Arms regulators in Washington have approved a possible package of support equipment for India’s fleet of Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters aimed at enhancing the strategic country’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability.
The $1.1 billion bundle includes forward-looking infrared vision systems, external fuel tanks and 30 examples of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio System – a jam-resistant data communications radio.
Unspecified munitions, spare parts and depot maintenance support are also covered, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which announced on 2 December that the deal had been okayed by the Department of State.
“The proposed sale will improve the government of India’s capability to deter current and future threats by upgrading anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” the diplomatic agency says.
Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems division, which includes MH-60R manufacturer Sikorsky, will be the prime contractor for the deal.
India received its first two Seahawks in 2021, although those early examples were used to train Indian navy personnel in the USA. New Delhi’s first MH-60R entered active service in March 2024, with a total fleet size of 24 aircraft expected.
The rotorcraft’s primary mission is hunting for – and, in times of war, attacking – enemy submarines. Seahawk crews accomplish this through the use of air-dropped sonobuoys, a dipping sonar lowered from the MH-60R fuselage and air-launched torpedoes.
ASW helicopters work in conjunction with surface combatant naval ships and maritime patrol aircraft like the Boeing P-8A Poseidon to identify and track suspected submarines, even in peacetime.
New Delhi’s other ASW assets include 19 Westland Sea King Mk42A/B helicopters, six Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King s, 14 Kamov Ka-28 Soviet-era coaxial rotorcraft and 12 P-8 fixed-wing jets.
