Romeo days

Seahawk Lineage

The Seahawk family which has culminated in the Romeo can be traced back to the original SH-60B ‘Bravo’ Light Airborne Multi Purpose System (LAMPS III) (and the SH-60B’s FMS derivates which include the RAN’s 16 S-70B-9s), which replaced the SH-2E Seasprite in US Navy service

The Bravo entered service with the US Navy in 1984, and was designed to operate of Perry class FFG frigates (upon which the RAN’s six Adelaide class FFGs were based) in the anti submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) roles.

The Bravo was complemented in service by the SH-60F ‘Foxtrot’ which entered service in 1986 and incorporated an ASQ-13F dipping sonar for close-in ASW work for US Navy aircraft carriers groups, as well as a winch for the ‘Angel’ search and rescue mission for a carrier’s aircraft launch and recovery operations.

The HH-60H entered Navy service in 1989, and incorporated a marinised version of the Black Hawk airframe with Seahawk-common systems for combat search and rescue (CSAR) and special operations support missions.

The MH-60S ‘Sierra’ entered service in 2002, and incorporated the new generation cockpit shared with the Romeo with the marinised Black Hawk airframe. The Sierra is replacing the H-3, CH-46, HH-60H, and MH-53 in the transport, vertical replenishment (VERTREP), CSAR, armed helo and airborne counter-mine (AMCM) missions.

Finally, the Romeo entered service in 2006 and embarked on its first operational cruise in 2009, and has combined the missions of the Bravo and the Foxtrot as part of the US Navy’s efforts to streamline its helicopter types from six to just two, the common MH-60R/S, and the CH-53.

A number of Bravos were converted to MH-60Rs early in the program as concept demonstrators and because it was originally envisaged that the bulk of the Romeo fleet would be remanufactured from SH-60Bs. But with the cost of a new build airframe only marginally more expensive than the remanufactured option, it was decided to order new builds instead. Dubbed ‘Bromeos’, most of these aircraft were dispersed amongst the squadrons for crew familiarisation and training duties, and most have now been retired.

Us Navy Romeos

The MH-60R will assume the primary ASW and ASuW missions of the SH-60B as well as the carrier-borne ASW role of the Foxtrot and CSAR missions of the HH-60H in US Navy service.

Whereas the Bravo specialises in detachment embarkations aboard singleton surface combatants such as frigates, destroyers and cruisers, and the Foxtrot operates mainly from carriers and other vessels within a carrier strike group, the Romeo will operate in both scenarios.

The US Navy currently has five Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) squadrons operating the Romeo; HSMs 41, 71 and 77 based at San Diego on the west coast, and HSMs 70 and 40 at Jacksonville in Florida on the east coast. These squadrons have or are in the process of trading in SH-60Bs for their MH-60Rs, with HSM 40, the east coast training or Fleet Replenishment Squadron (FRS) currently operating both types. HSM 41 is the west coast FRS, and has been operating the Romeo since it entered service in 2006.

“The primary focus of HSM 41 is to do the initial training and refresher training to the Romeo, including pilots, aircrewmen and some maintenance technicians,” the Deputy Commodore of Helicopter Strike Wing Pacific (COMHSMWINGPAC!), Captain Jeff Hughes told Australian media in August. “And they are growing to support the transition – their shelf of responsibilities is pretty large.”

Captain Hughes is a many-thousand hour Bravo pilot who is currently converting to the MH-60R at NAS North Island in San Diego.

“We also have a weapons school which provides advanced tactical training,” he added. “They are the tactical subject matter experts on Seahawk weapons and tactics, and are critical to providing tactical standardisation and evaluation of crews prior to deployment. They also provide a reachback capability for squadrons on deployment.”

At time of writing, about 75 Romeos had been delivered to the US Navy of a currently contracted multi-year buy of 139 aircraft, with the US Navy expected to buy more than 300 MH-60Rs out to 2019.

Not Your Daddy’s Seahawk!

Whilst the MH-60R shares the basic airframe design, drive train and ancillary systems with the older Bravo and Foxtrot, there are numerous updates and new systems which set it apart as arguably the most advanced ASW helicopter flying anywhere.

CAPT Hughes’s enthusiasm for the Romeo and the new capabilities it brings to the fleet is obvious. “The Romeo and Sierra have compatible airframes which are about 85 per cent common. It’s basically the same drivetrain, same engine, and same dynamic components. They have distinct yet complimentary missions. In the Romeo we focus in different areas; we focus on our core mission areas – the sea control and the ASW. When we put a Romeo in the air wing, we are the sole organic air ASW asset for the carrier strike group, and we completely embrace that role.”

Perhaps the MH-60R’s most advanced feature is its glass cockpit and behind it, the levels of integration of the helicopter’s sensors and the way they are presented to the crew. “This glass cockpit is phenomenal,” he added. “It is amazing what kind of information it pushes to you. As a Bravo guy, I’m used to dials and steam gauges, but it’s been an easy transition to get that information. It’s presented in such a way that, as a pilot after just a few hours, it really exceeded my expectations.”

Before the crew even steps to the Romeo, they have a mission planning system which allows them to input flight plans, navigation and mission plans, and sensor and other information onto a PCM-CIA card, and then upload it straight to the aircraft. “I can’t tell you how much pilot workload it reduces to be able to do (the planning) before you’re in the aircraft, plug it in, and you’re off and running,” enthused CAPT Hughes.

But the current mission planning will soon be further enhanced with the addition of the US military standard Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) which is to be integrated to the Romeo and Sierra by Lockheed Martin under a recently awarded contract.

The Bravo’s Raytheon AN/APS-124 multi-mode radar has been significantly enhanced for the Romeo, to such an extent it has been re-designated the APS-147. “This thing’s fantastic,” said CAPT Hughes. “Its resolution at short range, long range, for small targets like periscope detection, and ISR for classification is incredible. I was a huge APS-124 fan, but I really can’t say enough good things about the APS-147.”

The Romeo also has a growth version of the Raytheon AN/AAS-44(V) Multi-Spectral Targeting System (or FLIR pod), dubbed AAS/44C(V). It provides surveillance, target acquisition, tracking, range finding, and laser designation, in addition to FLIR optical sensor for long-range imaging and video of targets.

“The ALFS (AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar) is a game changing sensor,” CAPT Hughes continued. “It has expanded ranges and better classification – really, it’s the best in the business. We’re still learning and getting better with it, and it’s one of those things that, over time, we’ll be more potent and lethal with.”

The Hawk Link datalink system, especially developed for voiceless communications between Seahawks and surface ships, is supplemented with Link-16, and allows the Romeo crew to send high resolution imagery and ESM data down to surface ships for further analysis and for tactical decisions to be made in near real-time, or to other tactical platforms for targeting. “When we started pumping FLIR down this link, they were begging for more,” said CAPT Hughes. “And soon, we’re going to be able to expand that with a much bigger bandwidth, so that’s more down the pipe and faster, not just to the detachment ships, but also directly to the carriers.”

On top of these sensors is the Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-210 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system. “This is a very sensitive system that allows us to go through a broader frequency range,” CAPT Hughes added. “It’s really good as far as localisation and detection and being able to identify where threat emitters are coming from, and it gives us a really good threat warning capability. It’s another one of these systems that we’re still learning, and really trying to get our arms around to fully exploit.”

But it’s the data fusion which really brings the Romeo’s capabilities to the fore. The system’s ability to take the FLIR imagery, radar, acoustic and ESM data, and overlay it into a single picture is a unique one for an operational tactical helicopter platform, and gives greater situational awareness to both the helicopter crew and friendly surface ships via datalink. CAPT Hughes explained that “There are some very smart ways in which the system presents things. It allows you to really focus some of that raw data being integrated, such as an ESM bearing line, a radar track, or an IFF interrogation. It comes together and gives you the ability to really narrow down and dig in on the things you want to focus on – it really is fantastic.”

On the weapons front, the Romeo can employ the Mk-46 and Mk-54 ASW/ASuW torpedoes, and two quad packs of AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. Whilst much has been made by some observers of the Hellfire’s relatively short range (~8km) and lack of punch against major surface targets, it is unlikely a Romeo or anything else could get within range of a ship that is too big to sink with a Hellfire anyway. More likely is the MH-60R would provide target identification and precision targeting data – often from below a target’s radar horizon – via datalink to a Harpoon or JSOW toting ship or strike aircraft.

“We are all about the end to end – the detection, identification, localisation, classification, attack, re-attack if needed, and BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment),” said CAPT Hughes in closing. “We’re part of that ASW and ASuW piece, the entire kill chain – find, fix, and finish – that’s our focus. But it’s also important to highlight our command and control and our networking capability – it’s amazing on this aircraft. We had a great one on the Bravo, but we’ve taken it light years on the Romeo to take, provide and pass on information, as well as raw and fused data, and communications down lots of different paths. From a maritime domain awareness perspective, (the Romeo has) a role to be a leader as both as a striker contributor and as an independent platform.”

Romeo For Phase 8?

Team Romeo and the US Navy submitted their proposal to Australia for the Romeo in July. Although many of the specifics including price are not available, the bid proposes 24 MH-60Rs to replace the RAN’s 16 Seahawks and the void left by the 11 cancelled Seaprites, with an ability to provide 6-8 aircraft relatively quickly in order to stand up the first flight as per the project’s urgent status.

“The MH-60R will provide the lowest-risk solution and best available ASW and ASuW capabilities to Australia to meet their urgent need for a maritime combat helicopter,” said George Barton, Lockheed Martin’s MH-60R program manager in a statement. “Team Romeo’s proposal offers Australian business partners a tremendous opportunity to help us keep these helicopters combat ready over the life of the program and grow many high-tech jobs in Australia.”

Certainly, from a risk perspective, a possible Romeo acquisition has many similarities with that of the RAAF’s Super Hornet bridging air combat capability process – relationships are already in place with the US Navy and Sikorsky on the current Seahawk, and the many commonalities between the two generations of Seahawks would make the transition for crews and maintenance personnel a relatively smooth one.

But unlike the Super Hornet which is intended to be in service for not much more than a decade, the Romeo won’t be a bridging capability. The current Seahawks will have been in service for nearly 30 years by the time they are replaced, and it is realistic to assume their successors will have a similar length of tenure. Therefore, it is reasonable to question the technical longevity of the Romeo’s drive train and airframe, as well as its comparatively small cabin space which provides a certain lack of operational flexibility for the RAN’s surface ships which usually operate as singletons.

But with two large amphibious ships capable of embarking MRH-90s and Chinooks on the way, and thus future RAN concepts of operations possibly centring more around expeditionary operations, the lack of flexibility in the MH-60R’s cabin may not be an issue, and its ability to protect a surface task force will come to the fore.