New Delhi: The India-US defence partnership took a decisive leap ahead this week as Washington confirmed that New Delhi has signed a serious sustainment package deal for the Indian Navy’s MH-60R ‘Seahawk’ helicopters, an settlement that each international locations say will change maritime operations within the Indian Ocean for years to return.
Officers within the Ministry of Defence have cleared a contract valued at Rs 7,995 crore (USD 946 million) to make sure long-term help for the Navy’s fleet of 24 MH-60R helicopters manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
The deal is designed not solely to maintain the plane flying at prime effectivity but additionally to raise the Navy’s operational readiness and strengthen the way in which Indian and American forces work collectively throughout the area.
The US State Division highlighted the importance of the settlement in a submit on X. “Nice information in our defence relationship with India. India’s Ministry of Defence signed a sustainment package deal for its 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, developed by Lockheed Martin. This 946 million greenback package deal will improve the Indian Navy’s maritime capabilities, construct interoperability with the U.S. and regional companions and make each our nations safer and extra affluent,” it wrote.
India initially bought the helicopters by way of a Overseas Army Gross sales settlement in 2020, and the Navy has inducted round 15 plane thus far. Usually known as the “Romeo”, the MH-60R is considered one of many world’s most succesful maritime helicopters, constructed to deal with anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface operations, search-and-rescue duties, surveillance missions and ship-borne deployments. The newly authorized sustainment package deal will play a decisive function in guaranteeing that the fleet stays obtainable for frontline duties.
Defence officers say that the help programme will lower down upkeep downtime and permit the helicopters to function seamlessly from each shore bases and warships.
A key element of the deal is the creation of stronger upkeep and restore infrastructure inside India, which can steadily cut back the necessity to rely on international service suppliers.
The MH-60R was formally inducted into the Navy in 2021, with the primary deliveries arriving quickly after. The Navy’s first devoted squadron for the platform, INAS 334, was commissioned at INS Garuda in Kochi, marking a serious milestone in modernising India’s maritime aviation wing.
The plane carries a complicated suite of long-range sensors and mission techniques that make it invaluable within the Indian Ocean’s more and more contested waters. Its anti-submarine arsenal contains dipping sonar, sonobuoys, multi-mode radar and the Mk-54 torpedo, enabling it to trace and neutralise underwater threats.
For floor warfare missions, it may deploy AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, light-weight torpedoes and mounted machine weapons, supported by superior electro-optical and radar techniques able to figuring out hostile vessels in difficult circumstances.
Used extensively by the US Navy and allied forces world wide, the MH-60R has earned a repute as a platform that may adapt to a variety of missions, from securing very important sea lanes to medical evacuation and particular operations help.
With the brand new sustainment deal now in place, India’s fleet is positioned to stay absolutely mission-capable at a time when maritime safety has turn out to be central to New Delhi’s strategic outlook.