A United States Navy MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ will undergo a Periodic Maintenance Inspection (PMI) in Australia, as part of a demonstration of alternative maintenance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. Over a period of 10 months, the Seahawk will undergo a thorough strip-down and rebuild at Sikorsky Australia’s facility in Nowra, involving a variety of Australian vendors.
Commodore Darren Rae, Director General Naval Aviation and Aircrew Training, told ADM the demonstration was strategically significant, because it would help strengthen the global ‘Romeo’ supply chain, and deepen interchangeability between Australia and the United States.
“We [The U.S and Australia] have demonstrated together quite an exemplary commitment to identifying opportunities to strategically enhance Australia’s in-country support for the ‘Romeo’ capability,” CDRE Rae said. “This really goes to our shared priorities to strengthen supply chain resilience in the Indo-Pacific. This pilot activity will use our combined maintenance practices for the conduct a deeper level maintenance activity in Australia, and allows us to use our supply chain and demonstrate resilience.”
He added that the demonstration, which he cautioned was not a guarantee of future work, was a natural extension of the existing interchangeability that exists between the USN and RAN.
“If a US Navy pilot was to jump into an Australian ‘Romeo’, they would feel completely at home and be able to operate that aircraft as if it was a US Navy aircraft and vice versa. But, for the first time, what we’ve been able to do in this activity is demonstrate that from a [depot level] maintenance perspective that it is also the same. In this example we are using Australian industry folks to maintain a US Navy ‘Romeo’ using our combined maintenance practices such that it is a seamless activity. That is a game changer for us. The ability to be able to operate and maintain each other’s equipment will be a significant enabler for both countries.”
Cliff Kyle, General Manager Sikorsky Australia, told ADM that the company was ‘honoured’ to be entrusted with a USN airframe which he said would integrate ‘seamlessly’ into their existing maintenance system, helping to strengthen the company’s workforce capabilities.
“The aircraft configuration alignment and interchangeability principles between the United States and Australian ‘Romeo’ aircraft really allows seamless integration of the USN ‘Romeo’ into the Sikorsky Australia maintenance plan. We’re going to perform it in our state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility and it will allow us to strengthen our already 200 strong workforce and give our maintenance apprentices a unique opportunity to cut their teeth on this first of a kind demonstration,” he said. “We’ve already got an established network of Australian vendors that contribute, and this [demonstration] allows them to contribute to a truly strategic opportunity.”
CDRE Rae added that, despite the additional aircraft being integrated into Sikorsky Australia’s maintenance plan, there would be no impact on the RAN ‘Romeo’ fleet’s maintenance schedule.
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth confirmed an order for additional ‘Romeo’ helicopters which will grow the RAN’s fleet by a third, necessitating the growth of sustainment and maintenance capabilities in Nowra.