Lockheed Martin Gets $375M to Design Unique Hardware, Software for Indian MH-60R Helicopter

Lockheed Martin has received a $375.5 United States government contract to design and develop unique hardware and software for the Multi-Role MH-60R Helicopter development program for the government of India.

Last month, the company said the US government has decided to advance the delivery of the Sikorsky MH-60R maritime multipurpose helicopters by handing over three choppers to the Indian Navy earlier built for the US Navy.

India has decided to buy 24 MH-60R helicopters in a US$ $2.6 billion (INR 18,608 crore) deal that was concluded during President Donald Trump’s visit to India in February this year.

Work will be performed in Owego, New York (81%); and Stratford, Connecticut (19%), and is expected to be complete by June 2025. Foreign Military Sales funds for $117,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, a US DoD release said Friday.

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Under the US foreign military sales (FMS) program, the relevant branch of the military- in this case the US Navy will manage the contract.

“Additional follow-on work (for the Indian MH-60R) is required for unique modifications and systems, which is currently going through the bid and proposal process,” Tom Kane, director of Sikorsky naval helicopter programmes had said on May 15 this year. The contract award now ties in with this statement.

With the work on the software and hardware scheduled to be completed by June 2025, the delivery of the first three helicopters, scheduled for later this year will help Indian crew to train on the choppers and integrate them into the Navy before they could be fully deployed.