Lockheed Martin has delivered the 24th, and final, MH-60R SEAHAWK® helicopter to the U.S. Navy in support of the Navy’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The milestone delivery took place during a July 27 ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Owego, New York facility.
The event marked the official transfer of ownership of the final MH-60R SEAHAWK destined for the RAN from Lockheed Martin to the U.S. Navy. The ceremony was attended by officials from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the RAN and the Australian Embassy, as well as representatives from the Defense Contracting Management Agency, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin.
“In late 2010, the Australian Government had not yet made a decision to acquire the Romeo, and yet here we are in mid-2016 accepting the 24th, and final, aircraft,” said Royal Australian Navy Commodore Scott Lockey, Director General Navy Aviation Systems. “The Royal Australian Navy has formed the first three embarked flights, conducted the first Hellfire Missile shoot and conducted a highly successful ‘DIPEX’ against a Collins Class submarine. None of this would have been possible without the professional work conducted by everyone at Lockheed Martin involved in the Romeo program. The work done here at Owego has been of the highest quality and directly contributed to the most successful helicopter acquisition program undertaken by the Australian Defence Force.”
Read the full story at Navy Recognition