Indian Navy commissions second squadron of MH60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters

New Delhi: The Indian Navy on Wednesday commissioned its second squadron of US-made MH60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters packing more punch to its frontline fleet even as works are going on to integrate additional made-in-India weapons and sensors to the aircraft.

Christened as INAS 335 (Ospreys), the new squadron was commissioned at the home base of Indian naval aviation, INS Hansa in Goa, in the presence of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Tripathi.

“The MH60R, with its world-class sensors, advanced avionics, and potent weapons suite, will enhance Maritime Domain Awareness, and enable rapid response across anti-submarine warfare, maritime strike, and search and rescue missions,” he said.

“As we operationalise the capabilities of this platform, we are also parallely pursuing integration of indigenous weapons and sensors on this helicopter,” he added.

The second unit comes a year after the first one, INAS 334 (Seahawks), was commissioned at Kochi.

These are all weather, day and night platforms that can also carry out anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuation and vertical replenishment.

Way back in 2020, India signed an over Rs 15,000 crore contract with the USA for 24 MH-60R choppers made by Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin.

With supply side constraints delaying the delivery, India has received 15 choppers so far and the rest are expected to arrive by 2028. Three helicopters flew at the commissioning ceremony.

In a veiled reference to China and Pakistan flexing muscles in the Indian Ocean region, Admiral Tripathi said the maritime environment around India was more complex and contested than ever before.

Shifting geopolitics, technologies, and an expanding spectrum of threats, from grey-zone activities to supply chain disruptions at sea, are shaping such a reality.

“Strengthening maritime security and deterrence are fundamental to safeguarding our sea lines of communications, and growing national maritime interests,” he said.

With MH-60Rs proving its capability during Operation Sindoor, TROPEX-25, and the recent tri-services exercise, the Navy Chief said the second Squadron was in a fully operational state, ready to deploy with the fleet from day one.

On the procurement of advanced aviation platforms, he said, “the Indian Navy is progressing the acquisition of 15 MQ9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft, that will significantly enhance our ability to maintain persistent maritime surveillance, and comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness.”