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
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 1 free story per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
- Free magazine subscription to all our titles
- Downloadable equipment data handbooks
- Distribution rights (Corporate only)
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
- 10-year news archive access
- Downloadable equipment data handbooks
- Distribution rights (Corporate only)
More from Air Warfare
-
![Australian Army awards Skylark contract for SUAS+]()
Australian Army awards Skylark contract for SUAS+
Elbit Systems is a beneficiary of an Australian SUAS+ contract, which the ADF will use to support civilian operations for disaster and humanitarian relief.
-
![MQ-9B Reapers are still on the cards for India’s navy]()
MQ-9B Reapers are still on the cards for India’s navy
It is taking a long time to come to fruition, but India still wants to buy MQ-9B Reapers from the US.
-
![Brunei orders Airbus military transport aircraft]()
Brunei orders Airbus military transport aircraft
Brunei has joined the list of international customers for the C295 tactical transport aircraft.
-
![Northrop Grumman and US Air Force unveil B-21 stealth bomber]()
Northrop Grumman and US Air Force unveil B-21 stealth bomber
The B-21 Raider sixth-generation stealth bomber will form the backbone of future USAF air power, and it is set to deliver capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons.
