The MH-65 Dolphin is the US Coast Guard’s workhorse helicopter, the most recognizable platform in the service. Seen constantly in search and rescue missions, maritime patrol, and drug interdiction, the MH-65 is compact, fast, and distinctive—with its red, white, and blue livery, a sharp departure from drab color ways of other military helicopters. And while the MH-65 isn’t a glamorous machine, it is perfectly optimized for its Coast Guard mission set. 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Coast Guard needed to replace its fleet of aging HH-53 Seaguards. The new

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