 | Fleet Air Arm |
| Fleet Air Arm |
16 June 2011
The Fleet Air Arm will acquire 24 MH-60R Seahawk 'Romeo' naval combat helicopters at a cost of over $3 billion, to replace ageing Navy helicopters.
Making the announcement, Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said the 2009 Defence White Paper had committed the Government to equipping naval warships with a new combat helicopter capable of conducting a range of maritime missions with advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities and the ability to fire air-to-surface missiles.
The new helicopters will replace the Navy's current combat helicopter capability provided by 16 Seahawk S-70B-2 helicopters and will also provide the air to surface strike capability which was to have been provided by the cancelled Seasprite program.
The decision follows a 15-month competitive acquisition process involving the Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin built MH-60R and the NATO Helicopter Industries NH90 NFH assembled by Australian Aerospace.
The Ministers said the Australian Government had chosen the 'Romeo' helicopter because it represented the best value for money for taxpayers and was the lowest risk option. The 'Romeo' was a proven machine currently operated by the US Navy. The USN had accepted around 100 'Romeos' which had accumulated 90,000 flying hours, including on operational deployments.
Interoperability with Australia's alliance partner was also an advantage of this helicopter.
The helicopters are largely military off-the-shelf built by Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin and will be purchased through the Foreign Military Sales process from the US Navy.
Defence has signed a Letter of Agreement for the acquisition with the US Government. The first two helicopters will arrive in mid-2014 for testing and evaluation with operations expected to commence in mid-2015.
Acquisition of 24 'Romeos' means the Navy will have the capacity to provide at least eight warships with a combat helicopter at the same time, including Anzac Class frigates and the new air warfare destroyers. The remainder will be based at HMAS Albatross at Nowra, New South Wales, and will be in various stages of the regular maintenance and training cycle.
They will be equipped with a sophisticated combat systems designed to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missile and the Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedo.
The Ministers said the Government will work with Australian small-to-medium enterprises to identify opportunities to form part of the 'Romeo' global supply chain. It has also established a joint working group between Defence and the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research to progress Australian industry involvement in the project.
Return to News and Information page.