Montgomery’s aviation history took off Wednesday afternoon at Maxwell Air Force Base with the activation of the 58th Operations Group, Detachment 3.
The Air Force unit will train pilots and crew for the MH-139 Grey Wolf; a newly designed helicopter that will provide support for security for intercontinental ballistic missile bases, transport of senior officials in the Washington, D.C., area and rescue missions and other operations. The unit, known as Det 3, is associated with the 908th Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve outfit stationed at Maxwell.
The 908th for decades flew the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The drone of the Hercs became familiar sounds for central Alabama residents. The unit is transitioning to train pilots and crew of the Grey Wolf.
The MH-139 replaces the Air Force’s aging fleet of UH-1N, the Hueys that were used in the Vietnam War. There are 63 UH-1s in the fleet and the Air Force plans to buy 80 MH-139s, according to DefenseNews.com.
Lt. Col. Frank “Derek” Cumbie took command as Det 3’s first boss in a ceremony Wednesday. He gave a nod to Maxwell’s history as a base, going back to 1910 when the area was home to Wilbur and Orrville Wright’s first civilian flight school. This is the first time an active Air Force unit has called the base home since World War II, he said.