Sikorsky Australia has been awarded a five-year $200 million foreign military sales (FMS) contract through the US Navy to provide through-life support to the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo Seahawk helicopters.
The work will be performed at Sikorsky Australia’s growing facility at Nowra in NSW, located adjacent to the MH-60R’s home base of HMAS Albatross, and includes on base and deployed maintenance, training, warehousing, supply support system, and test equipment services.
Sikorsky Australia is a division of Lockheed Martin Australia, and its operations were consolidated at Nowra in 2019 following the closure of its Brisbane Airport facility.
“The US Navy play a pivotal and trusted role in the ongoing provision of support to this capability,” Defence Minister Senator Linda Reynolds said in a ministerial statement on August 12.
Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price added, “Based at the Albatross Aviation Technology Park in Nowra, this contract will sustain the existing workforce of 140 employees and create an additional 39 new positions, including several apprenticeships in the Shoalhaven Region of NSW.”
In a company statement, Sikorsky Australia General Manager Dale Hall said, “The new MH-60R sustainment contract not only supports our existing operations, but also enables us to provide new job opportunities for the Shoalhaven at a time when they are needed most.”
The RAN operates 24 MH-60Rs with 725 and 816SQNs based at Nowra, the last of which was delivered in September 2016. ADBR understands that the acquisition of an additional eight MH-60R or MH-60S utility helicopters is being considered to replace the MRH 90 Taipan helicopters of the RAN’s 808SQN in service.