TSAMTO, August 9. On August 2, the US Department of Defense announced the signing of the US Navy Aviation Systems Command with Lockheed Martin Corp. a contract providing for the implementation of work on bringing 12 standard MH-60R helicopters to a configuration that meets the requirements of the Republic of Korea Navy.
The value of the agreement signed within the framework of the "Foreign Military Sales" program is $ 117.69 million. The work will be carried out in Bradford (pcs.Connecticut, 38%), Beste (France, 37%), Ovego (pcs.New York, 18%), Portsmouth (pcs.Rhode Island, 7%) and is expected to be completed by November 2026.
According to TSAMTO, the acquisition of 12 multi-purpose marine helicopters is carried out by the Republic of Korea Navy under the program "Purchase of the second batch of marine helicopters" (Maritime Operation Helicopter batch-two-MOH 2), the budget of which amounted to about 960 billion rubles. won ($878 million). Earlier, in 2016, as part of the first stage of the program, the Leonardo Group delivered eight AW-159 Wildcat twin-engine helicopters to the Korean Navy.
In August 2019, the US State Department approved the delivery to the Republic of Korea under the Foreign Military Sales program of 12 MH-60R "Seahawk" multi-purpose helicopters equipped with APS-153(V) multi-mode radar, onboard low-frequency GAS, AN/AAS-44C(V) multispectral aiming systems, as well as other related equipment and services with a total cost of up to $ 800 million.
The decision to purchase MH-60R "Sihok" helicopters was made by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea in December 2020. According to the results of the competition, Lockheed Martin was ahead of the Leonardo Group, which again offered the AW-159 Wildcat. The purchased helicopters can be used for various tasks, including anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, search and rescue operations, supply and medical evacuation.
In April 2021, the US Defense Ministry signed with Lockheed Martin Corp. The first contract worth $ 447.231 million for the supply of 12 MH-60R helicopters for the Republic of Korea Navy under the Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS).