overview

EADS' Eurocopter H-65 Dolphin is a key element of the U.S. Coast Guard’s rotary-wing fleet, with more than 100 of these twin-engine aircraft providing reliable performance for the service’s operations, mission after mission.

This helicopter is particularly well-suited for search and rescue,  maritime security, border patrol, monitoring illegal immigration, and drug interdiction – leveraging the high-end capabilities of Eurocopter’s proven AS365, on which the Coast Guard’s H-65 is based.

Initially entering the Coast Guard inventory in 1985, the H-65 currently is operated from 18 cities across the United States – including stations that serve the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Caribbean and Great Lakes region.

In addition, this aircraft frequently has been deployed aboard Coast Guard cutters, and has operated from the Arctic to the Antarctic – as well as any other location the service’s forces have been deployed.

As part of the Coast Guard’s multi-year Asset Recapitalization Program to modernize and replace its aging ships and aircraft, EADS North America supported the upgrade of existing H-65 Dolphin helicopters to the enhanced H-65C version, beginning in 2004.

These improvements – which were supported by American Eurocopter, an EADS North America company – centered on re-engining the Dolphins with Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 turboshaft engines for increased safety, reliability and performance in a full range of missions.

Commercially-available improvements to the H-65C version also included digital electronic engine controls, main gearbox upgrades to accommodate the more powerful engines, an improved 11-blade Fenestron tail rotor and a reconfigured cockpit control panel featuring a Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) with first limit indicator technology. This activity, which represented Discrete Segment 1 of the H-65 MCH (Multi-mission Cutter Helicopter) upgrade, was completed within the Coast Guard’s schedule requirements.

All Coast Guard air stations with H-65 helicopters now fly the H-65C model. This increased-performance version played a key role in Coast Guard rescue operations following Hurricane Katrina, becoming a helicopter of choice for the recovery of victims along the Gulf Coast in 2005. A total of 25 H-65 aircraft logged more than 1,500 hours of flight time during eight days of operations – ultimately supporting the rescue of 4,200 individuals.

H-65s also provided critical support in multinational relief efforts following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Coast Guard Dolphins were the first aircraft on the scene in Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince, and provided vital logistics and MEDEVAC support in the most devastated areas.

After dramatically improving the H-65’s performance, EADS North America and American Eurocopter now are supporting the Coast Guard’s planning and completion of MCH Discrete Segments 5 & 6 upgrades, and are taking steps to further increase H-65 availability by expanding logistic support activities.