By Samuel King Jr.
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Lt. Col. Mary Clark stepped out to the MH-139A Grey Wolf with confidence. Confidence gained from taking part in and leading in the developmental efforts of the Air Force’s first acquisitioned helicopter. Those early labors from concept to reality culminated as she climbed into one of the pilot seats for the MH-139A’s first flight under Air Force ownership at Eglin Air Force Base Aug. 17.
“This milestone really represents the beginning of Air Force testing for the Grey Wolf,” said Clark, a former requirements officer with the Grey Wolf program, now at the 96th Operations Group. “We can now open up those test points for the military and push the envelope more to ensure we’re delivering that operational capability the units need out of the helicopter.”
The Grey Wolf achieved this milestone after earning its military flight release Aug. 12. The new status allows Air Force-only aircrew to conduct testing on military capabilities of the MH-139A as the program moves forward. Prior to the military flight release, military and Boeing contractors shared the flight duties since the aircraft’s arrival here in December 2019.
During that two-and-a-half-year period, the military testing fell to the 413th Flight Test Squadron and the Air Force Global Strike Command Detachment 7, in which Clark was a former commander. The 413th FLTS is the Air Force’s only rotary-wing developmental test unit.
“We learned a lot over the last two years,” Clark said. “That experience allowed us to shape our test plans and ultimately save time. We already know some baseline foundational things we don’t have to re-establish in our own program.”
