Finger Gives Navy New Bird

Sikorsky Aircraft celebrated the first customer delivery of its new MH-60R submarine hunter and surface attack helicopter Friday, in a ceremony held at the company's Stratford (CT) facility. Attending the ceremony were Steve Finger, President of Sikorsky Aircraft, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Air Programs, William Balderson.

"The MH-60R represents the best, most capable multi-mission Naval helicopter in the world," said Finger. "We are proud that this aircraft, and its sister ship the MH-60 Sierra, together represent the foundation for the Navy's future multi-mission helicopter fleet."

The Sierra is the Naval strike group version of the platform, introduced in December 2004. It will also be utilized for search-and-rescue operations.

The MH-60R first took to the skies late last month, flying a total of 1.5 hours and performing the entire flight acceptance profile. Flight control checks, vibration measurements, and engine power checks were completed without incident.

The MH-60R and MH-60 Sierra will replace the U.S. Navy's fleet of SH-60 and HH-60 Seahawk helicopters. The Navy is expected to order as many as 254 MH-60Rs through 2015.

The aircraft will next be flown to Owego (NY) to have its mission equipment package installed by Lockheed Martin.

FMI: www.sikorsky.com, www.navy.com