First MH-60R Seahawk Helicopter Delivered to Royal Saudi Navy.

Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin company) delivered the first MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopter for the Royal Saudi Navy (RSN) during a ceremony in Owego (New York) on September 13, 2018.

The first multi-purpose maritime helicopter Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) MH-60R Seahawk transferred to the Royal Saudi Navy in Owego (New York) on 09/13/2018. Lockheed Martin picture.

Saudi Arabia has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for the purchase of 10 MH-60R helicopters at the end of 2015. The cost of the agreement is 1.9 billion dollars. The delivery of the first helicopter was set to be made by October 31, 2018. It is reported that all ten MH-60R helicopters for Saudi Arabia have already been manufactured.

The MH-60R helicopters in RSN service will be primarily delpoyed on the four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ordered for the Saudi fleet via the FMS. They are based on the US Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Freedom-class design. The agreement on the construction of four MMSCs was finalized by the parties in 2017, the commissioning of the Saudi fleet is expected in 2025-2028.

The Saudi MH-60R weapons package is likely to include guided missiles AGM-114 Hellfire; 70-mm guided rockets APKWS II and anti-submarine torpedoes Raytheon Mk 54 Lightweight Hybrid Torpedoes (LHT) caliber 324 mm.