The US Navy rationalized its carrier and shipbased rotary-wing fleets under its Helicopter Master Plan, and the Sikorsky MH-60R is now a vital part of the CVW construct.
FORCE REPORT | US NAVY CARRIER AIR POWER
THE MH-60R SEAHAWK shares 85 per cent commonality with the MH-60S when it comes to components, including a common cockpit and dynamic components. This significantly simplifies maintenance, logistics, and training.
The service’s current concept of operations provides two helicopter squadrons that deploy with each CVW and operate from the carrier and the other air-capable ships of the CSG. The rotary element of each CVW nominally includes 11 MH-60Rs and eight MH-60S variants that are respectively operated by Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons (HSC).
Each HSM squadron typically operates five helicopters from the carrier and sends detachments to the CSG escort vessels. Several HSM units are tasked to support individual ship deployments, each of these expeditionary squadrons nominally being assigned a total of 10 MH-60Rs.
The multi-mission MH-60R’s primary roles include anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and defense against fast attack craft/fas…
