US to deliver sub-hunting helicopters early next year

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

The delivery of US-made submarine hunting helicopter, MH 60-R, will commence early next year. The deal for 24 copters was announced in February. These will form the front-end of tracking the growing presence of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean.

William L Blair, Vice-President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, told The Tribune, “The sale is under the foreign military sales route. The US is working to accelerate the delivery timing. We will be able to do it and intend to start deliveries early next year.”

On being asked whether India has an urgency to get the copters due to the ongoing tension with China and resultant pressure in the Indian Ocean, Blair said, “I share the same sense of urgency. The contract was signed in February. This will be a record speed for delivery.”

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a joint press conference this year to announce the copter deal.

Militarily, an anti-submarine warfare-capable helicopter like MH 60-R, with its sea-dunking sonars, is a preferred platform for detecting a submarine. The Indian requirements comprise spare engines, specific missiles and Mk-54 torpedoes among others.

Blair added that his company was looking to move the wing assembly of its famous F-16 fighter jets to Hyderabad. “We have started tooling (at the plant) and later this year we should be on track,” he added.

On progress, Kurt Knust, who heads the F-21 fighter jet programme for Lockheed Martin, said, “We have done desktop analysis on 400 companies and on-ground analysis with 200 companies.” The F-21, a single-engine jet, is in the race for the 114 jet tender of the IAF.