Navy receives first two MH-60R copters from US, 22 more to come

New Delhi, July 17

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India has accepted from the US, the first two of the specialised sea-going helicopters which are capable of hunting undersea submarines, striking at enemy ships by launching missiles and tackling air-borne threats.

Patrol aircraft

• The new helicopter is expected to add to the potential of the Navy’s Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.
• The aircraft have the ability to quickly search a wide area over water, the MH-60R can then be launched from ship decks to specific areas.
• A helicopter like the MH-60R is a favoured platform for detecting a submarine, sources said.

In military parlance, it’s called ‘three dimensional capabilities’ — that is ability to hit at the surface, in the air and at targets underwater. The MH-60R helicopters, made by US headquartered military equipment giant Lockheed Martin, were accepted from the US Navy at a ceremony held at San Diego on Friday local time. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to USA accepted these.

The ceremony also witnessed exchange of helicopter documents between Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, Deputy Chief of the Indian Navy and Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, Commander Naval Air Forces, US Navy.

These two copters are a part of 24 such copters contracted from the US in February last year at cost of $2.6 billion (Rs 18,200 crore) under the foreign military sales route. The two copters were handed from the supplies meant for the US Navy and have many India specific advancements like specific missiles and Mk-54 torpedoes.

The helicopters are designed to operate from deck of various Indian Naval warships. India, at present uses the Sea King 42 and the Kamov-28. Submarines of the People Liberation Army Navy of China have been noticed in the Indian Ocean. — TNS