Sikorsky Australia, a Lockheed Martin company, has been awarded a A$200 million contract to deliver sustainment support services for the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of 24 MH-60R (Romeo) maritime helicopters. The five-year contract will see the creation of 48 new positions in Sikorsky Australia’s purpose-built Maintenance & Logistics Support facility at Albatross Aviation Technology Park, Nowra NSW. Integrated with the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, Sikorsky Australia will provide through-life sustainment support to the MH-60R fleet when on base and on deployment, including maintenance, training, warehousing, supply support system and test equipment services.
Lockheed Martin Australia CEO Joe North said “Sikorsky Australia has a proven track record as a sustainment partner to the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm and is an exemplar of Australian industry capability. As the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter, the MH-60R is a critical capability for the Royal Australian Navy to defend Australia’s national interests and Sikorsky Australia engineers are proud to work alongside our service personnel to ensure the fleet’s operational availability is maximised.”
The contract award announcement coincides with Sikorsky Australia’s appointment of three new aircraft apprentices. Shoalhaven locals Nicola Douet, Bailey Cosgrove, and Corey Plummer will commence four-year placements with Sikorsky Australia and attend an accredited course provided by local training company Aerospace Training Services, with the goal of becoming fully qualified aircraft maintenance engineers. The new appointments bring Sikorsky Australia’s cohort of local area apprentices and trainees to 10 and the total number of employees at Albatross Aviation Technology Park to 185.
The MH60 Romeo fleet was built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, with the mission systems integrated and the full fleet delivered to the Royal Australian Navy by Lockheed Martin in 2016.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said the agreement with the US Navy is a testament to the close ties between the two Navies. “The US Navy play a pivotal and trusted role in the ongoing provision of support to this capability,” Reynolds said. “The (government) is committed to maximising opportunities for Australian defence industry through its unprecedented investment in defence capability over the next decade.”
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