Indian Navy MH-60 Romeo Seahawk Helicopter deal: Pentagon has awarded the contract for manufacturing 21 MH-60 Seahawk Romeo helicopters for Indian Navy to the US defence giant Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin’s unit Sikorsky helicopters will execute the contract for the US Navy, which will provide the helicopter to India under foreign military sales (FMS) route.
“Lockheed Martin Corp, Owego, New York, is awarded a $904,800,000 modification (P00011) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-19-C-0013,” a notification posted on the website of Department of Defense on Thursday (May 14, 2020) said.
“This modification provides for the production and delivery of three MH-60R Seahawk maritime aircraft for the Navy and 21 MH-60Rs for the government of India,” said the department of defense.
The deal includes manufacturing 21 new helicopters and another three Seahawk helicopters, which were produced for the US Navy but were not inducted in the force. These 3 helicopters will also be provided to India to accelerate the training process of the Indian Navy, said reports.
The deal for Seahawk helicopters for Indian Navy was signed during US President Donald Trump’s maiden India visit in February this year.
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The contract will be executed at three places in the US, while more than half of the work (52%) will be performed at Owego in New York, 40% work will be executed at Stratford, Connecticut, and a small part of the contract (8%) will be executed at Troy, Alabama.
The DoD notification said the work was expected to be complete by September 2024.
“Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $113,100,000 and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $791,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year,” said the US Department of Defense.
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Indian Navy to get 24 MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters
According to the contract value, per unit cost of a MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopter works out to be $37.7 million, taking the total value of the deal to nearly $905 million.
Pentagon said the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, would be responsible for the contract.
According to reports, the Thursday’s award will only cover the cost of helicopters and the weapon package for the anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare will be negotiated separately.
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Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky will deliver Seahawk helicopters
In February this year, India and the US signed an over 3 billion deal for buying 24 Romeo Seahawk helicopters for Indian Navy and six AH-64 Apache helicopters for Indian Army.
The deal for 24 MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters and associated weapon systems has been pegged at around $2.6 billion.
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