New Zealand signs for five MH-60R Seahawks
The deal advances Seahawk capability across Australasia.
New Zealand has signed for five Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.
An official agreement, signed on 16 October between New Zealand and the US government, covers the purchase of the maritime rotorcraft, plus associated systems and weapons.
The project involves a total investment of almost NZ$1.65 billion ($934 million) in capital expenditure, alongside an average annual operating budget of NZ$110 million over the next decade.
Scheduled for delivery starting in 2030, the new MH-60Rs will replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s fleet of eight ageing Kaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprites.
The deal, enacted through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) framework, has been in the pipeline since 2025, having been announced in August of the same year.
In addition to anti-submarine warfare sensors and equipment, the package includes surface warfare elements, such as 225 BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided rockets and 65 Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Specific quantities have not been disclosed.
The Seahawk helicopters will handle anti-surface and anti-submarine missions, search and rescue, maritime counter-terrorism, and ship-to-shore transport of personnel and cargo.
While the fleet size will shrink from eight helicopters to five, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence notes that the MH-60R will expand surveillance reach as well as the strike and defence capabilities of New Zealand’s frigates.
Compared to the smaller Super Seasprite, which reaches around 130kt (240km/h) and has a range of 275nm (509km), the MH-60R is significantly more capable. It boasts a maximum speed of about 180kt and has an operational range of roughly 520nm.
Closer connectivity with Australia
The purchase will also enable interoperability with Australia and other close defensive allies, such as the US.
Australia currently plans to have a total fleet of 36 MH-60Rs by the end of 2026, with 23 currently in operational service with the Royal Australian Navy.
On 15 October, Sikorsky Australia celebrated a decade of its purpose-built sustainment and logistics facility in Nowra, key to maintaining the Seahawk fleet.
Australian Seahawks have logged over 60,000 flight hours, and the Nowra facility has expanded to support more than 100 Seahawk components, strengthening the programme’s global supply chain.
It is one of four locations globally with advanced low-frequency dipping sonar maintenance capability, alongside the US and Japan. As the MH-60R’s key anti-submarine warfare sensor, the sonar is essential to its operational missions.
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