MH-60R
SEA HAWK HELICOPTERS - DEFENCE & SECURITY
News:
Six MH 60R multi-mission
helicopters to be commissioned into Indian Navy in March
What's
in the news?
●
A squadron comprising six MH 60R
multi-mission helicopters – the Indian Navy version of the helicopters that
were used to attack the hideout of fugitive Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011
— will be commissioned into the Navy in March at INS Garuda, the naval air
station in Kochi.
Key
takeaways:
●
They will make good the shortage of Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters in
the Navy.
●
They can go into harm’s way, neutralise
enemy targets, and safely return to ships, becoming the sole fleet of
helicopters with the Navy to have self-defence capability.
MH-60
Romeo Helicopter:
●
It is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter and is the most capable
naval helicopter available today designed to operate from frigates, destroyers,
cruisers and aircraft carriers.
●
It is manufactured
by US defence major Lockheed Martin.
Uniqueness:
●
It is an all-weather helicopter designed to support multiple missions with
state-of-the-art avionics and sensors.
●
Main missions of the MH-60R Seahawk are Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and
Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW).
●
This helicopter can detect and track
submarines and surface ships and attack with torpedoes and missiles.
●
Secondary missions are search and rescue,
combat search and rescue, vertical replenishment, medical evacuation and
insertion and extraction of special forces.
Features:
●
It is operated by a crew of 4 in
anti-submarine warfare role and crew of 5 in anti-surface warfare role. It can
also accommodate additional passengers.
●
It carries advanced airborne active sonar,
multi-mode search radar and nose-mounted forward-looking infrared (FLIR)
turret.
●
The helicopter has an integrated
self-defence system.
●
Maximum
Speed: 267 km/h
●
Range:
454 km