The US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted Lockheed Martin to produce MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for the Indian Navy and the US Navy.
The deal – worth US$904.8m – was announced on May 14 and covers the production and delivery of 21 MH-60 ‘Romeo’ helicopter for India, along with three examples for use by the US Navy – which is transferring three new-build Seahawks to its Indian counterpart to allow for an early commencement of training.
![MH-60R Seahawk [Lockheed Martin]](/sites/keyaero/files/inline-images/Sikorsky%20MH-60R%20Seahawk%20%5BLockheed%20Martin%5D%20%231.jpg)
Contracting work is scheduled to be complete by September 2024, with Sikorsky – a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin – performing the work at its facilities in Owego, New York; Stratford, Connecticut; and Troy, Alabama. The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, is leading the contracting effort.
India has ordered a total of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters through the US’ Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The deal includes 30 Telephonics AN/APS-153(V) multi-mode maritime radars, 60 GE Aviation T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines and 30 Raytheon AN/AAS-44C Infrared Laser Detecting-Ranging-Tracking Set multi-purpose thermal imaging sensors. It also includes ten AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 1,000 AN/SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys, 38 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) rockets and 30 Mk54 lightweight torpedoes.
