These short-range recovery aircraft were accepted by the Coast Guard late in 1984. Manufactured by Aerospatiale of France and intended as replacements for the HH-52A , they have sophisticated avionics, navigation, and communications packages, including weather radar to aid rescue operations in bad weather. Presently 95 are on board, with 80 operational.
HH-65A Air Stations:
CGAS Traverse City, Michigan
CGAS Barbers Point, Hawaii
CGAS Borinquen, Puerto Rico
CGAS Atlantic City, New Jersey
CGAS Corpus Christi, Texas
CGAS Detroit, Michigan
CGAS Houston, Texas
CGAS Humbolt Bay, California
CGAS Los Angeles, California
CGAS Miami, Florida
CGAS/ATC Mobile, Alabama
CGAS New Orleans, Louisiana
CGAS North Bend, Oregon
CGAS San Francisco, California
CGAS Port Angeles, Washington
CGAS Savannah, Georgia
The United States Coast Guard has added 96 short range HH-65A helicopters to its fleet to replace the HH-52A Sikorsky Sea Guard.The twin-engine Dolphins operate up to 150 miles off shore and will fly comfortably at 120 knots for three hours. The HH-65A is not able to perform water landings.
. Though normally stationed ashore, the Dolphins can be carried on board medium and high endurance Coast Guard Cutters. They assist in the missions of search and rescue, enforcement of laws and treaties, including drug interdiction, polar ice breaking, marine environmental protection including pollution control, and military readiness. Helicopters stationed aboard icebreakers are the ship's eyes to find thinner and more navigable ice channels. They also airlift supplies to ships and to villages isolated by winter.The HH-65A minimum equipment requirements exceed anything previously packaged into one helicopter weighing in at less than 10,000 pounds. HH-65As are made of corrosion-resistant, composite-structure materials. The shrouded tail rotor is unique to the Dolphin. Also a unique feature of the Dolphin is its computerized flight management system which integrates state-of-the-art communications and navigation equipment. This system provides automatic flight control. At the pilot's direction, the system will bring the aircraft to a stable hover 50 feet above a selected object. This is an important safety feature in darkness or inclement weather. Selected search patterns can be flown automatically, freeing the pilot and copilot to concentrate on sighting the search object.
The Dolphin is manufactured by Aerospatiale Helicopter Corporation in Grand Praire, Texas. Textron Lycoming builds the LTS-101 750B-2 turboshaft engines in Williamport, Pennsylvania and Rockwell International, Collins Avionics Group manufactures the electronics system in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 2005 the current inventory of HH-65A are scheduled to undergo a number of upgrades to the engine.
FUSELAGE LENGTH: 45' 6.5" HEIGHT: 13' 0.75" WEIGHT: 5992 pounds empty 8928 pounds max gross SPEED: 139 knots cruise, 175 knots maximum CEILING: 7510 feet horizontal flight RANGE: 248 nautical miles POWER PLANT: Two (2) Textron Lycoming LTS 101-750B-2 680 horsepower each CREW: four CONTRACTOR: Aerospatiale
