Lockheed Martin Integrates Advanced Mission Systems In Sikorsky
Seahawk
The 50th MH-60R helicopter, fully equipped for its mission to
protect the U.S. Navy fleet from hostile submarines and surface
ships, has been formally delivered to the U.S. Navy by Lockheed
Martin.

File Photo
The newest member of the Seahawk family of maritime helicopters
is designed and manufactured by Sikorsky, with advanced mission
systems integration by Lockheed Martin.
"I am extremely proud of the MH-60R team, which has enabled this
important milestone in the Romeo's continued introduction to the
fleet," said Rear Adm. Steve Eastburg, Program Executive Officer
Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission programs. "The enormous
multimission capability of this platform continues to be leveraged
by the warfighter in new and innovative ways. It is truly a
game-changing platform that will deliver powerful capabilities,
ranging from low-end to high-end warfare, in the years ahead."
During the February 3 delivery ceremony at Lockheed Martin's
Mission Systems & Sensors facility in Owego, NY, Rear Adm. Paul
Grosklags, vice commander, Naval Air Systems Command thanked
Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky employees and other key suppliers for
their contributions to this important program.
File Photo
"The MH-60R has evolved over 30 years, through lessons learned
during developmental testing, fleet deployments and maintenance on
these rugged airframes and mission systems, in the harshest
maritime environments," said Grosklags. "It stands now as the
premier multimission helicopter in operation today. The U.S. Navy
is grateful for the tremendous teamwork and experience you bring to
deliver this remarkable weapon system."
An aircrew from Helicopter Maritime
Strike Squadron Seven Zero (HSM-70) will fly the 50th aircraft from
the Owego, NY, facility to its new home at the Naval Air Station in
Jacksonville, FL. The aircraft is the 10th MH-60R delivered to
HSM-70, which was established in February 2009.
HSM-70 will deploy with 11 MH-60R aircraft aboard the USS George
H.W. Bush carrier strike group (CVN 77) in 2011. To date, the U.S.
Navy has established and equipped four MH-60R squadrons, with plans
to fill out 16 more through the purchase of 300 aircraft.
"The 50th delivery is a great opportunity to reflect on the
success of the MH-60R within the fleet, to look forward to the
expansion of the MH-60R throughout the helicopter community and to
recognize the organizations that have brought this tremendous
capability to the Navy," said Captain Dean Peters, the U.S. Navy's
MH-60 program manager. "Today, these highly integrated platforms
are building a situational awareness picture of the surface and
undersea domains that is proving invaluable to fleet
operators."
As mission systems integrator for
the Sikorsky-built MH-60R, Lockheed Martin is responsible for
integrating the helicopter's digital cockpit, a multi-mode radar,
acoustic sonar suite, long-range infrared camera and other advanced
sensors to detect, identify, track and engage surface and
subsurface targets. Lockheed Martin also integrates a self defense
system to protect the aircraft from missile threats.
"The highly integrated nature of the Common Cockpit avionics
suite and the mission systems allows the aircrew to spend less time
interpreting data and more time prosecuting the target," said
George Barton, Lockheed Martin's director of Naval Helicopter
Programs.
The companies expect to deliver up to 27 fully-missionized
MH-60R aircraft in calendar year 2010 to the U.S. Navy as part of a
five-year contract for 139 MH-60R aircraft through 2013. Extra
production capacity exists to deliver an additional 20 aircraft
each year for sale by the U.S. Government to international
navies.
The U.S. Navy deployed with 11 MH-60R aircraft for the first
time from January to July 2009 with the USS John C. Stennis (CVN
74) carrier strike group. During exercises in the western Pacific,
the MH-60R proved to be an exceptional sub hunter and surface
warfare weapons platform, accomplishing a 95 percent sortie
completion rate, and showing it can perform utility and search and
rescue missions among other secondary missions.