Fully Integrated For Anti-Sub And Surface Warfare Missions
Last week, Lockheed Martin delivered the first new-production
MH-60R helicopter fully integrated for its anti-submarine and
surface warfare missions to the US Navy.
"More than 30 years after we first teamed with the Navy and
Sikorsky to develop the LAMPS anti-submarine helicopter, Lockheed
Martin today is honored to deliver the next-generation MH-60R
weapons system," said Jeff Bantle, vice president and general
manager of Multi-Mission Solutions for Lockheed Martin Systems
Integration - Owego. "The sophisticated airborne sensors and
electronics we have integrated and installed on board this first
new-production MH-60R will provide the Navy with unparalleled
surveillance capability of the waters around the fleet, and the
ability to hunt enemy submarines and surface vessels."
Navy representatives attending the ceremony included: Rear Adm.
William Shannon, past manager of the Multi-Mission Helicopter
Program; Capt. Paul Grosklags, current manager of the Naval Air
Systems Command's Multi-mission Helicopter Program Office
(PMA-299); and Capt. Curt Chesnutt, commander, U. S. Pacific Fleet
Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing. The wing took possession of the
new aircraft during the delivery ceremony.
"Delivery of this helicopter fulfills the Navy's Master
Helicopter Plan to reduce six helicopter types to two multi-mission
aircraft, the MH-60S and now the MH-60R," said Capt. Grosklags.
"The all-new airframe and integrated mission systems will give our
pilots, aircrew and battle group commanders a tremendous new
weapons system against emerging sub-surface and surface threats in
both the shallow littoral and open ocean environments."
As the Navy's next generation submarine hunter and surface
attack helicopter, the MH-60R will replace the fleet's legacy
SH-60B and SH-60F aircraft, which currently share the roles. The
MH-60R successfully completed Technical Evaluation in early 2005
and the Navy's five-month Operational Evaluation in the fall of
2005. The Navy is expected to order as many as 254 aircraft through
2015, with production quantities as high as 30 aircraft per
year.
The term
"new-production" refers to the all-new manufactured MH-60R
airframe. Seven MH-60R aircraft, including four aircraft delivered
to the Pacific Fleet's HSM-41 training squadron in December 2005,
are remanufactured SH-60B airframes integrated with the
next-generation mission systems.
Lockheed Martin is the mission systems integrator for the
Sikorsky MH-60R, and also provides the digital Common Cockpit(TM)
avionics suite, which is common to all MH-60R and MH-60S
helicopters.