Australia courts Romeo after divorcing Taipan
Australia is set to receive an additional dozen MH-60R naval helicopters from the US. (Gordon Arthur)
Australia is expanding its fleet of naval helicopters, consolidating upon the MH-60R as its platform of choice.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) plans to expand its inventory of Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters, as revealed by a notification published by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 8 October.
Australia is seeking 12 additional Romeos plus associated equipment and training via the Foreign Military Sales route for an overall price tag of $985 million.
The RAN already has 24 MH-60R Seahawks (the last delivered in September 2016), so this represents a 50% increase in fleet size. Existing Seahawks are operated by No. 725 and No. 816 Squadrons at HMAS Albatross near Nowra.
As the navy will be gaining
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