Spain’s navy is set to expand its Seahawk helicopter fleet with a purchase of eight Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters, Lockheed Martin announced.
The advanced multimission helicopters, featuring advanced missions systems and sensors for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, represent a significant upgrade for the Spanish Navy Armada’s maritime capability, according to the aircraft manufacturer.
“The new MH-60R will upgrade mission systems and sensors of the SH-60B fleet, elevating the Armada to the highest level of anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability,” Hamid Salim, vice president of Sikorsky Maritime Systems, said in a statement. “We expect a smooth transition from the SH-60B to the MH-60R.”
The buy advances the Armada’s ongoing fleet modernization. Last year, the Spanish Navy retired the last 18 of its Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters.
The Armada fleet also includes a dozen SH-60B Seahawk helicopters and eight SH-60F Seahawks that had been retired by the U.S. Navy.
