MH-60 ROMEO HELICOPTERS

Why in News ?

• Indian Navy will receive the first set of three of the 24 MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multi-role helicopters from the US in July this year. India and the US had inked a deal worth $2.4 billion (Rs 16,516 crore) in February 2020 to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from Lockheed Martin.
• The first batch of Indian pilots has reached the US for training on the helicopters that are scheduled to arrive in India in July 2022. The pilots would undergo training first in the Pensacola in Florida, US, and then in San Diego in California, US.

About:

• The MH-60 Romeo helicopters would be equipped with multi-mode radars and night vision devices, and they would be armed with Hellfire missiles, torpedoes, and precision-guided weaponry.
• The MH-60 helicopters have been designed to operate from cruisers, aircraft carriers destroyers, and frigates. MH-60 helicopters are built to target submarines, ships, and conduct search and rescue operations at sea. The MH-60 will replace Sea Kings.