Leonardo Helicopters, 3050 Red Lion Road, last week celebrated the 100th delivery of the TH-73A Thrasher helicopter to the United States Navy.
Attendees included Vice Adm. Daniel L. Cheever, Commander, Naval Air Forces/Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, Deputy Commandant for Aviation for the U.S. Marine Corps; Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director, Leonardo Helicopters Division; U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, a member of the House Armed Services Committee; state Rep. Ed Neilson; Holy Family President Anne Prisco; and City Councilman Mike Driscoll.
In early 2020, the Navy selected the Leonardo TH-73A, an advanced Instrument Flight Rules-rated version of the commercial AW119Kx, to replace its aging fleet of TH-57B/C Sea Rangers as the primary training helicopter to produce the next generation of rotary and tilt-rotor pilots for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and selected allied nations.
The event emcee was Clyde Woltman, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., who talked about the team culture at the company.
The TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training System represents a modernization in Navy helicopter training technology, shifting from analog to digital avionics, and is projected to serve the U.S. Navy through at least 2050. Thirty more TH-73A Thrasher helicopters will be built by Leonardo.
Cheever, known as “The Air Boss,” described the TH-73A Thrasher as “absolutely the right helicopter to train our aviators.”
Gering said the TH-73A Thrasher is state of the art and will train aviators to be highly skilled for modern warfare, including protecting troops on the ground.
Cutillo said it’s an honor and huge responsibility for Leonardo to build helicopters for the military.
Norcross described Leonardo as a trusted partner of the military.
Guests were given commemorative coins and tours. ••
