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Australian defence industry has successfully completed the first-ever deep-level maintenance completion of a United States Navy MH-60R Seahawk “Romeo” helicopter in Nowra.
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The US Navy Seahawk “Romeo” arrived in country in October 2022 and is expected to return to the United States following the successful completion of maintenance and repairs by defence industry partner Sikorsky Australia.
Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite said, “Australians performing a deep level maintenance on a Romeo helicopter signifies the trust and confidence of the United States Navy in our local industry, and the skill and competence of our tradespeople and technicians.”
More than 200 personnel in Nowra support the world-class Australian capability, delivering maintenance, logistics, warehousing and technical support for the Royal Australian Navy MH-60R.
The government said this achievement highlights a 100-year partnership between Australia and the United States.
“Sikorsky Australia and its employees should rightly be proud of this achievement. It is no small feat to keep the most advanced maritime helicopter in the world fighting fit. Our local defence industry partners continue to achieve excellent outcomes. With the support provided for the Romeo helicopter, we can now add this significant milestone to its list of achievements,” Assistant Minister Thistlethwaite added.
Efforts continue to strengthen supply chain resilience in the region with Australia pursuing options to expand maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade of manufacture capabilities.
The Royal Australian Navy’s own fleet of MH-60R helicopters is expanding to a total of 36 aircraft from mid-2025 through Project SEA 9100.
“Sikorsky Australia was honoured to be entrusted by the Australian-US navies as their industry partner to execute this inaugural proof-of-concept service on a US Navy MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’,” said Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand chief executive Warren McDonald.
“Sikorsky Australia’s skilled aircraft maintenance engineers have completed 46 PMIs on the Royal Australian Navy’s MH-60Rs. This experience combined with the Romeo configuration alignment and interchangeable maintenance procedures between our two navies enabled seamless integration of the US Navy Romeo into Sikorsky Australia’s maintenance program.
“Congratulations to the team, the Australian-US navies and Sikorsky Australia, on this exemplar PMI achievement. It underlines our shared commitment to advancing military interoperability, strengthening the MH-60R global supply chain, and showcases Australia’s world-class industrial capability to sustain the most advanced maritime helicopter, the MH-60R.”
