US Navy launches training operations with the TH-73A Thrasher

US Navy Student Naval Aviators assigned to Training Air Wing 5 (TAW-5) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Milton Florida, have begun advanced helicopter training with the service’s new Leonardo TH-73A Thrasher helicopter.

The training got underway in early September with Helicopter Training Squadron 8 (HT-8) leading the transition of students and instructors. Before they actually fly the new helicopter, the initial group of 12 students will complete a rigorous course of groundwork in virtual reality and flying simulators that will prepare them for the more powerful helicopter.

The US Navy's first TH-73A Thrasher (BuNo 170138 '610') arrives at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, on August 6, 2021. The type will replace the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger as the undergraduate rotary and tiltrotor helicopter trainer for the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and US Coast Guard. US Navy/Lt Michelle Tucker

The Thrasher is a replacement for the 40-plus-year-old Bell TH-57 Sea Ranger that currently provides basic helicopter and advanced Instrument Flight Rules training at Whiting Field. Operated in two versions, the TH-57B entered service in 1981 and was followed by the TH-57C in 1982.

The first TH-73A was delivered to NAS Whiting Field in August 2021. Equipped with an advanced digital cockpit and glass displays, the new helicopter will make student training more reflective of operational fleet helicopters. Prior to using the Thrasher for student instruction, the Navy needed to develop and validate a new syllabus and qualify instructors to fly the required manoeuvres and profiles.