The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] Sikorsky a $905 million contract for 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to the U.S. Navy and India via Foreign Military Sales.
The contract is divided into three helicopters for the U.S. Navy and 21 for India.
Last year, the State Department approved a potential $2.6 billion FMS to India for 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters (Defense Daily, April 2, 2019).
At the time, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the helicopters would allow India to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. Secondary missions include vertical replenishment, search and rescues, and communications relay.
The approved sale also included multimode radars, General Electric [GE] T700-401C engines, dozens of multi-spectral targeting systems and embedded GPS/inertial navigation systems, 1,000 anti-submarine sonobuoys, 10 Hellfire missiles, 38 advanced precision kill weapons system rockets, 30 MK 54 torpedoes, and a single legacy Navy MH-60B/R excess defense article aircraft, among other equipment.
The contract announcement said work will be split between Owego, N.Y. (52 percent); Stratford, Conn. (40percent); and Troy, Ala. (eight percent). It is expected to be finished by September 2024.
At the time of award the Navy obligated $113 million in fiscal year 2020 Navy aircraft procurement while $792 million in FMS is obligated, with none expiring at the end of this fiscal year.
“India’s selection of the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopter provides the Indian Navy with the most advanced anti-surface/anti-submarine warfare helicopter in operation today. The MH-60R offers the lowest risk and best value option because the aircraft is already in full production and globally supportable,” Tom Kane, director of Sikorsky Naval Helicopter Programs, said in a statement.
“The MH-60R provides a vital capability in the Indo-Pacific region and equips the Indian Navy with a tremendous capability that is ready for operations immediately upon delivery. We thank the government of India for its confidence in Sikorsky and look forward to supporting our partners in the Indian armed forces over the next 30 years,” he added.