The US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) announced on August 31, 2026, that the Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf reached initial operational capability on August 10, 2026, clearing the helicopter for the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) security mission it was procured to perform.
The Grey Wolf is a militarized derivative of the Leonardo AW139, the twin-engine commercial medium-lift helicopter built by the Italian manufacturer. Leonardo produces the baseline airframe at its plant in northeast Philadelphia, and Boeing, as prime contractor, installs the military equipment and handles post-delivery support.
The declaration formalizes the handover from the UH-1N Huey, which the US Air Force has flown in missile fields since 1970. AFGSC said in its release that the Grey Wolf is nearly 50% faster than its predecessor, carries twice as many troops and has improved defensive systems.
“Securing these missiles demands our best efforts and the MH-139 will significantly improve our capabilities,” said General Stephen L. Davis, commander of AFGSC.
Grey Wolf begins guarding Minuteman III convoys
The Grey Wolf’s core task is escorting Minuteman III maintenance and armored security convoys. AFGSC puts the Twentieth Air Force area of responsibility at approximately 33,600 square miles (approximately 87,000 square kilometers) of prairie, plains and mountain terrain, spread across F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.
The type flew its first operational convoy on January 8, 2026, when two aircraft from the 40th Helicopter Squadron escorted a movement more than 100 miles (over 161 kilometers) from Malmstrom and back over roughly six hours without refueling.
Boeing has delivered 21 MH-139A helicopters
AFGSC did not say how many aircraft, crews or bases the declaration covers, and the fleet is still being built out.
The most recent public delivery total dates from January 29, 2026, when Boeing said 38 MH-139As were under contract and 21 had been delivered, 12 of them under the low-rate initial production contract awarded in 2023. Neither the company nor the US Air Force has published an updated figure since.
The first production aircraft was handed over in August 2024, after Boeing had said in March 2023 that it aimed to deliver the first example that year.
MH-139A to support transition to Sentinel ICBM
AFGSC also tied the helicopter to the coming switch from Minuteman III to the LGM-35A Sentinel, saying the Grey Wolf’s range and command-and-control systems are needed to secure sites through a phased transition in which new Sentinel facilities come online as Minuteman III sites are decommissioned. The Sentinel program is targeting its own initial operational capability in the early 2030s.
Beyond convoy escort and continuous emergency response, AFGSC said the Grey Wolf will also be used for search and rescue, disaster response and medical evacuation.