Up to $246M for 6 Royal Thai Navy MH-60S Helicopters

Thai MH-60S(click to view full) In April 2006, Thailand made an official request to buy up to 6 MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, making them the 1st country to request this updated naval utility rotorcraft. They offer a number of advances over previous SH-60B/F machines, but they replace those helicopters’ anti-submarine equipment with advanced day/night surveillance sensors, ground-attack weapons capability, and a more explicit utility/cargo role. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $246 million, but Thailand became the type’s 1st export customer with a smaller 2007 order for just 2 machines. So, why the MH-60S? And what’s the status of the order? Why the MH-60S? MH-60S from USS JFK(click to view full) The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) will use the helicopters in a utility role, alongside their 6 earlier-model S-70B Seahawk naval helicopters, and 6 marinized S-76 helicopters, which have carved out a utility niche in the civilian offshore oil & gas industry, among others. Thailand’s geography gives it a long coastline to monitor, and almost all of the country’s natural gas fields are located offshore in the Gulf of Thailand. Though the Thai government’s response to the 2004 tsunami was given very positive ratings, […]