MH-65 Dolphin
ICAO AS65The US Coast Guard's short-range rescue helicopter, recognisable by its shrouded tail rotor. Live MH-65 Dolphin positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30sAirframe
- Manufacturer
- Airbus Helicopters
- Role
- Search and rescue
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 4
- First flight
- 23 June 1975
- In service
- 1984
Operators airborne
About the MH-65 Dolphin
Almost everything on this page is a United States Coast Guard aircraft. The MH-65 is their short-range recovery helicopter, flying from air stations along both coasts and the Great Lakes, and it is the aircraft that actually performs most American maritime rescues.
It is a licence-built Aérospatiale AS365 Dauphin, and the most obvious feature is the fenestron — the tail rotor enclosed inside the fin rather than exposed. That was unusual when the type appeared and remains a reliable identifier.
Coast Guard tail numbers run in the 65xx range, which is a quick way to confirm what you are looking at. Sorties are short and coastal, so the aircraft appears and disappears from the feed quickly.
Callsign prefixes
- CGNR
- US Coast Guard, using the aircraft's tail number
- RESCUE
- Used on active search and rescue tasking
How to recognise it
- —A shrouded tail rotor set inside the fin — the single clearest identifier.
- —A compact fuselage with retractable wheels and a sharply upswept tailboom.
- —Coast Guard aircraft wear white with an orange stripe; tail numbers begin 65.
Common questions
+ What is a fenestron?
A tail rotor enclosed within a duct in the fin rather than mounted in the open. It is quieter, safer around people on the ground, and characteristic of the Dauphin family.
+ Is the MH-65 the same as an AS365 Dauphin?
Yes, with American engines and mission equipment. The Coast Guard fleet has been re-engined and re-avionicked several times; the current standard is the MH-65E.
+ Why are almost all of these American?
Because the US Coast Guard is by far the largest operator of the type in a role that keeps them flying daily. Civil and other military Dauphins exist but appear on this feed much less often.