More Than 20 Advanced MH-60R Seahawk Maritime Operational Helicopters to Be Procured

[Financial News] More than 20 advanced MH-60R Seahawk maritime operational helicopters will be additionally procured by 2032. The Seahawk is an advanced maritime operational helicopter capable of detecting and attacking submarines and surface vessels.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on the 15th that the 178th Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee had been held and had approved two agenda items, including the model selection plan for Maritime Operational Helicopter-II and a revised basic strategy for the vertical-takeoff-and-landing reconnaissance unmanned aircraft project.
The Maritime Operational Helicopter-II project aims to acquire, through Foreign Military Sales (FMS), replacement aircraft for the aging Lynx maritime operational helicopters deployed aboard Navy vessels, including destroyers and frigates.
At the committee meeting, the purchase of the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk from Lockheed Martin was finalized based on the results of the procurement test and evaluation and negotiations. The project will run from 2025 to 2032, with a total budget of 3.24 trillion won.
The MH-60R Seahawk performs a range of missions at sea, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search and rescue, using detection equipment and weapons. It has a maximum weight of 10.2 tons, a length of 16.18 meters, a width of 4.37 meters, and a height of 5.18 meters. Its maximum speed is 180 knots, or 333 kilometers per hour.
Compared with the existing Lynx helicopters, it is considered superior in anti-submarine and anti-ship operations, with longer endurance and enhanced weapons employment and underwater and surface target detection capabilities.
DAPA also announced that the committee had approved the basic strategy for the vertical-takeoff-and-landing reconnaissance unmanned aircraft project. The project will run from 2027 to 2036, with a total budget of approximately 2.16 trillion won.

[email protected] Lee Jong-yoon Reporter