Article Posted on : - Jan 21, 2011

The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. A Sikorsky photo

WOODBRIDGE (BNS): The US Navy has awarded a $1.4 billion contract to the Maritime Helicopter Support Company – a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation – to provide performance-based logistics support for over 490 H-60 Seahawk naval helicopters.

Under the firm fixed price follow-on contract, MHSCo will manage the supply chain and provide over 1,250 components and subsystems for the Seahawk family of helicopters operated by the US Navy and navies of other countries.

The supported aircraft include the naval SH-60B, SH-60F, HH-60H, MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters, Coast Guard HH-60J helicopters and other H-60 aircraft operated by customers of the US Navy’s Foreign Military Sales programme, Sikorsky said in a statement.

The contract, to be fulfilled by January 31, 2015, has been awarded under the US Navy's H-60 Tip-to-Tail performance-based logistics (PBL) programme. The Navy had awarded an initial five-year contract under the programme in January 2004.