U.S. State Department approves sale of 24 MH-60R helicopters to India for anti-submarine warfare (ASW)

WASHINGTON – The U.S. State Department has cleared a possible sale of 24 Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multirole maritime helicopters to India for an estimated cost of $2.6 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a statement this week. The Diplomat reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

5 April -- The deal is still subject to congressional approval before final contract negotiations between the United States and India can begin and the price as well as the quantity of military helicopters to be delivered may change prior to the inking of the final sales contract.

Notably, India has walked away from defense deals in the past as, for example when it recently abandoned plans to procure 16 U.S.-made Sikorsky S-70B-x helicopters, although the purchase had already been cleared in 2014 by India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC).

The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter potential sale would also include 30 APS-153(V) Multi-Mode radars, 60 T700-GE-401C engines, 24 Airborne Low Frequency System (ALFS), 1000 AN/SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys; 30 MK 54 torpedoes; 10 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles; 38 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) rockets; 70 AN/AVS-9 Night Vision Devices, next to other equipment and parts.

Related: Navy to increase realism in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) flight simulators for P-8A and MH-60R

Related: Navy continues project to install submarine-hunting radar aboard MH-60R helicopter fleet

Related: Lockheed Martin to upgrade Navy MH-60R helicopter fleet with submarine-hunting radar system

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

Ready to make a purchase? Search the Military & Aerospace Electronics Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos