TH-57 lands aboard decommissioned aircraft carrier to join Museum collection as the U.S. Navy Navy transitions to the new TH-73A Thrasher.
On Jul. 30, 2025, a TH-57C Sea Ranger helicopter belonging to Helicopter Squadron 28 (HT-28) landed aboard decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV 16) Museum on the Bay. According to the U.S. Navy, the landing paid tribute to decades of TH-57C Sea Ranger’s service and marked also the U.S. Navy’s transition to the new TH-73A Thrasher helicopter.
Helicopter Training Squadron (HT) 8, stationed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, is one of the Navy’s advanced helicopter training squadrons, whose role is to train hundreds of student naval aviators each year. The unit’s work ensures new pilots arrive at their destination squadron in the fleet ready for frontline operations worldwide.
More than 30,000 aviators were trained in the TH-57C throghout the years. Now permanently displayed aboard the “Lady Lex,” the helicopter will continue to represent the Navy’s long heritage of flight training.
“Delivering the Sea Ranger to USS Lexington honors an extraordinary legacy of naval aviation training here in South Texas,” said Rear Adm. Rich Brophy, Chief of Naval Air Training in a public statement. “While we preserve that history, we’re equally excited about the advanced capabilities the TH-73A brings to today’s students.”
TH-73 Thrasher
In January 2020, Leonardo, through AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., was awarded a firm fixed-price contract valued at $176 million for the production and delivery of an initial 32 TH-73A helicopters, along with spares, support, dedicated equipment and specific pilot/maintenance training services. The TH-73As are a component of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) program that includes not only the helicopters, but also new simulators and aircrew training services, a modernized curriculum and a new contractor logistics support contract for the maintenance and flight line support requirements of the new helicopter.
In November 2020, a second lot of 36 aircraft were ordered through a $171 million USD contract modification and in December 2021, a third lot of 36 aircraft were ordered through a 159.4 million USD contract modification. A fourth lot for the production and delivery of 26 TH-73A worth 110.5 million USD was awarded in December 2022.
The first Lot 1 TH-73A Thrasher was delivered at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, home of the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training of Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, in August 2021.
The TH-73A, based on the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) certified variant of the popular commercial AW119Kx, has been fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prior to delivery, thus bringing a ready-made solution that will transition the TH-57 platforms out of service by 2025, with the first helicopters expected retired during fiscal year 2022.
The induction of the TH-73A makes student training more reflective of fleet helicopters. The current syllabus sees students in primary aviation training initially flying the T-6B Texan II aircraft, which has a glass display cockpit. Previously, if selected for helicopters, students would move to the TH-57, which has older digital or analogue gauges instead of multi-function displays; after graduation, students would move out to fleet aircraft, which again use glass display cockpits. The TH-73A has glass screens that are representative of, and mirror more closely, what pilots will see in the fleet.
