The US Navy is progressing with plans to modernize its MH-60 Seahawk helicopter fleet, identifying several industry companies to support a prototype effort aimed at extending the platform’s operational relevance until 2050.
Sierra Nevada Corporation, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Rockwell Collins, and Technology Security Associates will contribute expertise in areas such as aircraft structural integration, safety-critical avionics, digital architecture, and open-system testing and validation.
The modernization program is being managed by the H-60 Multi-Mission Helicopter Program Office in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy. The first phase will concentrate on developing initial avionics and digital-backbone designs and preparing the aircraft for testing. A second phase is expected to advance the effort through prototype development and verification.
Digital engineering technologies will play a central role in shortening development and testing timelines. By incorporating Modular Open Systems Approach principles, the program aims to make future technology upgrades easier to integrate, minimize redesign costs, and create an adaptable architecture that could support next-generation vertical-lift aircraft.
MH-60 Seahawk Evolution
The Seahawk family was developed after the US Navy began searching for a successor to the SH-2 Seasprite during the 1970s. Based on requirements influenced by the US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk, the SH-60B entered operational service in 1984 and subsequently evolved into the MH-60R and MH-60S variants used today.
The MH-60R is designed for missions ranging from anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare to electronic warfare and command-and-control operations. The MH-60S performs a broader range of support missions, including combat search and rescue, special operations, airborne mine countermeasures, and anti-surface warfare.
The Navy is engaging industry through an Other Transaction Authority arrangement managed under the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium. Final contract awards and agreements will remain subject to negotiations and the successful completion of the Phase 1 scope of work.
