SH-60B/F Seahawk
• Anti-submarine warfare • Air-sea rescue • Helicopter delivery
America’s navy would not be able to function without the SH-60 Seahawk. the versatile Sikorsky helicopter which flies from frigates, destroyers and aircraft-carriers. The Seahawk has to operate at night, in heavy seas, from the deck of a ship swaying and pitching and bombarded by salt water. When airborne it must fulfil its assigned role, searching for hostile submarines and surface vessels that may pose a threat to the battle fleet.
The mainstay of the US Navy ►
The first SH-60B flew m 1983. with its initial shipboard deployment taking placo in 1985. The first SH-60Fs wore dekvered ю 1989.
A MAO bird
The red and yellow ‘MAD bird’, or towed Magnetic Anomaly Detector, helps to locato submannes by measunng changes in the earth’s magnetic field.
A Spanish Armada
Tho Spanish navy has operated SH-60Bs under the designation HS.23 smeo 1988. Twelvo are based at Rota and regularly deploy aboard ‘Santa Maria’-class guided missile frigates. They differ from US Navy SH-60Bs in having a dipping sonar.
A Frigate based
Some of the US Navy’s FFG-7 ‘Oliver Hazard Perry’-class guided missile frigates operate with one SH-60B.
Australian Hawks ►
Exported examples of the Seahawk use Sikorsky’s S-70 model designation. In tho foreground is an RAAF S-70A-9 Black Hawk: behind is a naval S-70B-2.
FACTS AND FIGURES
► Taiwan operates the S-70C(M)-1. equipped with new radar and torpedoes, from ‘Kwang Hua Г-class frigates.
► During the Gulf War two downed pilots were rescued by US Navy SH-60s.
► Door-mounted machine-gun armament is often carried by US Navy SH/HH-60s.
► A third version operated by tho US Navy is tho HH-60H (unofficially callod ‘Rescue Hawk’) for the rescue of downed aircrew.
► The US Coast Guard flies tho HH-60J Jayhawk In the search-and-rescue role.
► Tho only US Marino Corps H-60s are nine VH-60N ‘Presidential Hawks’ for VIPs.
Wall ilic proven
airframe of the I ‘$ Amty’s Шнек Hawk, lilt* SH-fjOB Scaluwk serves. is the backlxmc of roury aviation ilxxird the US Navy’s surface ve. sscls, The SH-60F (unofficially named ‘Ocean I I. ivk‘> fulfils a Minilar role on aircraft-carrier decks.
Пн* SH-боК operating fn>ni a Innate or destroyer and live*
SI 160F flying from a carrier
Tito – AJ’ marking
u tool o< tho Cornu»
А.» Group aboard ton ‘?Stod(Ve Поошил and -. іггнsi by ail nrcratt on tnn earner
Індії have a crew ol three: pilot, airixime tactical оПВсст/ОО-pilot and sensor operator. These are prinurily anii-submarine helicopters and their search fix >ulxm lines is aided by the [xireni vessel’s СОП1ІХІІ information centre. Пк – Rnal Ііхдііоп ol the submarine and its subsequent .mack, however, are the responsibility of the SI I-<a0H і rew.
While the SH-tiOB is an over the-horixon wcajvon system, the SH-60F, obtained to replace the elderly Sikorsky SI 1-311 Sea King |X*iforms the Navy’s *innei
/one’ ASW mission lor the carrier Battle Group, called CV-Helo’ I lie Sll-OOF also tills air-sea rescue ‘plane guard and utility transport roles.
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Sikorsky