It is only a matter of time before the delivery of the first Romeo helicopters for the Navy, which is being feverishly prepared at its facilities.
About the “submarine killers” or otherwise the MH-60R helicopters also known as Romeo, we have written a few times on enikos.gr.
Preparations at the Naval Helicopter Base (NAF) at the Cotronio Marathon Naval Fort, the home of the Navy’s helicopters, are at a fever pitch. In fact, yesterday, the Chief of the Naval General Staff (GEN), Vice-Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, closely inspected the work being done so that in the coming months the Helicopter Command will receive the first of the total 7 Romeos, which will arrive from the frigates.
During the visit, the GEN Chief was informed by the Commander of the Naval Aviation (NAF), Captain A. Foskas PN on the current developments and activities of the GEN.
However, the Chief was also informed about another very important program. The supply of Unmanned Helicopters – Drones, which will also be received by the PN in the near future, and from the VEN they will fly to the frigates from where they will operate.
According to the manufacturer, the first A900s will be fully operational in the coming months of 2022, and will be integrated into the fleet’s frigates.
The total cost is reportedly €2 million for all 5 A900 drones, including training of Navy personnel.
The helicopters – drones of the Navy will plow together with the Romeos in a long radius the sea around the frigates, from which they will operate.
They can fly up to 4 hours in a radius of up to 25 km from the ship, at an altitude of 10,000 feet, at a speed of 58 km per hour.
Already, as we wrote last December on enikos.gr, the first Romeo is already ready – painted in Greek colors, while the information indicates that the second “killer” is also in the final stage of preparation.
These are a total of 7 brand new helicopters, the supply of which is made through an intergovernmental agreement (G2G = Government to Government) between Greece and the USA, through the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) process. The first 4 MH-60 ROMEOs, which will replace the old and outdated technology AB-212 helicopters of the PN, as well as the next 3 that will be located in the Navy’s “hawk’s nest” in Cotroni are expected to significantly increase the deterrent power of the of our naval forces, as they are equipped with state-of-the-art anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare and surface warfare systems.
It is noted that major powers such as the USA and India choose these helicopters for their Navy. In fact, the procurement of the helicopters at a price almost 25% lower than the current price is considered a negotiation success, which means that 7 helicopters are actually acquired for the price of 5.5.
At the same time, with the upgrade of 11 Aegean Hawks, the Navy is creating an aerial fleet of a total of 18 helicopters, which are the biggest threat to Turkish submarines. Especially the Romeos, which are considered to be the most advanced in the world and which Turkey does not have.
The photo of the first Romeo, painted in Greek colors and with the insignia “PN 75” was published by the “Naval Air Systems Command” of the US Navy, on its official Twitter account.
It is recalled that enikos.gr is the only Greek media that had traveled to the Sikorsky factory where the Romeos are manufactured, presenting an extensive tribute from the production line of the sister Blackhawk helicopters.
