13 February 2019

Greece looks to procure MH-60R maritime helo

by Gareth Jennings

Greece is considering the procurement of the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk maritime multimission helicopter to augment and replace current platforms, the country’s government announced on 12 February.

The Hellenic Navy is considering the procurement of four MH-60R maritime helicopters to augment and replace current types. (US Navy)

The Hellenic Navy is looking at acquiring four MH-60Rs to augment its 11 Sikorsky S-70B-6 Aegean Hawk helicopters and replace seven Agusta-Bell AB-212 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters that are still in service but reaching their retirement date.

The helicopters would be bought from the United States under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, and are being sought as part of a wider procurement approved in early January by the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Council of Chiefs of the General Staff (SAGE) that also includes the acquisition of new heavyweight torpedoes. The procurement has first to be signed-off by the Defence Council and the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence before a contract can be signed.

The MH-60R is equipped with the Thales/Raytheon AQS-22 Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar (ALFS) and previous FMS of the type have included torpedoes, 12.7 mm GAU-21 (M3M) and 7.62 mm M240 (FN MAG) machine guns, AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and 70 mm rockets that have been upgraded with BAE’s Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser guidance kit.

As noted by Jane’sWorld Navies , the Hellenic Navy Aviation Command consists of a Helicopter Command administered directly by the Hellenic Navy Fleet Command Headquarters in Salamis. Bell AB-212 and S-70 Aegean Hawk helicopters operate from and are maintained at Marathon Kotroni Air Base in type squadrons.

Greece is considering the procurement of the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk maritime multimission he...

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