Sikorsky Australia completed a Periodic Maintenance Inspection of a US Navy MH-60R Seahawk Romeo on Monday, marking the first time a USN helicopter has undergone the package of work in Australia. The achievement of allied interchangeability comes as Sikorsky Australia prepares to grow its footprint in Nowra in support of the RAN’s expanded Romeo helicopter fleet.
USN H-60 Multi-Mission Helicopter Program Manager, Captain William Hargreaves said the successful demonstration was a testament to the Australia-US alliance. “We now have the ability to rapidly address emergent Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) requirements, if necessary, outside of standard activity sites during contingency operations,” he said. Commodore Darren Rae, RAN Director General Naval Aviation and Aircrew Training added the activity was a “hallmark” of the “steady progress” being made in the Australia-US alliance.
The USN allowed 10 months for Sikorsky Australia to complete the PMI, however, it was completed ahead of schedule in just eight months. Work on the USN aircraft took place alongside RAN aircraft, however, due to it being a proof-of-concept trial, the USN helicopter was physically segregated from RAN examples. It was also worked on by a “hand-selected” workforce and was not integrated into Sikorsky Australia’s wider logistics system.
Cliff Kyle, General Manager Sikorsky Australia, told ADM that the segregation was necessary because RAN and USN maintenance practices are not fully aligned. While, for example, the RAN alternates aircraft through two kinds of PMI every 42 months the US only has one, which generally takes ten months. In comparison, because of the smaller size of the RAN fleet, Sikorsky Australia RAN PMIs take around four months. In the future, Cliff Kyle said, the amount of segregation could be reduced, but that it would always remain a factor.
While bringing the USN aircraft through Sikorsky Australia did not impact work on the RANs fleet, it is a sign of things to come as the RAN expands its fleet. Whereas Sikorsky Australia generally has no more than four aircraft undergoing PMI in its MRO hangar, with the USN aircraft in town it increased to five. When the Commonwealth receives the 13 additional MH-60R it has on order, the number of aircraft undergoing PMI at any one time will also increase. While the actual hangar in Nowra has adequate space to support six aircraft at a time, supporting facilities such as the neighbouring logistics warehouse are not large enough.
In the short-to-medium term, Sikorsky Australia is looking to develop an interim solution, while in the longer term it’s expected the Commonwealth will provide additional space. The facilities' bespoke workshops, including one that is one of only four in the world able to work on the Romeo’s Thales AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency (ALFS) sonar system, will also need expansion to support the enlarged fleet. Infrastructure is only one side of the coin and Sikorsky Australia is also looking to develop its specialist workforce in Nowra. Earlier this year Sikorsky Australia welcomed eight new apprentices to the Nowra site as part of this effort.
One reason that Sikorsky Australia’s footprint is growing is the amount of work being done locally is as well. Sikorsky Australia now maintains more than 70 parts locally, up from just 20 a decade ago. While not its primary purpose, the facility in Nowra is also preparing to support Army’s new UH-60M Black Hawks through the maintenance of common components when they enter service later this decade.
Despite the success of the trial, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) cautioned the proof-of-concept was not a guarantee of future work on USN aircraft in Australia.
Disclaimer: The author travelled to Nowra as a guest of Lockheed Martin Australia.