Navy backs Romeo advantage

The RAN’s 12 new Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters will be used to fly cargo and personnel between ships at sea.

A RAN technician marshals HMAS Arunta’s flight deck crew during MH-60R Seahawk helicopter flying operations. Picture: Department of Defence

Defence seems set to spend about $1.4bn on the purchase of an additional 12 Sikorsky MH-60R “Romeo” helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy under Project Sea 9100 Phase 1.

Although the navy already uses the MH-60R as its primary naval combat helicopter, the new helicopters will be used to fly cargo and personnel between ships at sea in the embarked logistics support helicopter role and fitted out to carry up to five passengers.

Canberra revealed it had requested availability and pricing data from the US Government for the additional helicopters in October 2021.

The 2020 Defence Force Structure Plan signalled an expansion and rationalisation of the number of support helicopters as the navy fleet grows and while it allocates between $1-$1.5bn for their acquisition from 2025, the plan has yet to gain final approval.

If the deal goes ahead, the 12 new aircraft will replace six NH Industries MRH 90 Taipan helicopters, which have a larger cabin than the MH-60R and a rear loading ramp.

The Taipan is also used by the Australian Army and has been in service since 2008, but the fleet has suffered poor availability rates and proven expensive to operate.

The Army also has a plan to replace its MRH 90s with Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks from the middle of the decade, spelling the end of the European helicopter in Australian service.

Despite the smaller cabin volume of the MH-60R compared with the Taipan, Chief of navy Vice Admiral Mike Noonan told a recent Senate Estimates hearing that he is not concerned about a loss of capability.

“The MRH 90 is a different aircraft, of course, to the MH-60R Romeo, and the Romeo is very capable of providing both the maritime support task – which is traditionally what the MRH 90 was used for – and the maritime combat role,” VADM Noonan testified.

“There is certainly scope within the capability of the Romeo to do both tasks, and I don’t see that there would be a loss of capability in the maritime support role if it was to be a task that we would only use the Romeo for.

“In terms of space, the carrying capacity of the Romeo can be configured to have up to four to five passengers, and if we were operating one to two of those aircraft at sea from a frigate or a destroyer, for example, it provides adequate space and lift for the sorts of support tasks that we routinely do off our frigates and destroyers.”

VADM Noonan also revealed at the hearing that the navy is seeking to replace one of its existing MH-60R helicopters lost in an accident in the Philippine Sea in October 2021.

“With respect to the loss of that particular aircraft last year we have sought advice from the US in terms of the production run of the Romeos,” he said in response to questions from independent Senator Rex Patrick.

“And I have sought to provide advice to Government with respect to replacing that aircraft while the production run of the Romeos is still available to us.”