Fleet Air Arm
Association of Australia
New Combat Helicopters
Updated 29 April 2010
Invitations have been issued to the US Navy and Australian Aerospace to supply a new naval combat helicopter under the Defence Capability Plan's Project AIR 9000 Phase 8.
Under this project, Australia will acquire sufficient helicopters to provide at least eight helicopters concurrently embarked on RAN ships at sea, which under the recent Government White Paper requires a fleet of 24 helicopters.
As announced in February, the new helicopter will be either the Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin built MH-60R (pictured above) sourced through the US Navy, or the NATO Helicopter Industries NH90 NFH (pictured below) sourced through Australian Aerospace.
The Defence Minister, Senator Faulkner, said a final decision about the new helicopter was planned for 2011.
[To date, the US Navy has established and equipped four MH-60R squadrons, with plans to fill out 16 more through the purchase of 300 aircraft.
[In August 2004, the Defence Department selected a version of the European helicopter, the MRH 90, to meet the Australian Army requirement for 12 troop transport helicopters. A further 35 helicopters were ordered for the RAN in June 2006 for delivery by 2014. Initial operating capability (IOC) for the Navy is scheduled for 2010. The MRH90 will replace ageing Sea King helicopters.]
Senator Faulkner said a competition would be held between the two helicopter options which would be cost-capped by the Defence Materiel Organisation through the tender process.
"The new naval combat helicopter will enhance the RAN's ability to conduct a range of maritime operations. It will be capable of undertaking anti-submarine warfare and will be equipped with air-to-surface missiles," he said.
The new fleet would form the centerpiece of naval combat aviation to beyond 2040. They would greatly extend the eyes and ears of the Navy's surface fleet and allow combat and support operations in a complex and demanding maritime environment.
"They will replace the current fleet of Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters and fill an operational need left by the cancellation of the Seasprite project," Senator Faulkner said.
"This planned schedule will enable the new helicopters to be delivered from 2014.
"Any decision Government makes in 2011 will take into account all relevant considerations including capability, cost, interoperability with other ADF capabilities, Australian industry opportunities, risk and value for money," he said.
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