MHI flight tests upgraded SH-60K helo variant

摘要

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industrie: (MHI) announced on 12 May that it has conducted the first test flight of an upgraded variant of its SH-60K multirole naval helicopter featuring what it described as "improved onboard systems and flying capabilities". MHI said in a statement that the helicopter prototype, which was ordered by the Japan Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), conducted a 30-minute hovering flight that same day from Nagoya Airport, which is adjacent to MHI's Komaki-Minami plant. Few details were provided about the improvements made to the rotorcraft, with the company only saying that development work on this variant - the designation of which has yet to be confirmed - began in 2015. Delivery of the prototype to ATLA set to take place within the current fiscal year, which ends on 31 March 2022. The new variant is being developed for use by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).