'All-Purpose Submarine Killer' Seahawk Takes to the Seas as Navy MH-60R Enters Full Operational Service

[The Financial News] The latest MH-60R Seahawk maritime operation helicopter, expected to transform the landscape of naval operations to defend South Korea’s territorial waters, has officially joined the Navy’s fleet.
The Seahawk, which features a high-performance radar, a digital cockpit, and powerful armaments, will serve as the eyes, ears, and sharp spear of Navy warships. It can detect and strike enemy submarines from long range.
According to the Navy on the 1st, a handover ceremony for the new Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk maritime operation helicopter was held that day at Commander, Helicopter Maritime Air Group Six Two (AIRGRU 62, HMAG 62) in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province.
The ceremony, presided over by Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy (CNO) Kim Kyung-ryul, was attended by key Navy commanders and personnel from the Jinhae area, officials from the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS), and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), as well as MH-60R acceptance pilots and crew members, totaling around 100 participants.
Following the ceremony, CNO Kim held a calligraphy event to wish for the safe flight of the MH-60R. He then ordered the first sortie for operational deployment, and Major Jeon Young-chae, the pilot, pledged, "I will flawlessly carry out the mission entrusted to us to safeguard the Republic of Korea’s maritime domain."
Commander of Naval Air Forces Cho Young-sang stated, "The MH-60R is a proven aircraft that boasts the best performance among existing maritime operation helicopters," adding, "Based on its extended detection range and enhanced strike capability, we will more firmly defend the Republic of Korea’s maritime sovereignty."
Kang Sung-kwon, Director General for Aircraft Programs, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, also remarked, "I hope that the maritime operation helicopters introduced today will make the seas of the Republic of Korea safer and serve as a foundation for further advancing our Navy’s aviation operational capabilities."
In December 2020, South Korea signed a purchase contract with the United States federal government to acquire a total of 12 MH-60R helicopters through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The Navy plans to deploy the first two units, which have completed force integration, into operations ahead of the others and then sequentially bring the remaining aircraft into full operational service.
The MH-60R Seahawk can conduct anti-submarine warfare over an expanded area by using acoustic equipment such as dipping sonar and sonobuoys, leveraging its improved flight performance. It is capable of employing the AGM-114 Hellfire missile for anti-ship missions and the Mark 54 lightweight torpedo, and system integration is underway so it can also carry the indigenous K745 Blue Shark lightweight torpedo.
The Seahawk, embarked on warships, can perform a wide range of missions, including maritime patrol, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue, thanks to its advanced sensors and weapons. With auxiliary fuel tanks installed, it can remain airborne for up to four hours, and it is equipped with high-performance surveillance and reconnaissance systems such as an all-weather maritime radar and digital electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors, as well as electronic warfare equipment including an electronic support measures (ESM) suite.
wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yoon Reporter