International sales may not support seahawk production past 2018.

AuthorParsons, Dan

(*) The MH-60 Seahawk has proven to be the most versatile helicopter the Navy has in its rotorcraft fleet, performing a wide range of missions in both combat and support roles.

Based on the utilitarian design of the UH-60 Black Hawk, the Seahawk can fly recue missions, provide airlift and aerialresupply or serve as a communicadons relay. The larger, more specialized MH-60R variant is designed to detect and engage both enemy submarines and surface vessels.

Together the two aircraft can perform missions diat, previous to their deployment, would have taken a fleet of aircraft, which has made diem all the more attractive to a budget-conscious Navy and allies, said an aerospace industry expert.

The Navy's order of about 300 Romeo-model anti-submarine warfare Seahawks is a few years from being filled. The platform's usefulness likely will protect its funding through final deliveries in 2018, said Richard Aboulafia, vice president ofanalysis at the Washington, D.G-based Teal Group.

The aircraft has gained popularity among U.S. allies worldwide and is perfectly suited to operations in the Asia-Pacific region. However, foreign military sales likely will not support current production levels once the Navy's needs are filled, Aboulafia said.

"Right now things look really great for the MH-60R," he said. "The only concern is the programs of record for the navalvariant are coming to an end in the next seven to eight years.''

Manufacturers are hoping international demand for a general- purpose maritime rotorcraft can make up the production slack once die Navy's fleet is delivered, but diat market is inconsistent at best, he said.

The Seahawk is an all-around workhorse naval helicopter capable of detection and interdiction of enemy ships and submarines. It can also perform maritime search-and-rescue missions, aerial resupply, medical evacuation, fleet support and act as a communication relay between forces.

With more than 100 delivered already, die MH-60R is on the way to fulfilling the Navy's plan to replace its aging fleetof rotary aircraft by 2018, Aboulafia wrote in a 2013 report on MH-60 production. The Romeo model, manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft and equipped with mission systems and sensors by Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, is specifically outfitted to perform anti-submarine warfare in both littoral water and the open ocean.

The aircraft can also engage surface ships by itself or in concert with die MH-60S, called the "Sierra."

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