The last US Navy Sea
King helicopter to be delivered was received by Naval Air Systems
Command (NAVAIR) team lead Bob Kelly, H-3 Sea King deputy program
manager, in early November, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The helicopter, a search and rescue variant, will be based at
Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
“I’m honored to be here on behalf of NAVAIR and the
Sea King program,” Kelly said.
“IMP Aerospace did an outstanding job in refurbishing not
only this Sea King, but also the other 24 Sea Kings refurbished
under this contract. The helicopter delivered today is virtually
brand new, which is quite a challenge considering how long
it’s been in service. When it comes to top quality
craftsmanship, the artisans at IMP Aerospace have made a name for
yourselves as the experts when it comes to the Sea King, and the
U.S. Navy recognizes that,” Kelly said.
The newly delivered Sea King is the last of four Sea Kings
assigned to Patuxent River. All four of the helicopters went
through the same extensive maintenance and upgrade program at IMP
Aerospace in Halifax. After refurbishment, the Sea Kings can be
flown for an additional 2,000 flight hours, or approximately six
more years of use.
”This is the last of the U.S. Navy Sea Kings, and we are
very proud to be a part of the team that delivered 25 of these
aircraft. We hope this Sea King flies well and that the Navy has
much success with it,” said Bart Konings, senior director,
U.S. Navy Programs, IMP Aerospace. “This is a milestone in
the program that we have with the U.S. Navy. Besides delivering
these 25 aircraft, the opportunity exists to work on more Sea Kings
from other U.S. Navy foreign customers.”
The four Patuxent River Sea Kings will provide search and rescue
(SAR) support to a number of flight test programs, including the
Joint Strike Fighter, the V-22, and the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, as
well as providing search and rescue support for the local
community.
“The fleet comments that we’ve received after each
U.S. Navy Sea King delivery have always indicated they have been
very impressed with IMP’s work,” said Todd Caldwell,
H-3 Sea King assistant program manager for logistics. “The
U.S. Navy Team and IMP Aerospace have truly worked as one team to
deliver a top quality product to the fleet, and for that, the U.S.
Navy is very grateful. In addition, we’d like to thank
everyone at IMP Aerospace for the outstanding support that you have
provided on a number of occasions to support the fleet - in many
cases, on very short notice,” Caldwell said.
In November 1999, IMP Aerospace was awarded a major contract by
the U.S. Navy for Standard Depot Level Maintenance (SDLM) of its
H-3 Sea King fleet. This multi-year contract called for the
overhaul, repair, engineering and flight line support services for
the Navy's fleet of 60 H-3 helicopters, as well as similar services
for other Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Sea King customers.
The Sikorsky H-3 Sea King helicopter has been in service with
different military services and civilian operators around the world
for more than 40 years. U.S. Navy Sea Kings are being retired and
replaced by the H-60 Sea Hawk helicopter.
The U.S. Navy is scheduled to fly the Sea King up to and beyond
fiscal year 2010. [ANN Salutes Rob Koon, Naval Air Systems Command
Public Affairs]