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South Korea to order 12 MH-60R anti-submarine
helicopters
SEOUL — South Korea plans to buy 12 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters, the country’s defense procurement agency announced Dec. 15.
The contract, valued at
about $878 million, is expected to be signed by the end of this year, according
to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The decision is a dramatic
win for American firm Lockheed Martin, as the MH-60R had been considered a long
shot due to its cost. (Sikorsky is a subsidiary of Lockheed.)
For the second batch of
the maritime operational helicopter, or MOH, contract, DAPA intended to sign a
direct commercial deal last year with a foreign helicopter maker, with three
bidders — Lockheed Martin, Italy’s Leonardo and France’s NHIndustries — showing
interest.
Leonardo, which had sold
eight AW159 Wildcat helicopters to the South Korean Navy under the MOH Batch I
program, was seen a sure
winner in that competition, as the two other contenders failed to submit
their proposals by deadline.
Ultimately, DAPA was about
to go with the AW159 on a sole-source supplier basis, but the U.S. government
threw a last-minute curveball by offering pricing for the MH-60R through the
Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales program.
DAPA accepted the offer
and issued a second requirement for proposals in May 2019. The U.S. government
opened an MH-60R Foreign Military Sales case in August, pegging the value of
the 12-strong helicopter deal around $800 million.
In addition to the
helicopters, the deal also is known to include weapons, sonobouys, radars and
communication equipment, as well as training and support.
A total of 12 Seahawks
will be delivered to the South Korean Navy by 2025 in stages. The multimission
naval helicopters are expected to be deployed aboard the service’s future
surface combatants, namely the KDX-III Batch 2 Aegis destroyers, as well as the
FFX Batch III frigates.
The 19.76-meter-long and
5.1-meter-high chopper with a maximum cruising speed of 267 kph can handle
multiple missions, including operations of warfare, search and rescue, and
medical evacuation.
The U.S. Navy is the main
operator of the “Romeo” maritime helicopter, with 289 units in its fleet. South
Korea has been added to the list of Romeo operating countries that includes
Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Australia, India and Greece.
The South Korean Navy
currently operates eight AW159s acquired under a 2012 deal. The helicopters fly
missions aboard KDX-series destroyers and Incheon-class guided-missile
frigates.
The service plans to commission at least 12 more
new frigates fitted with a flight deck and a hangar that can accommodate one
Lynx helicopter.
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