelle Tucker)

U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard student pilots will receive undergraduate training with the helicopter, which is assigned to Training Air Wing (TW) 5. The rotorcraft replaces the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger used by the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA).

Construction of a new helicopter maintenance hangar on base is slated to begin in 2023 while NAS Whiting Field houses the TH-73As in a temporary hangar.

Leonardo Helicopters will deliver another 31 TH-73As this year, for a total of 130 through 2024, before the Sea Ranger’s scheduled sundown in 2025, and will provide the Navy with the capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year.

This aircraft is named for the brown thrasher, a southeastern bird that is common to Florida’s northwest section. The small, yet fearless bird is known for the low-level flight skills it possesses.

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