Naval Air: Seahawk Lands In India

After several years of delays India cleared all the bureaucratic obstacles to finally obtain 24 American MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters. These will cost about $109 million each, which includes accessories, spare parts, tech support and the cost of establishing maintenance facilities for a new type of helicopter. Despite the higher cost India has found American military helicopters the best value for the money. In addition to newly ordered MH-60Rs India already has 15 CH-47F heavy transport helicopters on the way and some have recently begun arriving. In addition 22 AH-64E helicopter gunships will begin arriving later in 2019. The MH-60Rs will begin delivery in a year or so. The ability of the Americans to deliver quickly is another plus. The Americans take good care of their customers.

This MH-60R is a navalized version of the 11 ton U.S. Army UH-60. India will use the MH-60Rs for ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) as well as attacks on surface vessels (using Hellfire missiles). The ASW involves using computers, sonar, and radar to search for submarines. This work involves staring at a screen most of the time while manipulating the sensors and computers to detect and locate subs. Once you have a solid location fix, you can launch a torpedo and sink the enemy vessel.

The MH-60R uses a sonar that operates in active (broadcasting) and passive (just listening) mode. The sonar system consists of dipping sonar and sonobuoys, which are dropped and communicate wirelessly. The dipping sonar is lowered into the water from the helicopter using an 806 meter (2,500 foot) cable and winch. The MH-60R is also equipped with a radar system for detecting subs on the surface or just beneath the surface. Modern non-nuclear subs often travel just beneath the surface with only the periscope or snorkel above water, to provide air for the diesel engine, and gets rid of the exhaust fumes.MH-60Rs can also perform SAR (search and rescue) work and to obtain maximum airtime and carrying capacity the sonar and all its associated electronics is quickly removed but the radar stays. The MH-60 can hover low enough to deploy a line to people in the water and winch people aboard.

For decades the Indian Navy has had problems with procuring new helicopters and the situation kept getting worse. The navy preferred proven foreign models like the MH-60R but their procurement bureaucracy excels at corruption, timidity and an exceptional talent for not getting things done. As a result, Indian warships equipped to handle helicopters have had, for nearly a decade, only 20 percent of the helicopters they are supposed to have. The main deficiency was in importing a suitable medium (10 ton class) helicopters (like the U.S. SH-60, Russian Ka-31 and the European EH101 or NH90). The main source of delays was the Indian effort to build a local design that met navy needs. Indian efforts to develop a local helicopter industry have been plagued by political and bureaucratic bungling. Despite that, after a half-century of effort, India did produce some Indian made naval helicopters, but not yet the heavier types the navy needs. The closest Indian manufacturers have come to filling navy needs was the locally designed and built Dhruv. In late 2013 the Indian Navy finally put its first squadron of Dhruv light helicopters into service. These were used for patrolling, search and rescue, and anything else the Navy needs, except for those jobs requiring a 10 ton class helicopter. It’s been a difficult journey for the Dhruv. In 2009 the Indian Navy bought six of the Dhruvs for evaluation and did not like what they saw. The main complaints were lack of engine power and poor reliability. These were considered fatal flaws for helicopters meant for SAR and ASW.


Dhruv entered service in 2002 and the Coast Guard and the other services got a few of them for evaluation. The army actually bought 40 Dhruvs without thoroughly testing them. This purchase was made under intense pressure from the government to "buy Indian". Then the army discovered that, although the purchase contract stipulated that the Dhruv be able to operate at high altitudes (5,000 meters/16,000 feet), its engine (as the navy noted) was underpowered and could not handle high altitudes. So the army has to keep its older helicopters in service until the Dhruvs were upgraded.
 The Dhruv can carry up to 14 passengers or four stretchers. Max load is 1.5 tons and endurance is about two hours (depending on load and altitude). The Dhruv can also fly as high as 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet). Northern India has a lot of mountains, so operating at high altitude was a key design requirement. The 5.5 ton Dhruv has had a lot of problems and by 2009, a series of crashes indicated some basic design flaws, which the manufacturer insisted did not exist. The Navy disagreed. Although it is Indian made, until 2010, the Dhruv was assembled mostly (90 percent) with imported parts. The manufacturer had kept quiet about this because at least half the parts in "Indian made" weapons are supposed to be made in India. Since then the percentage of Indian made components has increased. As embarrassing as this revelation was, there were other problems that were more crucial.

The navy was desperate to replace about 30 of its elderly Sea Kings, which the MH-60s have replaced in many countries. The Sea Kings were a 1950s American design and the Indian Navy began receiving them from a British manufacturer in 1972. The last of 42 Sea Kings ordered arrived in the mid-1980s. As the Sea Kings got older they required more maintenance and a growing number were too worn out to use at all. Only six were lost to accidents and most were retired because of old age. The 30 that are still flyable only have a few years of useful life left. The U.S. is the main source of spare parts as most other suppliers have ceased production because so few Sea Kings are still in service.

The Sea Kings have a max speed of 209 kilometers an hour, max load of 3.5 tons, max altitude of 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) max range of 1,200 kilometers and max endurance of about six hours. The MH-60R has a max speed of 270 kilometers an hour, max load of 1.9 tons, max altitude of 3,500 meters (11,500 feet), max range of 830 kilometers and max endurance of about four hours.
 The MH-60R ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) helicopters, which are also used for SAR (Search and Rescue), entered service in the 1980s as the SH-60.
Most American military helicopters (UH-60, HH-60, MH-60) are militarized versions of the Sikorsky S-60, a 1970s design that won the competition to replace the older UH-1 "Huey". The UH-60 (for the army) was introduced in 1979. The latest version, the 11 ton UH-60M can carry 14 troops, or 1.1 tons of cargo internally, or four tons slung underneath. Cruise speed is 278 kilometers an hour. Max endurance is two hours, although most sorties last 90 minutes or less.
Max altitude is 5,790 meters (19,000 feet). The army currently has about 2,000 UH-60s and is upgrading the force with the new "M" model. So far, over 3,000 UH-60 type helicopters have been built, mostly for the military. One reason the MH-60 is so popular is that the UH-60 has some much flight time, so many current or former pilots and so many people with experience maintaining it. There are so many UH-60s out there that spare parts are not only cheaper but are going to be available for a long time. None of the Russian or West European competitors have these advantages and India made the most of that.

 strategypage