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NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans received its first of three MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters Monday.

The arrival included an overflight of downtown New Orleans by Cmdr. Keith Blair, Air Station New Orleans commanding officer.

The next two MH-60s are scheduled to arrive by the end of July. The station’s current fleet of MH-65s will be transferred to other units throughout the Coast Guard. The addition of the MH-60s is part of a Coast Guard rotary-wing service life extension program and initiative to expand the capabilities of the Coast Guard Eighth District for a more robust response to routine operations as well as catastrophic incident response operations.

“The MH-60 brings more capability than the MH-65 with respect to the payload, endurance and range,” said Blair. “The MH-60 can fly up to a 250 miles operational radius. This means we will be able to fly further, longer, and accommodate more people in distress in a single flight.”

The MH-60 Jayhawk is a multi-mission, medium-range helicopter used for search and rescue, law enforcement, military readiness and marine environmental protection missions.

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