At Euronaval Online, the digital edition of Euronaval 2020, the International naval defense and maritime security industry exhibition, American company Lockheed Martin displays on its virtual booth the MH-60R Seahawk, the world's most advanced maritime helicopter.
U.S. sailors assigned to the flight deck crew aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) hook up a mock cargo load for a vertical replenishment with an MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to the "Saberhawks" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77. (Picture source U.S. Navy)
Operational and deployed today with the U.S. Navy as the primary anti-submarine warfare anti-surface weapon system for open ocean and littoral zones, the MH-60R SEAHAWK® helicopter is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter. It is the most capable naval helicopter available today designed to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers.
The MH-60R is known as “the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter with more than 300 of them operating worldwide. In February 2020, India became the latest country to add 24 MH-60Rs to its fleet. They join fellow navies from the United States, Denmark, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.
The Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission helicopter based on the UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modifications are the folding main rotor and a hinged tail to reduce its footprint aboard ships.
The MH-60 is used by naval forces in two configurations including the MH-60R and the MH-60S. The MH-60 can be deployed aboard any air-capable frigate, destroyer, cruiser, fast combat support ship, amphibious assault ship, Littoral combat ship, or aircraft carrier. It can conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search-and-rescue (SAR), naval gunfire support (NGFS), surveillance, communications relay, logistics support and personnel transfer, and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) missions.
The avionics of MH-60R includes dual controls and instead of the complex array of dials and gauges in Bravo and Foxtrot aircraft, 4 fully integrated 8" x 10" night vision goggle-compatible and sunlight-readable color multi-function displays, all part of glass cockpit produced by Owego Helo Systems division of Lockheed Martin.
Onboard sensors include: AN/AAR-47 Missile Approach Warning System by ATK,[18]Raytheon AN/AAS-44 electro-optical system that integrates FLIR and laser rangefinder, AN/ALE-39 decoy dispenser and AN/ALQ-144 infrared jammer by BAE Systems, AN/ALQ-210 electronic support measures system by Lockheed Martin, AN/APS-147 multi-mode radar/IFF interrogator, which during a mid-life technology insertion project is subsequently replaced by AN/APS-153 Multi-Mode Radar with Automatic Radar Periscope Detection and Discrimination (ARPDD) capability, and both radars were developed by Telephonics, a more advanced AN/AQS-22 advanced airborne low-frequency sonar (ALFS) jointly developed by Raytheon & Thales, AN/ARC-210 voice radio by Rockwell Collins, an advanced airborne fleet data link AN/SRQ-4 Hawklink with radio terminal set AN/ARQ-59 radio terminal, both by L3Harris, and LN-100G dual-embedded global positioning system and inertial navigation system by Northrop Grumman Litton division.
The MH-60R can be armed can be equipped with a range of weapons on the four weapons stations, including Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire anti-surface missiles. For anti-submarine warfare, the MH-60R can carry up to three ATK mk50 or mk46 active/passive lightweight torpedoes. The side of the helicopter can be fitted with a pintle-mounted weapon station armed with a 7.62mm machine gun.
The MH-60R is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines rated at 1,425kW. It can fly at a maximum speed of 267 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 834 km.
