Sikorsky Australia awarded AUD10 million sustainment contract expansion for RAN's MH-60R helicopters

Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) announced on 19 May that Sikorsky Australia had been selected by the US Navy (USN) to provide additional support to the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) fleet of 24 MH-60R Seahawk Romeo multimission helicopters.

Under a recently awarded AUD10 million (USD7.7 million) sustainment contract expansion, Sikorsky Australia, a Lockheed Martin company, “will deliver more sustainment support and maintenance” to the RAN’s MH-60R fleet at its maintenance, logistics and repair facility in Nowra, New South Wales, said the DoD in a statement.

Sikorsky Australia has been awarded a AUD10 million contract expansion to support the RAN’s MH-60R helicopters. (Commonwealth of Australia)

“This new contract recognises the increased skill and expertise of the Australian workforce as this would previously have been completed in the United States,” Australian defence minister Melissa Price was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that the increase in services provided by Sikorsky Australia will continue to boost the country’s defence industry and broaden the opportunities available to local companies to support the fleet.

No further details were provided about the contract.

The RAN acquired the MH-60Rs via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, with the first aircraft entering service in 2013.

According to Australia’s 2021–22 defence budget, released on 11 May, the MH-60R fleet is estimated to fly a combined 5,500 hours in 2021–22, increasing to 7,200 hours from 2022–23, as final operational capability is achieved by December 2023, when all eight Anzac-class frigates are modified for MH-60R-embarked operations.