Navy issues Sikorsky $904.8 million MH-60R contract mod for sale to India

摘要

The Navy yesterday announced a $904.8 million contract modification awarded to Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky for 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. The contract is designed so that $113.1 million from the Navy's fiscal year 2020 aircraft procurement account and $791.7 million in foreign military sales money will go toward the award. Twenty-one of the aircraft are for India, while three are for the U.S. Navy.Tom Kane, Sikorsky's naval helicopter program director, told reporters in a phone call today the deal for the antisubmarine warfare helicopters is set to be Lockheed's largest contract with India to date. The "Indian Ocean's pretty big. And so it's really critical from a maritime security standpoint for [the] Indian Navy to have these aircraft just to be able to control that ocean against any threats that they have," Kane said.Lockheed plans to alter three aircraft it saved from its production line for the U.S. Navy and then turn over those helicopters to India as a way to speed up the delivery. India will receive a total of 24 helicopters.Kane said the Indian Navy will use the first few aircraft for training. Sikorsky plans to build three new helicopters for the U.S. Navy to replace the three kept in its Owego, NY facility that will go to India.