Philip Smart | Adelaide
With deliveries of the MH-60R Seahawk Romeo helicopter almost at the half way mark, the Royal Australian Navy yesterday recommissioned 725 Squadron to train its crews.
Defence Minister Kevin Andrews joined the Member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis, MP, and Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, AO, CSC, RAN at the commissioning of 725 Squadron at Naval Air Station HMAS Albatross in Nowra, New South Wales.
Some $3.2 billion dollars has been invested in procuring 24 Seahawk Romeo helicopters for Navy. Eleven aircraft have been accepted into service to date, with the delivery running on budget and ahead of schedule.
“These maritime combat helicopters are the next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopters,” Defence Minister Andrews said. “They provide the Navy with multi-mission and multi-target precision strike capabilities and increase Navy’s versatility and potency as a high-end fighting force.”
The Seahawk Romeo helicopters have already been involved in First of Class Flight trials in HMAS Perth. The aircraft are on track to achieve an Initial Operating Capability at sea in August this year.
725 Squadron has a long and proud military history since initial formation in 1943. This is the fourth time the Squadron has formed, having first commenced anti-submarine training in 1959, providing anti-submarine coverage for the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney on its transport voyages to Vietnam during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and later flying search and rescue missions after the collision of HMAS Melbourne and Voyager in February 1964.