US MH-60R makes first landing on littoral ship

The sun provided the light, a U.S. Navy photographer manned the camera and two Lockheed Martin programs provided the action during recent training operations in the Pacific Ocean.

A U.S. Navy MH-60R helicopter assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 conducted Deck Landing Qualifications on June 7, landing on the flight deck of the USS Freedom, the nation’s first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The MH-60R multi-purpose helicopter, also known as the Romeo, provides the Navy with the latest anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capabilities.  The centerpiece for the Navy’s 21st-century helicopter master plan, the MH-60R is the world's only advanced ASW/ASuW weapon system operational today with fully certified capability and more than 50,000 flight hours to date.

As mission systems integrator for the MH-60R, Lockheed Martin is responsible for integrating the helicopter’s digital cockpit, multi-mode radar, acoustic sonar suite, long-range infrared camera and other advanced sensors. Sikorsky Aircraft designs and manufactures the MH-60R.

A Lockheed Martin-led industry team designed and constructed Freedom (LCS 1), which was delivered to the Navy in 2008 and successfully completed its first deployment in 2010, two years ahead of schedule.

Late last year, the Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin-led LCS team a fixed-price-incentive-fee contract to construct up to 10 ships. Work on LCS 3, the Fort Worth, is more than 87 percent complete and was christened and launched in December 2010 – a milestone reached just 20 months after contract award. The ship remains on schedule and on budget for delivery to the Navy in 2012.

Source: Lockheed Martin

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