Sikorsky signs $313 million maintenance contract for Australian Navy MH-60Rs
The Royal Australian Navy has 23 MH-60R Seahawk aircraft in its fleet and expects the arrival of 12 more by 2036. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / USN Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Donavan K. Patub)
The extension of its partnership with the Royal Australian Navy comes as the latter is increasing its fleet size, anticipating 12 further aircraft to be delivered by 2036.
Sikorsky Australia has been awarded an AU$313.5 million (US$194 million) contract to continue sustaining the MH-60R Seahawk fleet for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The new sustainment contract will reportedly create more than 75 jobs and build on the existing workforce of 200 at Sikorsky’s maintenance and logistics support facility in Nowra, Australia. The company will also expand its regional supply chain by more than 50 percent to support growth and sustainment needs as the MH-60R fleet size increases.
With 23 aircraft currently in its fleet, the number of MH-60Rs operated by the RAN is expected to grow to 36 by 2026.
The Foreign Military Sale for 12 additional MH-60Rs was awarded by the US Navy to Lockheed Martin in 2022. These helicopters will form the RAN’s third MH-60R squadron.
The contract, according to Sikorsky, “further acknowledges” its capabilities as a regional sustainment hub, following the first ever deep maintenance conducted by Sikorsky Australia of a US Navy MH-60R Seahawk in 2023.
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand CEO Warren McDonald said: “The recent contract reinforces the enduring partnership between Sikorsky Australia and the Royal Australian Navy to successfully sustain the Seahawks, a world-class maritime platform that brings unparalleled anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities to Australia, the US Navy and navies across the globe.”
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