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The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has approved a US$185.8 million ($275.8 million) contract to Lockheed Martin to provide long-term support for the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of MH-60R Romeo Seahawk helicopters.
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Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract as a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.
This contract provides program management, various levels of maintenance, training and logistics support to sustain the operational capability of 24 Royal Australian Navy MH-60 Romeo aircraft.
Work will be performed at Yerriyong, Australia (79 per cent); Owego, New York (18 per cent); Edinburgh, Australia (1 per cent); Stratford, Connecticut (1 per cent); and Orlando, Florida (1 per cent), with work expected to be completed in January 2024.
The MH-60R Seahawk is the Royal Australian Navy's next-generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter and will form a very important part of its operations for years to come.
No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued.
This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 206.302-4. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The MH-60R is equipped with a highly sophisticated combat system designed to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and the Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedo. The primary missions of the 'Romeo' helicopter is anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare.
Secondary missions include search and rescue, logistics support, personnel transport and medical evacuation.
The MH-60R and its mission systems replaced the fleet’s S-70B-2 Seahawk aircraft, which retired from service on 1 December 2017.
The Australian government approved the acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters at a cost of over $3 billion.
The helicopters are largely military off-the-shelf built by Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin, and were acquired through the foreign military sales (FMS) process from the US Navy.
Navy will have the capacity to provide at least eight warships with a combat helicopter at the same time, including Anzac Class frigates and the new Air Warfare Destroyers.
The remainder will be based at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, NSW, and will be in various stages of the regular maintenance and training cycle.
