A MH-60R 'Romeo' Maritime Combat Helicopter, NUSQN 725, loaded with a Mk 54 torpedo during a firing serial in Florida, United States of America. *** Local Caption *** In only seven months of operating MH-60R 'Romeo' Maritime Combat Helicopter, NUSQN 725 has achieved successful Mk 54 torpedo firing during the current deployment to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre (AUTEC).
In the Royal Australian Navy first, a total of three Mk 54 torpedos were employed against dynamic targets provided by the United States Navy staff at the AUTEC range.
The U.S. State Department has given the go-ahead for Greece to purchase seven Sikorsky [LMT] MH-60R Seahawk helicopters under a $600 million foreign military sale.
“The proposed sale will improve Greece's capability to meet current and future threats,” according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement of the approved sale issued July 12. “The MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter will provide the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay. Greece will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces.”
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Aside from the seven helicopters, the sale would include 10 APS-l 53 multimode radars, 18 T700 GE-401 C engines, airborne low frequency systems, multi-spectral targeting systems, embedded GPS/inertial navigation systems and 1,000 AN/SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys for submarine detection.
Greece is also approved to buy two AGM-114 captive air training missiles, four AGM-114Q Hellfire training missiles, 100 advanced precision kill weapons system rockets, 30 MK 54 torpedoes, a dozen M-2400 crew-served guns and twelve GAU-21 crew-served guns.
“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally, which is an important partner for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” DSCA said. “The MH-60R helicopters will bolster the Hellenic Navy’s ability to support NATO and remain interoperable with the U.S. and the NATO alliance.”
The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, which owns MH-60 manufacturer Sikorsky, in Owego, N.Y. Implementation of the proposed sale will require the assignment of five additional U.S. government personnel and five contractor representatives to Greece.