The Navy's first TH-73A Thrasher arrived at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, Aug. 6, 2021. The TH-73A is assigned to Training Air Wing 5 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.
The Advanced Helicopter Training System Team, part of the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems (PMA-273) Program Office, executed its streamlined Advanced Helicopter Training System acquisition program to ensure the Navy has the capacity to train the single largest training pipeline for chief of naval aviation training at Naval Air Station Whiting Field through 2050. Achieving multiple competitive contract awards in just a year and a half, the team was named Competition Excellence Acquisition Team of the Year for the Navy.
(U.S. Navy photo)
TH-73A
Mission
The TH-73A is the aircraft portion of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS). AHTS brings the training tools needed to produce the next generations of rotary and tilt-rotor pilots for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and selected allied nations with current and relevant training platforms.
Description
The TH-73A is the aircraft portion of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS). AHTS improves pilot training and skills by using current cockpit technologies and modernized training curriculum that reflect the capabilities in the current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard inventory. Using a skills-based approach to training, with just-in-time methodology, incorporating modern technology, AHTS will ensure rotary wing aviators are produced at a higher quality, more efficiently, ready to meet the challenges faced in the fleet.
The TH-73A is expected to be in service for approximately 30 years. It is the replacement for the TH-57, which began sundown in fiscal year 2023 and concludes in fiscal year 2025.
Contractor: AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp. (Leonardo)
Delivery Date: Calendar Years 2021 through 2024
Propulsion: Pratt & Whitney PT6B-37A turbo shaft engine
Length (rotors turning): 42 feet, 5 inches (12.92 meters)
Height: 10 feet, 9 inches (3.29 meters)
Rotor Diameter: 35 feet, 6 inches (10.83 meters)
Weight (baseline empty weight): 3,325 pounds (1,508 kilograms)
Airspeed: 152 knots
Ceiling: 15,000 feet
Range: 357 nautical miles
Crew: Pilot, co-pilot, three passengers