The U.S. Navy accepted the first MH-60R helicopter slated for Denmark
from Lockheed Martin in a ceremony today at the Lockheed Martin facility
in Owego, New York. "We are excited to accept this aircraft bound
for Denmark," said Rear Adm. CJ Jaynes, program executive officer
for air anti-submarine warfare, assault and special mission programs,
which oversees the U.S. Navy's H-60 program office. " The Romeo
is the U.S. Navy's primary rotary anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare
platform in operation and we're proud to know these will be flying soon
with the Royal Danish Air Force -- our first Seahawks in Europe." |
Manufactured
by Sikorsky Aircraft and provided with advanced mission systems and
sensors by Lockheed Martin, the MH-60R is operational and deployed as
the primary U.S. Navy anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare system
for both open- ocean and littoral zones. In 2012, Denmark announced
it will acquire a total of nine MH-60R aircraft by 2018 to conduct missions
such as surveillance, search and rescue, anti-piracy and anti-surface
warfare.
"MH-60R helicopters host the complete package of sensors and systems
that address today's increasing threats," said Dan Spoor, Lockheed
Martin vice president of Aviation and Unmanned Systems. "We are
honored to extend our international partnership with the Royal Danish
Air Force to deliver these capabilities and the technology that will
protect our allies around the globe."
Prior to being delivered to the Royal Danish Air Force, these aircraft
will enter a series of testing to validate Danish configuration modifications.
The first aircraft will be delivered to Denmark in the second quarter
of 2016, and the full fleet will be delivered by 2018.
Denmark is the second international partner in the MH-60R program, following
the Royal Australian Navy. To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered a
total of 14 of 24 Australian aircraft ahead of schedule. The remaining
10 aircraft will be delivered in 2016. |
