The U.S. Navy delivered the first three of nine Lockheed Martin [LMT] MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Denmark’s unified armed forces at a ceremony on June 6 in Copenhagen Harbor, the company said Wednesday.
The ceremony started with a Seahawk landing aboard a Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate and was attended by Denmark Crown Prince Frederik, Danish defense officials, the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, the Danish Minister of Defense, members of the Danish Parliament, officials from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and executives from manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
“The delivery of these first three of nine MH-60R helicopters to Denmark is a great team accomplishment between our two governments and our industry partners,” Captain Craig Grubb, U.S. Navy program manager of H-60 Multi-Mission Helicopters with NAVAIR, said in a statement.
“The aircraft have immediately entered service in Denmark, and we look forward to operating, sustaining and advancing the MH-60R with Denmark for decades to come,” he added.
These are the first Seahawks in Europe and will be stationed at Air Squadron 723 at Karup Air Base, Denmark. The helicopters’ main missions will be maritime surveillance, anti-surface warfare, force protection, and utility transport operations, including support to NATO anti-piracy operations, Lockheed Martin said.
In the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, the Danish MH-60Rs are also planned to provide support to austere regions, patrol territorial boundaries and fisheries, and perform search and rescue missions.
Denmark first signed a Letter of Agreement to procure nine of the rotorcraft through the U.S. Foreign military Sales (FMS) program in 2012. The Seahawks are meant to replace Denmark’s fleet of British Lynch helicopters. The final MH-60R is expected to be delivered in 2018.