Lockheed Martin has received a contract from the US Navy to build eight MH-60R SEAHAWK helicopters for the Spanish Navy. Pictured: a US Navy MH-60R aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has received a contract from the U.S. Navy to produce eight Sikorsky MH-60R SEAHAWK helicopters for the Spanish Navy (Armada). Designed, built and integrated with advanced mission systems and sensors for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, the Armada’s future MH-60R aircraft will significantly upgrade and expand the range of maritime capabilities currently performed by its current fleet of SH-60B SEAHAWKs. Sikorsky is a Lockheed Martin company.
“The operational effectiveness of the MH-60R multi-mission helicopter is a direct result of the continued investment by the U.S. Navy, Sikorsky and our supplier partners in air vehicles, mission systems and sensors,” said Hamid Salim, vice president of Sikorsky Maritime Systems.
The Navy decommissioned the last of its 18 Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters in 2022, following deliveries that began in 1966. From 1988 to 2001, the Navy acquired 12 SH-60B aircraft and, more recently, bought eight SH-60F SEAHAWK helicopters retired by the US Navy.
“The new MH-60R will upgrade the SH-60B fleet’s mission systems and sensors, bringing the Navy to the highest level of anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability,” said the Navy. “We expect a smooth transition from the SH-60B to the MH-60R.”
Spain’s eight new MH-60R aircraft will join a fleet of 330 operational units worldwide with the US Navy, Australia, Denmark, Saudi Arabia and India. Aircraft deliveries to Greece and South Korea will begin in 2024. In May, the US Navy announced that the global fleet of MH-60Rs had exceeded 1 million flight hours.
“Spain’s confidence in the MH-60R is a testament to our shared commitment to national security and the security of our allied nations,” said Captain William Hargreaves, manager of the H-60 multi-mission helicopter program. “We are committed to supporting Spain throughout this process, from contract award to delivery, further solidifying our global partnership. The increased capabilities and new technologies of the MH-60R Seahawk as they transition from the SH-60B aircraft will allow the Spanish Navy to remain a ready, capable and equipped fleet.