Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, STRATFORD: Sikorsky Aircraft celebrated the delivery of the first new production MH-60R helicopter today in a ceremony held at their Stratford, CT facility.
Attending the ceremony were Steve Finger, President Sikorsky Aircraft, Mr. William Balderson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Air Programs, Mr. Tom Laux, Program Executive Officer Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs, Captain Paul Grosklags, Program Manager Multi-mission Helicopter Program Office, Captain Dori Freer, Commander Defense Contract Management Agency Sikorsky Aircraft, CDR Michael Cerneck, Commander Defense Contract Management Agency, Lockheed Martin, and Jeff Bantle, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Multi-Mission Solutions business unit.
“The MH-60R represents the best, most capable multi-mission Naval helicopter in the world. We at Sikorsky are proud that this aircraft, and its sister ship the MH-60 Sierra, together represent the foundation for the Navy's future multi-mission helicopter fleet. The delivery of the first production MH-60R marks the start of a new era in Naval aviation as it takes its place as a critical combat element of the Navy's Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups,” said Sikorsky President Steve Finger.
The first production MH-60R first took to the skies July 28 at Sikorsky Aircraft. The aircraft flew a total of 1.5 hours and performed the entire flight acceptance profile, which included flight control checks, vibration measurements and engine power checks, without incident.
The MH-60R is the next generation submarine hunter and surface attack helicopter. It will replace the fleet's legacy SH-60B and SH-60F aircraft. The Navy is expected to order as many as 254 MH-60R aircraft through 2015, with production quantities increasing to 30 aircraft per year.
After the ceremony today the aircraft will be flown to Owego, NY where the mission equipment package will be installed by Lockheed Martin, the mission systems integrator for the MH-60R.
Lockheed Martin also provides the digital Common Cockpit avionics suite, which is common to all MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters. Sikorsky designs and manufactures the MH-60S and MH-60R aircraft and is responsible for the mechanical and electrical modifications on the airframe.
The MH-60R program, co-led by Cmdr. Kevin Switick and Mr. Robert Kimble, is a department within the Multi-mission Helicopter Program Office (PMA-299), headquartered at the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD. PMA-299 is administered by the Program Executive Office for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs (PEO-A).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, based in Stratford, CT, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacturing and service. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, of Hartford, Conn., which provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.
Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.
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