With 27 MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters delivered so far, the latest award brings the total number of aircraft under contract to 42.

Boeing Defense has been awarded a contract for four more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, marking the aircraft’s entry into full-rate production, the company announced on Sept. 29, 2026. The award, whose value was not disclosed, comes a month after the U.S. Air Force announced the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the helicopter.

In Sept. 29 statement and a subsequent statement on Oct. 1, Boeing said it has so far delivered 27 MH-139As, which include 20 low-rate initial production (LRIP) airframes. The latest award brings the total number of Grey Wolves under contract to 42.

This was the program of record established after the Air Force reduced in 2024 its planned procurement from 80 aircraft to 42. The service subsequently increased its program objective to 56 aircraft in its FY2026 budget.

Strengthening the pack!

Thank you, @USAirForce, for advancing our partnership to provide four additional MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters. With full-rate production and Initial Operational Capability, #TeamBoeing is proud to deliver mission-ready capability.

More:… pic.twitter.com/ZMiZpz9GWj

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) October 1, 2026

The MH-139A is primarily meant to replace the UH-1N Huey in the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) security and convoy support roles. According to Air and Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force had also planned to use them for aircrew survival training and contingency response in the Washington D.C. area, where the 1st Helicopter Squadron (1st HS) still flies UH-1N Huey.

Boeing’s vice president and general manager for the Vertical Lift Program, Kathleen Jolivette, said the full rate production milestone “validates key readiness levels for Grey Wolf and supports the service’s fielding plans to secure vital national assets across the country’s strategic missile fields.”

“Adding these aircraft to the production queue brings additional momentum to ongoing fielding and modernization efforts,” Jolivette added. 

Grey Wolf contracts and deliveries

Boeing announced its first award for the Grey Wolf, worth $2.4 billion, on Sept. 24, 2018, covering 84 helicopters. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2019 at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, to begin developmental testing prior to Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation (IOT&E) at Malmstrom AFB.  

The company announced on Aug. 29, 2022 that it had delivered four Grey Wolf test aircraft to the Air Force. This followed Boeing receiving a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certificate, as the program was progressing towards Milestone C. 

In April 2024, Boeing was awarded a $178 million contract for seven more MH-139A helicopters, which included the first set of aircraft meant for Minot AFB, North Dakota.

In October 2025, Boeing also received a $173 million contract for eight additional helicopters, raising the total number under contract to 34. At the time, Boeing had delivered 18 aircraft, of which 12 were part of a 2023 $285 million Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract.

Budget allocations

After a setback in 2024 over cost overruns that triggered a Congressional review under the Nunn-McCurdy Act, the program picked up pace. The Trump administration’s July 2025 ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ included $210.3 million for an extra six MH-139As.

Then in the FY 2026 budget request, the Air Force raised its need for 56 Grey Wolves. To that end, the Air Force asked $253 million for the MH-139A in 2027 to cover four airframes.

However, lawmakers in the draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized $128 million and four more helicopters, for a total of $380 million for eight helicopters.          

The MH-139A participated in its first Nuclear Convoy Course (NCC). A weeklong exercise in Wyoming to ensure the safe and secure transport of nuclear weapons and materials.

Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond

PS. I still can’t believe the USAF bought Italian helicopters for… pic.twitter.com/FkH25eC2Yq

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) May 22, 2025

The need for the Grey Wolf became even more acute with the new LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM program, with the Huey having been in service for around 40 years. The Grey Wolf’s improved speed, range, payload and modern avionics are better suited for the extensive support infrastructure needed for the Sentinel as the service transitions from the current Minuteman III ICBM.

In its latest release, Boeing said it “continues to work closely with the U.S. Air Force to deliver adaptable, mission-ready and reliable capabilities for decades to come.”

Before entering the full-rate production, the MH-139A Grey Wolf has been put through rigorous Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E); a Nuclear Convoy Course (NCC) featuring emergency-response drills with armed Tactical Response Force personnel from Missile Security Operations Squadrons; and the first operational Minuteman III convoy security mission in January 2026.

A four-day independent trial by the AFRL’s Munition Open Architecture Test and Evaluation Laboratory assessed 14 weapons-systems domains to verify the compliance of Barracuda-M.

Anduril’s Barracuda-M family of autonomous jet-powered cruise missiles has been certified to be compliant with the U.S. Air Force Weapons Open Systems Architecture (WOSA) standard, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced on Sept. 28, 2026. A four-day assessment at the AFRL’s Munition Open Architecture Test and Evaluation Laboratory (MOATEL) verified 14 weapon-systems domains, says the service.

Anduril said the Barracuda has become the “first weapon system in large-scale production to complete MOATEL’s independent WOSA verification process.” Both AFRL and Anduril identified the following capabilities and components that the MOATEL tested: Mission Autonomy, Seeker, Inertial Measurement Unit, Global Positioning System, Air-Data Sensor, Propulsion, Airframe Control, Target State Estimator, Altimeter Aiding Navigation, Clock, Autopilot, Guidance, Navigation and Munitions Data Bus (MDB).

AFRL described the milestone as an advancement of the government’s new weapons development practice to allow rapid fielding and technological innovation. Anduril says it validates its industrial approach to develop scalable, inexpensive yet effective weapons that trade exquisiteness for simplicity.

The @AFResearchLab verified that Anduril’s Barracuda-M family of cruise missiles meets the @usairforce‘s Weapon Open Systems Architecture standard, a framework intended to help weapons remain adaptable as technology, threats and mission needs change.https://t.co/JBFSyaEXB4 pic.twitter.com/vE0bBDPVFi

— U.S. Air Force Materiel Command (@HQ_AFMC) September 30, 2026

WOSA-compliant Barracuda-500M

The AFRL release quoted Department of the Air Force (DAF) Technology Executive Officer and AFRL commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Wickert, who said WOSA helps “new technology [rapidly progress] into adaptable warfighting capability.”

“By validating that open systems work at scale, we are fundamentally changing how we transition technology and enabling the rapid integration and fielding of new innovations faster than the threat evolves,” Wickert added.   

AFRL project manager and creator of WOSA Jonathan Shaver said “open architecture is only meaningful when it can be independently verified […] instead of accepting vendor self-assessment.” WOSA verification at MOATEL makes “new sciences […] ready for a weapon, showing open architecture can scale beyond prototypes.”

The four-day verification at MOATEL assessing 14 WOSA domains “demonstrated modularity between Anduril’s internal and external MDB implementations, enabling rapid technology refresh of WOSA-compliant software.” Additionally, “it also verified that Anduril’s software architecture met the WOSA requirements for the domains under test,” AFRL added.

The statement explained that “Barracuda-M’s assessment represents a production-scale example of the verification process AFRL will continue to apply as additional weapons programs move through development and production.”

@anduriltech Unveils Barracuda-M Family of Cruise Missiles

The Barracuda family of AAVs consists of Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500. Each increment offers increasing size, range and payload capacity, but all Barracudas are compatible with a host of payloads and… pic.twitter.com/NW1RvpUI6W

— Global Defense Insight (@Defense_Talks) September 12, 2024

Anduril’s vice president of Advanced Effects Pat Morris said the challenge is to actually prove modularity and open architectures in an independent assessment, rather than to “talk about” it. “AFRL and MOATEL’s verification validates one of the fundamental design decisions behind Barracuda: build the weapon around a simple, modular architecture so that programs can integrate new technology without redesigning the entire system,” he explained.

Open Systems Architecture capability and Anduril

Open systems architecture, which allows hardware and software modularity, has become a new cornerstone of the Department of War’s acquisition doctrine, particularly in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, where Anduril is the prime contractor for the FQ-44 Fury.

This approach can prevent vendor lock-in, potentially helping to mitigate cost overruns and acquisition delays while supporting mass producibility and scalability to meet protracted conventional wars, as well as allowing third-party component and software modification to meet various mission needs.

Anduril (@anduriltech) announced a production agreement for Surface-Launched Barracuda-500M with U.S. Department of War (@DeptofWar).

“Under the agreement, Anduril will scale production to deliver a minimum of 1,000 all-up rounds per year, with the first tranche of… pic.twitter.com/V4fNSYiK7c

— Counter Unmanned Systems (@CUAS_NEWS) May 13, 2026

Anduril has long touted a different industrial model than the legacy companies. It favors simple designs, engineering decisions and proven components from existing supply chains for its weapons. These can be produced using non-specialized manufacturing equipment and tooling on reconfigurable factory lines, supporting both weapons modifications and flexible production rates. 

Barracuda family of weapons

Anduril describes the Barracuda family as a series of Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAV) consisting of three variants: the Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250 and Barracuda-500. The ‘M’ suffix represents the kinetic effect variant of the munition.

The company designates the ground-fired version as the Surface Launched Barracuda (SLB). The U.S. Army contracted 3,000 SLB-500Ms in May 2026 for its Program Acquisition Executive FIRES (PAE FIRES) effort. 

Anduril will deliver thousands of air-launched cruise missiles per year under a new 7-year agreement with the @DeptofWar.

This framework establishes a clear pathway to move the pallet-and lug-launched Barracuda-500M from development and prototyping into large-scale production.… https://t.co/H1pa4lW1jE pic.twitter.com/TLyplb9TTt

— Anduril Industries (@anduriltech) July 15, 2026

Anduril puts the air-launched Barracuda-500M’s range at more than 500 nautical miles and claims an approximate speed of 190 to 500 knots. In September 2025, the U.S. Air Force designated the Barracuda-500M as the AGM-189A.

Anduril is also expanding internationally. It has tied up with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer to integrate the Barracuda-500M on the C-390 Millennium for palletized launches.

Additionally, An MoU with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. (PGZ) covers the weapon’s localized production in Poland. The agreement concens the surface launched variant of the Barracuda-500M.

Another potential European customer is Latvia. President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Anduril and posted about his visit on X on September 25.

“It was great to visit Anduril to meet with Palmer Luckey and to witness signing of memoranda of cooperation with MOD of Latvia and Origin Robotics Looking forward to complete acquisition of Barracuda long-range missiles and [Latvian-U.S.] defense industry cooperation,” said Rinkēvičs. The class of Barracuda missile, the number of weapons Latvia aims to buy, the cost and the delivery timeline are not known.

It was great to visit @anduriltech to meet with @PalmerLuckey and to witness signing of memoranda of cooperation with MOD of Latvia and @OriginRobotics. Looking forward to complete acquisition of Baracuda longe range missiles and defense industry cooperation pic.twitter.com/JafnNy5RAe

— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) September 25, 2026

The new award is a step towards the Air Force’s planned fleet of 267 F-15EXs, replacing the aging F-15C/D Eagle and also beginning the recapitalization of the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing Defense on Sept. 29, 2026, a new contract for 22 F-15EX fighters as part of Lot 7, worth $2.38 billion, which will bring the total number of jets under contract to 120 units. The Air Force had originally planned a fleet of 129 jets but increased the planned size to 267 aircraft in April 2026.

As The Aviationist had reported, the larger acquisition will allow the service to begin the recapitalization of the aging F-15E Strike Eagle fleet, in addition to replacing the F-15C/D Eagle which the F-15EX was originally meant to supplant. The award of the new contract also comes on the same day Boeing was chosen by the Navy for its F/A-XX next-generation fighter jet, after being selected last year for the Air Force’s F-47 NGAD.

Air and Space Forces Magazine, considering the $2.38 billion contract value disclosed by Boeing, estimated an average cost per airframe of $108 million. This value does not include the GE Aerospace F110-GE-129 engines, which the Air Force will purchase separately. 

Boeing, for its part, said that it is currently delivering Lot 3 aircraft, and will continue for the remainder of this year. The deliveries of the Lot 3 started earlier this month with the delivery of the EX-22. The company also added that it is working with the Department of War (DoW) and the U.S. Air Force to hike F-15EX production to two aircraft a month.

EXciting progress for F-15EX!

We’ve delivered the 22nd F-15EX to the @usairforce. The aircraft will be the first F-15EX destined for @KadenaAirBase in Japan. pic.twitter.com/RlrTKuCCFl

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) September 3, 2026

The DoW also awarded on Sept. 29 another F-15EX-related contract to the Wisconsin-based Astronautics Corp. of America for the fighter’s engine fuel hydraulic display depot activation. The $10 million sole-source acquisition contract covers the “knowledge, skills and operational resources to independently perform depot-level repair of F-15EX engine fuel hydraulics display.” Work will be performed at Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by October 2029.  

F-15EX Lot 7 contract

Air & Space Forces Magazine also reported that the Sept. 29 contract came just before a deadline for using funds allocated through last year’s $2.8 billion ‘One Big Beautiful Act’ reconciliation package and the $115 million in the FY 2026 budget. The Trump administration’s 2025 reconciliation bill mandated a reduction of the allotted funds by 8.3% if they were not spent by Oct. 1, creating pressure to award the contract to Boeing before the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30.

The press release by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) reflected the urgency in closing the deal with Boeing:

“Through focused, complex negotiations, the F-15 Program Office and Boeing reached an agreement that maintains the procurement of all 22 Lot 7 aircraft within available funding […] This award followed extensive collaboration among program management, contracting, pricing, engineering, financial management, logistics and other acquisition professionals. The team assessed the impacts of changing production conditions and inflation, aligned the aircraft procurement with available funding, and completed the action before the fiscal-year deadline.”

Portfolio Acquisition Executive for the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate Brig. Gen. Timothy Helfrich described the Lot 7 contract as a disciplined approach that balanced available resources and industrial capacity. “The team remained focused on affordability, production continuity and delivering the aircraft needed to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s fighter fleet for the threats we face today and into the future,” Helfrich said in the release. 

The release noted functional areas such as senior-level decisions, cost, schedule, and aircraft quantity that the team carefully accounted for before awarding the contract to Boeing. 

“The Lot 7 award demonstrates what is possible when the acquisition enterprise moves with purpose, remains accountable to the taxpayer and stays focused on delivering capability to the warfighter,” said Col. Jonathan Varoli, System Program Manager of the directorate’s F-15 Program Office. “This effort brought together the right expertise, at the right time, to achieve an outcome that strengthens the F-15EX program and supports the future fighter force.”

Flying high for 5⃣!

Five years ago, the first #F15EX test jet flew. Since then, F-15EX has really taken off, completing hundreds of test flights and achieving several milestones — including Initial Operational Capability. Now, we’re delivering over 100 jets to the @USAirForce. pic.twitter.com/qwz6yEulL1

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) February 2, 2026

F-15EX 

The F-15EX is the modern evolution of the twin-engine heavyweight multirole jet, featuring advanced avionics, large-area displays, digital backbone architecture and enhanced survivability capabilities. “It is intended to replace aging F-15C and F-15D aircraft while providing a platform for continued modernization as operational requirements evolve,” the Air Force said. 

One of its defining features is the AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), an electronic warfare suite that provides integrated radar warning, threat detection and advanced jamming and countermeasure capabilities.

Thanks to its capabilities, the F-15EX is also being introduced in the Indo-Pacific, with Kadena Air Base in Japan, home to the Air Force’s 18th Wing, selected as its first permanent overseas operating location.

The W93 warhead and Mk7 reentry body assembly are part of the Trident II D5 Life Extension (D5LE2) which will modernize the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad.

The U.S. Navy’s W93 warhead and Mk7 reentry body assembly, which will equip the Trident II Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) as part of the D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2) program, have entered the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) stage, the Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) announced on Sept. 24, 2026.

The program reached Milestone B earlier this year, and the EMD phase will now “focus on completing production design and proving that the design is producible to meet the needs of the Navy,” the PAE SSP said. The W93 warhead and the Mk7 reentry body assembly are the first U.S. nuclear warhead and reentry system in nearly four decades, says the service, providing a modern warhead to the Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles and strengthening the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad.

The announcement also comes after Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) – the design agency for the W93’s nonnuclear components and the lead warhead systems integrator for nuclear weapons programs – announced on Aug. 31 the launch of the Atrax sounding rocket to collect critical physical performance data and match its simulated models for the W93’s development.

SNL subsequently revealed that the W93’s first flight test is scheduled approximately two years after the Atrax test. The W93/Mk7 program is an interagency Nuclear Weapons Life Cycle effort between the PAE SSP and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

The US announce the progression of the new W93/Mk7 nuclear warhead for TRIDENT D5LE2 into its Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. This directly touches the UK as well: the W93 is effectively the US counterpart and “sister” to the UK’s ASTRAEA A21/MK7, with some… pic.twitter.com/EqbzfmpwOV

— Gabriele Molinelli (@Gabriel64869839) September 24, 2026

Trident D5 Life Extension 2

The D5LE2 is being developed for the U.S. Navy’s upcoming Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), meant to replace the 14 older USS Ohio-class boats. The first eight Columbia-class SSBNs will enter service with the D5LE system, while D5LE2 will be introduced on the ninth SSBN and retrofitted to the earlier ones.

During its service aboard Ohio-class submarines, the Trident II D5 also underwent its first life extension program, the D5LE, that upgraded critical electronics and guidance components, which will allow it to remain operational through the 2040s.

Lockheed Martin Awarded $850 Million Contract for Trident II D5LE2 Program

Lockheed Martin has received an $850 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to continue the design and development of the Trident II D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2) program, a key component of the… pic.twitter.com/cq3Dt6Wr25

— Global Defense Insight (@Defense_Talks) July 14, 2026

Navy officials later deemed additional upgrades would be insufficient for long-term aging of critical components and the modern demands of the Columbia fleet, prompting the D5LE2 effort. D5LE2 effort ensures the Trident remains credible through 2084.

The Trident II D5 also arms the four boats of the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBN). A January 2025 Lockheed Martin release about a $383 million contract modification for the D5LE2 confirmed that the UK will participate in the effort under the Polaris Sales Agreement.

Effective interagency coordination

PAE SSP director Vice Adm. Douglas Williams emphasized the “flexibility and adaptability” that the W93/Mk7 provides to “ensure an uninterrupted at sea deterrent for the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad.”

“We were able to accelerate our entry into this next phase because of the dedicated partnership between PAE SSP, National Nuclear Security Administration, and our industry base,” Williams said in the Navy release. “This is what working at hyper-speed looks like.”

The collaboration between PAE SSP, NNSA and SNL under the interagency Nuclear Weapons Life Cycle supported the design and development of the W93 warhead and Mk7 reentry system. NNSA administrator Brandon Williams said in the release: “Credible deterrence demands that we move with urgency, and the progress we’re making on W93/Mk7 demonstrates exactly that.”

Happy 8-26
The largest submarine ever built by the US, Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826), will be launched next year. pic.twitter.com/b3FnamR0jy

— 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 (@USN_Submariner) August 26, 2026

“We are revitalizing and modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise to design, develop, and produce this critical new weapon with the precision our Warfighters demand,” added Williams. “We will continue working together to deliver this capability to the fleet and ensure our sea-based strategic deterrent remains ready for the future.”

As mentioned earlier, while the PAE SSP will sustain the existing Trident II D5 on the Ohio-class boats, and integrate the Trident II D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2) on the new Columbia-class SSBNs, it is also “pioneering regional strike capabilities of the future.”

This includes the development of the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N) and the non-nuclear hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) system. The CPS shares the same Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) with the U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) “Dark Eagle.”

Sounding rocket tests provide W93 development data

Ross Wagnild, an aerospace engineer at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), said the Atrax sounding rocket test helped them improve the credibility of their modeling and simulation tools in preparation for the W93 warhead’s development. SNL is also developing the Mk7 reentry vehicle, meant to “safeguard and carry” the W93 warhead and the Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles (MIRV) – as shown in the official concept illustration by PAE SSP – to the target.

Sounding rockets are suborbital experimental vehicles carrying instruments “to collect [general] environmental data in flight without the scope of a full program test,” otherwise difficult to be replicated on the ground.

The Atrax test is not intended to assess “the precision or accuracy of the reentry vehicle.” The Atrax specifically measured the interplay of “aerodynamic forces and structural response” during reentry conditions.

A sounding rocket flight test is giving Sandia engineers real-world reentry vibration data to improve modeling and inform nonnuclear component designs for nuclear weapons.

https://t.co/ib5WqE7R6x pic.twitter.com/dBj06oLkhg

— Sandia National Labs (@SandiaLabs) September 21, 2026

The trial provided data that can be compared with the models developed through NNSA’s Advanced Simulation and Computing program and make them more accurate. The measurements of the actual vibration, aerodynamic load and impact on internal physical components helped “better evaluate the survivability of nonnuclear components of our weapon systems,” Wagnild added.

The data generated by the Atrax test also supports future weapons programs as it aids correct engineering and component design decisions, reducing costs and cutting development timelines, according to Kelsey Forsberg, who works in nuclear deterrence at Sandia. Forsberg said NNSA investments in programs like High Operational Tempo Shot and the Enzo demonstrator helped pave the way for the Atrax test and “reduced risk to the W93 program.”

The “cutting edge sensors” on the reentry vehicle collected data to test the accuracy of their simulation codes on “thermal, fluid and structural models to better understand where improvements might be needed.” The test vehicle itself had a new reentry vehicle, a three-stage sounding rocket and a new separation system.

In addition to the W93, Wagnild said the Atrax test will provide the broader hypersonic community with data that could improve hypersonics modeling and build confidence in modern sensor suites for other hypersonic vehicles.

The test validated the MV-22B’s as an alternative platform to the P-3C Orion for the Navy’s Sonobuoy Quality Assurance Program, while laying the groundwork for expanded tactical employment of the Osprey.

Building upon an ongoing effort to repurpose the MV-22B Osprey for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) by rapidly distributing sonobuoys over water, the U.S. Navy has conducted its first production lot acceptance test of new sonobuoys using the tilt-rotor aircraft. The Sonobuoy Quality Assurance Program (SQAP) test took place on Aug. 19, 2026, off the coast of San Clemente Island, California, and was announced by the Anti-Submarine Warfare Systems Program Office (PMA-264) on Sep. 22, 2026.

The demonstration marked a departure from the use of the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 30’s (VX-30) P-3C Orions, with the Osprey being used both as a substitute SQAP platform and helping to reduce the testing backlog. The test validated “the tiltrotor aircraft as an alternative platform for the Navy’s SQAP, boosting operational readiness and laying the groundwork for expanded tactical employment across the fleet,” the PMA-264 said in the release.

Images from the Aug. 19 test, posted on the DVIDS network on Sept. 2, showed sonobuoys being loaded onto a MV-22B from the Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, California.

Consistent with the Osprey’s emerging ASW role

Both the caption and the release mentioned that the demonstration tested hand-launching sonobuoys by opening the Osprey’s rear ramp. The release also provided details about the mechanics of that manual method and how the crew adopted suitable piloting procedures and flight profiles.     

It must be noted that sonobuoys have already been hand-launched from the MV-22B Osprey during tests that took place last year, as The Aviationist had reported. Ospreys from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (VMM-162) and VMM-265 had seen crews release A-size sonobuoys during the Atlantic Alliance 2025 exercise in July and a dedicated ASW test with crewed P-8A Poseidon and MH-60R Seahawks in August. 

The significance of the August 2026 event, therefore, was not the first deployment of sonobuoys from an Osprey, but the first time the aircraft was used for the Navy’s SQAP lot acceptance testing. In its press release, PMA-264 said the first SQAP using the Osprey also supports the broader effort to utilize the tiltrotor’s speed for the ASW mission by generating performance data and laying down varied operational procedures.

“In addition to meeting test criteria, the mission also provided operational experience that will help VMX-1 refine tactics, techniques, and procedures for future tiltrotor anti-submarine warfare support,” said the press release. “PMA-264 and PMA-275 will analyze acoustic and deployment data from the flights to refine procedures for future quality assurance missions and joint fleet operations.”

First Sonobuoy Lot Acceptance test using the Osprey

PMA-264 said that the SQAP involves subjecting “random production samples to over-water testing to evaluate reliability and acoustic performance before delivering vendor inventory to operational squadrons.” PMA-264 Program Manager Capt. Greg Hinkle explained the goal is to ensure that “the sonobuoys delivered to the fleet perform exactly as expected.”

The U.S. Navy operates a range of sonobuoys, some of which are: the AN/SSQ-125 Multi-Static Active Coherent (MAC) sonobuoys; the AN/SSQ-36 Bathythermal sonobuoys; the passive AN/SSQ-53G Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (DIFAR) sonobuoys; and the active AN/SSQ-62F Directional Command Activated Sonobuoy System (DICASS). Images show SSQ-53H written on the sonobuoys being loaded onto the Marine Osprey. 

Historically, the SQAP has relied on VX-30’s P-3C Orions, which “performs quality assurance drops using automated launchers.” The August test “proved the MV-22B Osprey can serve as a dependable substitute if primary test platforms are unavailable, helping prevent testing backlogs and keeping delivery schedules on track.”

Hinkle said utilizing the MV-22 for a role like conducting sonobuoy acceptance trials helps “reinforce our supply chain and ensures frontline aircrews have the mission-ready stores they need to detect and track undersea threats.”

The official information does not specify how many trials took place and how many Ospreys were employed, but the framing suggests a single event and Osprey may have been used. One image appears to show a batch of 15 sonobuoys prepared to be loaded on the MV-22B through the rear ramp.

Hand-launching sonobuoys

Unlike the P-3, which uses automated launch containers triggered from the cockpit, the MV-22B required aircrew to manually launch the buoys from the open rear cargo ramp. Crew chiefs removed container caps and inverted launch tubes to release the sonobuoys into the slipstream.

Because manual sonobuoy deployments are slower – creating longer gaps between drops compared to automated launchers – VMX-1 aircrew “adjusted by reducing flight speed, matching the precise target pattern and spacing needed for acoustic testing,” the release said.

The hand-launch process also requires tight coordination between the pilots and crew chiefs. “The pilot holds steady flight parameters while the co-pilot manages navigation, timing, and communications, queuing crew chiefs in the cargo bay to program and release the buoys on schedule,” the release explained.

For the first time @USMC #MV22B‘s deploy a screen of SSQ-53G sonobuoys. MAG-39 has been working with @USNavy HSM Weapons School Pacific to develop tactics emphasizing the speed, range, and expeditionary nature of MV-22’s to support the Navy in their anti-submarine warfare mission pic.twitter.com/Yfk9YMiD5n

— 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (@3rdmaw) February 25, 2022

V-22 pilot and VMX-1 advanced projects lead Lt. Col. Brandon Pope said the event served as “an invaluable opportunity for our pilots and crew chiefs to build proficiency” for the intricate synergy between the load crew and the pilots during cargo release from the rear ramp. 

Pope added: “Hand-launching from an open ramp requires split-second coordination; the crew must be deliberate with timing, airspeed control, and internal communication. This test demonstrated how the V-22’s range, speed, and versatility can support broader maritime domain awareness and distributed fleet operations.”