Spain approved for MH-60R purchase

The US government’s State Department has approved a potential sale of eight Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to Spain, for use by its navy.

The approval was announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 15 March, and covers the helicopters, as well as related equipment, weapons and services, as part of an overall package worth US$950 million.

While the State Department’s approval does not in itself constitute a sale, or even confirm that a type selection has been made by Spain. In addition, any formal contract must be officially signed off by the US contract before it can be issued. Instead, the approval functions primarily as a business proposal to the Spanish government.

However, the DSCA said in a statement: “The proposed sale will improve Spain's capability to meet current and future threats. The MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter will provide the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions, including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay and will bolster the Spanish Navy's ability to support NATO and remain interoperable with the US and the NATO alliance.”

At present, the Spanish Navy operates a fleet of 12 Sikorsky SH-60B (S‐70B‐1) Seahawk helicopters for this purpose, flown from navy frigates. It also operates SH-60F, Bell AB212, MD 500, and Sikorsky SH-3D helicopter types.

The Spanish government also recently provided Babcock with permission to fly commercial UAVs beyond 25kg and line of fight in September 2021.