Whiting gets first TH-73A

NAVAL AIR STATION WHITING FIELD, Fla. - A new Leonardo TH-73A "Thrasher" helicopter landed at Milton's NAS Whiting Field Friday morning in a ceremony attended by some of the base's and the county's top leaders. The helicopter will be assigned to Training Air Wing (TW) 5 and will replace the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger as the undergraduate training helicopter for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The helicopter made the two-day transit to the base from the Leonardo Helicopters facility in Philadelphia, where it was manufactured. The helicopter that landed Friday is the first of 32 TH-73A helicopters that are expected to be delivered to Whiting by the end of 2021. A total of 130 will be delivered by the end of 2024. (Sources: multiple, including Pensacola News Journal, 08/07/21, CNATRA, 08/06/21) Previous related