Overview
- The U.S. Embassy and Indian officials said on Friday that another MH-60R Seahawk was delivered to the Indian Navy at Kochi last week and that two more helicopters are expected to arrive this week.
- With the latest arrival, 21 of the 24 MH-60R helicopters ordered under a 2020 U.S. Foreign Military Sales deal have been delivered, and final paperwork, validation and formal induction steps for the remaining airframes are still pending.
- New Delhi approved a sustainment contract valued at about ₹7,995 crore (roughly USD 946 million) in late 2025 to fund spares, repairs, training and intermediate maintenance capacity building in India to keep the fleet operational long term.
- The MH-60R is a multi-role shipborne helicopter fitted with dipping sonar, sonobuoys, multi-mode radar, EO/IR sensors and weapons such as Mk-54 torpedoes and Hellfire missiles, and it is replacing the ageing Sea King fleet and has been used operationally, including in Operation Sindoor.
- The deliveries strengthen practical U.S.-India interoperability through shared training and logistics support, increase India’s maritime surveillance and ASW reach across the Indian Ocean Region, and leave the final three aircraft and formal induction as the next items to watch.