Scott Nicholas
Lockheed Martin has turned over Australia’s final MH-60R “Romeo” Seahawk multimission helicopter to the U.S. Navy during a ceremony held Wednesday at a company facility in Owego, New York.
The company built a total of 24 Seahawks for the Australian navy under the foreign military sales program to replace the service branch’s fleet of S-70B-2 helicopters, Lockheed said Thursday.
“From aircraft delivery to training and long-term sustainment, we are honored to support the Australian defense force and ensure that the Romeo maintains superior capability and performance throughout its life,” said Tom Kane, Lockheed director of naval helicopter programs.
Australia received its first MH-60R in 2014 and commissioned the MH-60R helicopter training 725 Squadron in Nowra, New South Wales in June last year.
The Seahawk is designed to support anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions as well as search-and-rescue, vertical replenishment, naval surface fire support, logistics support, personnel transport, medical evacuation and communication relay operations.
