New Zealand buys the Seasprites Australia rejected
Source: Kaman, 19-Apr-13
Kaman Corp. (NYSE:KAMN) today announced that the New Zealand Cabinet has authorized the New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) to enter into an approximately $120 million contract with Kaman Aerospace Corporation (Kaman) for the purchase of ten SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite aircraft, spare parts, a full mission flight simulator, and related logistics support. The MoD and [...]
CAE awarded Royal Australian Navy MH-60R contract
Source: CAE, 04-Apr-13
CAE today announced it has won a series of military contracts during the final month of its fiscal year 2013 fourth quarter valued at approximately C$130 million, including options. They include contracts to provide an MH-60R avionics maintenance trainer and weapons load trainer for the Royal Australian Navy, a C-130J weapon systems trainer for the [...]
Australia sells remaining Sea Kings
Source: Royal Australian Navy, 31-Jan-13
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that the Navy’s remaining Sea King helicopters will be sold to Aerospace Logistics (ASL). The final flight of 817 Squadrons Sea King helicopters occurred on 15 December 2011. “Aerospace Logistics have over 30 years experience as an international specialist in the supply, refurbishment, exchange, maintenance, repair and [...]
Australia to scrap last five Sea Kings
Source: HeliHub.com, 04-Jan-13
Local press today reports that the Royal Australian Navy has confirmed it will sell the last five Sea Kings for scrap. The five were officially retired in December 2011 and have been stored at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, south of Sydney, pending a decision on their future. Now it has been confirmed the five aircraft, [...]
Australian Defence Minister names new MH-60R Squadron
Source: Australian MoD, 17-Dec-12
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare announced that the name of the new training squadron to operate the Navy’s MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopters would be 725 Squadron. 725 Squadron will form as the operational training squadron, while 816 Squadron, which currently operates the S-70-B2 Seahawk, will transition to the MH-60R [...]
Royal Australian Navy orders two MH-60R simulators from CAE
Source: CAE, 04-Dec-12
Today at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), CAE announced it has won a series of military contracts valued at more than C$70 million. They include a contract from the United States Navy to develop two MH-60R tactical operational flight trainers (TOFTs) for the Royal Australian Navy under a foreign military sale program, [...]
Sikorsky Helitech Signs $120M Australian H-60 Maintenance Contract
Source: Sikorsky, 20-Jul-12
Sikorsky Aircraft Australia Limited announced today the signing of a four-year agreement with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for ongoing logistics and engineering support for the Commonwealth of Australia’s fleet of BLACK HAWK (S-70A(TM)) and SEAHAWK® (S-70B(TM)) helicopters. Valued at more than $120 million, with six annual renewable options, the contract is a follow-on agreement [...]
Royal Australian Navy puts Bell 429 into service
Source: Raytheon Australia, 02-May-12
Raytheon Australia’s new Bell 429 helicopters have commenced activities with the Royal Australian Navy under the RAN’s Retention and Motivation Initiative 2 (RMI 2) Program. This milestone was marked by the achievement of the In Service Date for the RMI 2 Program. Operating since 2007, the Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI1) provided the Navy with [...]
Lockheed Martin awarded $126M contract for Australian MH-60R cockpits
Source: US DoD, 21-Apr-12
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $126,512,656 modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-11-C-0020) to provide for the production and delivery of 24 mission avionics systems and common cockpits for the MH-60R for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. In addition, this [...]
Ferra Engineering wins Au$6M contract for weapons pylons for Australian MH-60R
Source: Australian MoD, 19-Mar-12
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today confirmed that Australian manufacturing company Ferra Engineering has been awarded a $6 million contract by Lockheed Martin to supply weapons pylons and mission kits for the MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters. “This is a great example of an Australian manufacturing company winning work in the supply chain [...]
Becker digital audio selected for Royal Australian Navy Bell 429s
Source: Becker Avionics, 27-Feb-12
Becker Avionics announced today that its Digital Audio System, the DVCS6100, was selected for the Royal Australian Navy’s Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) program. The three (3) Bell 429s will be provided to the Royal Australian Navy’s through Raytheon Australia. The RMI program provides the Royal Australian Navy with supported aircraft to allow junior qualified [...]
Cirrus to supply Helicopter Control Officer simulation trainer
Source: Cirrus, 08-Feb-12
Cirrus Managing Director Mr. Peter Freed has announced that Cirrus has delivered a Helicopter Control Officer Simulation Trainer (HCOTS) to helicopter specialists Prism Defence under a contract awarded in July 2011. The HCOTS is based on Cirrus’ Simulation Training Network and Sensor Simulation Engine (STN & SSE) technologies – these technologies have also provided the [...]
Lockheed Martin awarded $103M delivery order for Australian MH-60R program
Source: US DoD, 02-Jan-12
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $103,500,000 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-09-G-0005) for mission avionics and common cockpit non-recurring engineering, program support, and associated efforts required for the production and delivery of 24 MH-60R helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy under the Foreign [...]
Australian Sea Kings make their final flight
Source: Royal Australian Navy, 15-Dec-11
Residents of Sydney, Canberra and the Shoalhaven had their last chance to see the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea King helicopters in the air today as they said farewell to the nation with a formation flypast. The formation launched from the Naval Air Station at HMAS Albatross in Nowra at 10:00am, proceeded north up the NSW [...]
Australia’s first two MH-60Rs pencilled for December 2013
Source: Australian Aviation, 27-Oct-11
The first two of 24 Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin MH-60R naval helicopters being acquired for the Royal Australian Navy under Air 9000 Phase 8 could be delivered as early as December 2013, according to Lockheed Martin (see full story)
Kelvin Hughes develops innovative helicopter landing solution for Royal Australian Navy
Source: Kelvin Hughes, 12-Aug-11
Kelvin Hughes has developed an innovative helicopter landing solution on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy. The dedicated short range helicopter control radar (SRHCR) has recently passed factory acceptance testing and will now be integrated into the Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Docks being built by BAE Systems Australia and Navantia. It’s expected that the ships will [...]
Quickstep to progress negotiations on its MOU with Sikorsky following Australian MH-60R choice
Source: Quickstep, 28-Jun-11
Quickstep is now set to progress negotiations on its MOU with Sikorsky, following the Australian Government’s recent award of the Air 9000 Phase 8 naval helicopter contract to team Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky. The award of the contract to Lockheed/Sikorsky was a key pre-condition for the MOU Quickstep signed with Sikorsky during the Avalon Airshow in March 2011, intended to [...]
Australia selects MH-60R over NH90
Source: Sikorsky, 17-Jun-11
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy today announced the Commonwealth of Australia has selected the MH-60R SEAHAWK® helicopter to fulfill the Australian Defence Force’s AIR 9000 Phase 8 requirement for a fleet of 24 new-generation, multi-role naval combat aircraft. The Commonwealth will acquire the helicopters with associated training and logistical support via the U.S. Government’s Foreign [...]
Australian Sea King allocated to Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra
Source: Australian DoD, 13-Jun-11
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare was at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra to announce that Sea King Shark 07 would be preserved at the Museum given the significant role the Sea King has played in Naval Aviation over the last 36 years. “The Sea King has served our nation well over the [...]
AgustaWestland, CAE and BAE Systems team to pursue Australia’s AIR 9000 Phase 7
Source: CAE, 01-Mar-11
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, CAE, and BAE Systems today announced the formation of an industry team to pursue the AIR 9000 Phase 7 program in Australia. The AIR 9000 Phase 7 program, also called the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS), is intended to provide a rotary wing training capability for the Australian Navy and Army [...]
Australia plans transition to new Landing Helicopter Dock ships
Source: Australian MoD, 03-Feb-11
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that HMAS Manoora would be decommissioned and that Defence would develop a new comprehensive plan to transition to the new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Ships. HMAS Manoora: HMAS Manoora will be decommissioned on the advice of Chief of Navy. The Manoora [...]
MH-60R favourite to win Australian Navy tender
15-Dec-10
Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Andrew Davies has suggested that the MH-60R is more likely to be chosen than the NH90. Interestingly the Austrlian miltary already operate both types, so there is all to play for
Royal Australian Navy receive first MRH90 at Nowra
Source: ABC, 21-Nov-10
The first of the Navy’s new MRH 90 helicopters have arrived at the naval air station HMAS Albatross at Nowra ready to begin replacing the ageing Sea King fleet
Eurocopter optimistic as RAN helicopter decision approaches
Source: Aviation Business, 19-Oct-10
The European helicopter manufacturer is well into the delivery phase of 18 Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters and 42 MRH90 helicopters for the Army. But the two imminent opportunities are Phases 7 and 8 of the ADF’s Project Air 9000.
Australia releases tender documents for naval combat helicopter
Source: Australian Government, 29-Apr-10
The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner today announced that the Defence Materiel Organisation has released project solicitation documents to the United States Navy and Australian Aerospace for the supply of a new naval combat helicopter under Defence Capability Plan project AIR 9000 Phase 8. Under this project, the Government will acquire sufficient helicopters to [...]
Australian Government confirms naval tender is NH90 v MH-60R
Source: Australian Government, 25-Feb-10
The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner, today announced that the Government has given first pass approval for a major project to provide the Australian Defence Force with a new naval combat helicopter. Project AIR 9000 Phase 8 is included in the Defence Capability Plan to provide naval warships with a new combat helicopter. Senator [...]
