Keeping Them Flying And Effective

New helicopters, to maintain effectiveness, need a planned upgrade path - something that the Royal Australian Navy is addressing early. Older aircraft may swap owners, or get a new lease of life where none seemed to exist.

- Andrew Drwiega

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has now found a helicopter in the Sikorsky MH-60 Romeo that it is not only happy with, but wishes to ensure the capability is kept in step with the US Navy and is therefore taking measures for the fleet to be continually upgraded over the next decade.

On 31 August the US State Department’s Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the confirmation of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) upgrade programme for the RAN’s 24 MH60Rs at an estimated cost of $360 million.

The RAN’s 725 Squadron based at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, New South Wales, is the training unit flying eleven of the MH-60Rs, while operational flying is the responsibility of 816 Squadron whose 17 aircraft primarily operate from the RAN’s Adelaide and Anzac class frigates in the anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW) role. The helicopter’s weapons systems include Raytheon Mk.54 Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo and Lockheed-Martin AGM-114N Hellfire airto-ground missile.

The Australian Government acquired the MH-60R under the $2.34 billion Air 9000 Phase 8 programme with the intent that it be as close to US Navy MH-60Rs as such an FMS contract would allow. Aircrew and maintainers were sent to the US Navy training base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville in Florida for their conversion to type training. The RAN had operated the older Sikorsky S-70B-2 until its newer replacement arrived.

The wide ranging upgrades cover operational capability as well as any advances made to the training regime. This includes Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) for both the aircraft and associated training devices, classified software upgrades for Joint Mission Planning Systems (JMPS/MDLs), engineering and technical assistance (ETA/LTA) as well as other supply and logistical support.

Old to New - Part One