Aircraft & UAVs

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter

Also known as
  • MH-60R Romeo Seahawk
  • MH-60R Romeo
  • MH-60R Sea Hawk
  • Sikorsky MH-60R
  • Romeo Seahawk

The MH-60R Seahawk is the U.S. Navy's shipboard anti-submarine and surface-warfare helicopter, built around dipping sonar, sonobuoys, radar, electronic-support sensors, and precision air-to-surface weapons. NAVAIR describes it as the replacement for the SH-60B and SH-60F, while Red Sea reporting documents U.S. Navy Seahawk combat use against Houthi boats and a later MH-60R counter-UAV engagement.

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, Primary anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: MH-60R Seahawk and Hellfire.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Crew
Three
Length
64 feet, 10 inches
Height
17 feet
Weight
15,170 pounds empty / 23,500 pounds max gross
Propulsion
2x GE T700-GE-401C or -401D
Primary function
Anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare helicopter
Shipboard basing
Cruisers, destroyers, frigates, littoral combat ships, aircraft carriers, and other aviation-capable ships
Mission sensors
Dipping sonar, sonobuoys, multi-mode radar, electronic warfare sensors, FLIR with laser designator, and advanced mission data processing
Armament
Lightweight torpedoes, Hellfire missiles, 2.75-inch rockets or APKWS II, and crew-served machine guns
Mission Fit And Loadout

The MH-60R combines the former SH-60B surface-combatant and SH-60F carrier anti-submarine roles in a single shipboard helicopter. Its mission fit is built around sensors for submarine detection, surface search, and target designation, with weapons for submarines, small boats, and close surface threats.

Mission areaRelevant equipmentCatalog context
Anti-submarine warfareDipping sonar, sonobuoys, and lightweight torpedoesNAVAIR and DOT&E describe the Romeo as the Navy's primary anti-submarine helicopter and replacement for the SH-60B/F lineage.
Surface warfareMulti-mode radar, EO/IR sensor with laser designator, Hellfire, and APKWS IIDOT&E and Navy reporting connect the MH-60R to armed surface-warfare testing and guided air-to-surface weapons.
Red Sea combat useShipboard helicopter detachments from U.S. Navy forcesOpen reporting documents Seahawk use against Houthi attack boats and a later MH-60R counter-UAV engagement in the Red Sea campaign.
Variants

The MH-60R is the Romeo anti-submarine and surface-warfare branch of the Seahawk family; it replaced the SH-60B and SH-60F, while the MH-60S serves as a parallel multi-mission Sea Hawk configuration.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
SH-60 Seahawk helicopter, Shipboard maritime helicopter family, Aircraft & UAVsSH-60 Seahawk helicopterSeahawk family page

The Navy fact file groups MH-60R and MH-60S aircraft within the Seahawk family of shipboard Navy helicopters.

Sources: MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter > United States Navy > Display-FactFiles

SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, LAMPS Mk III naval helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsSH-60B Seahawk helicopterLegacy LAMPS Mk III predecessor

NAVAIR identifies the MH-60R as the replacement for the SH-60B and SH-60F aircraft.

Sources: MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIR

SH-60F SeahawkLegacy carrier anti-submarine predecessor

NAVAIR identifies the SH-60F as one of the two legacy Seahawk types replaced by the MH-60R.

Sources: MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIR

MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, Multi-mission maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsMH-60S Sea Hawk helicopterParallel multi-mission Seahawk

The Navy fact file treats the MH-60R and MH-60S as the current Seahawk configurations, with the R model centered on anti-submarine and surface warfare.

Sources: MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter > United States Navy > Display-FactFiles

Carried Munitions

Navy and DOT&E sources document the MH-60R as an armed maritime helicopter able to carry Hellfire missiles and 2.75-inch guided rockets for surface-warfare missions.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyAir-to-surface missile family

Navy reporting says MH-60R crews will employ existing Hellfire missiles alongside APKWS II, and DOT&E lists Hellfire missiles among the helicopter's surface-warfare weapons.

Sources: Swamp Foxes Conduct First Swing Loaded Operational Flight, MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter FY15 DOT&E

APKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets, Guided rocket munition family, MunitionsAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rocketsLaser-guided 2.75-inch rocket family

DOT&E assessed an MH-60R equipped with the Digital Rocket Launcher and APKWS II rockets, while Navy reporting identifies APKWS II integration alongside Hellfire missiles.

Sources: MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter FY15 DOT&E, Swamp Foxes Conduct First Swing Loaded Operational Flight

Timeline

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter Key Events

  1. Initial operational capability

    NAVAIR lists December 2005 as the MH-60R initial operational capability date.

    Sources: MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIR

  2. Fleet service begins

    The MH-60R entered Navy service in 2006 as the Romeo replacement path for legacy SH-60B and SH-60F Seahawks.

    Sources: MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIR

  3. Full operational capability

    NAVAIR reports full operational capability in 2010, completing the MH-60R's transition into fleet service.

    Sources: MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIR

  4. APKWS II surface-warfare testing

    DOT&E reported that MH-60R testing with a Digital Rocket Launcher and APKWS II rockets demonstrated limited surface-warfare capability.

    Sources: MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter FY15 DOT&E

  5. Red Sea small-boat engagement

    USNI News reported U.S. Navy helicopter crews sank Houthi attack boats after responding to a Red Sea merchant-vessel distress call.

    Sources: U.S. Navy Helo Crews Kill Houthi Assault Boat Teams After Red Sea Attack

  6. MH-60R counter-UAV engagement reported

    The War Zone reported that a U.S. Navy MH-60R Romeo deployed in the Red Sea campaign had shot down a Houthi drone.

    Sources: Navy MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter Has Shot Down Its First Drone

Media

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter Images

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, Primary anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: MH-60R Sea Hawk 131202-N-AZ866-375.jpg
MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, Primary anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (cropped).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
SH-60 Seahawk helicopter, Shipboard maritime helicopter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSH-60 Seahawk helicopterShipboard maritime helicopter familyThe SH-60 Seahawk is the U.S. Navy's shipboard H-60 maritime helicopter family, spanning legacy SH-60B/F and HH-60H aircraft and the MH-60R/S successors now used from cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships, carriers, and other aviation-capable vessels. Navy and NAVAIR sources describe a family built around anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, search and rescue, mine countermeasures, cargo lift, special operations support, and maritime force protection.
MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, Multi-mission maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMH-60S Sea Hawk helicopterMulti-mission maritime helicopterThe MH-60S Sea Hawk is a U.S. Navy multi-mission helicopter derived from the Black Hawk/Seahawk family for shipboard logistics, search and rescue, special warfare support, mine-countermeasures, and armed maritime missions. NAVAIR describes the aircraft as sharing the MH-60R common cockpit while replacing legacy H-46D, H-3, and HH-1N roles; during Operation Epic Fury in the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, MH-60S aircraft were documented aboard USS Abraham Lincoln handling flight-deck movements, cargo transport, and at-sea support.
SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, LAMPS Mk III naval helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSH-60B Seahawk helicopterLAMPS Mk III naval helicopterThe SH-60B Seahawk is the U.S. Navy's LAMPS Mk III shipboard helicopter, built around a Sikorsky airframe and mission systems for frigate, destroyer, and cruiser detachments. Navy, GAO, and USNI sources frame the aircraft as the helicopter element of an anti-submarine and anti-surface ship system, with Desert Storm surveillance use, later Operation Iraqi Freedom deployments, and torpedoes, Penguin missiles, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and crew-served guns documented in the SH-60B record.
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, Anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSikorsky SH-3 Sea KingAnti-submarine warfare and utility helicopterThe Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is the U.S. Navy H-3/S-61 maritime helicopter family built around twin turboshaft engines, an amphibious boat hull, dipping sonar, and carrier-deck folding features. Designed as a Cold War anti-submarine platform, it also became a rescue, utility, minesweeping, astronaut-recovery, and presidential-transport airframe, with direct Vietnam War combat-search-and-rescue documentation and later U.S. Navy service lasting until the last operational UH-3H retirement in 2009.
MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator, Special operations gunship helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMH-60L Direct Action PenetratorSpecial operations gunship helicopterThe MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator is a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment gunship conversion of the UH-60L/MH-60 Black Hawk, trading troop-carrying capacity for modular cannons, rockets, guided missiles, sensors, and night-raid support. Venezuela conflict reporting documents DAP Black Hawks in U.S. special operations use, while also noting that current operational DAPs are MH-60M airframes derived from the same mission configuration.
Black Hawk helicopter, Medium-lift military utility helicopter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsBlack Hawk helicopterMedium-lift military utility helicopter familyThe Black Hawk is Sikorsky's twin-engine medium-lift military utility helicopter family, developed from the U.S. Army's 1972 UTTAS requirement and fielded from 1978-79. The cataloged family covers utility, special-operations, armed, and HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue variants, with directly documented use from the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu to NATO combat search and rescue over Kosovo, U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Black Hawk missions during the Russia-Ukraine war.
20mm Mk 15 Phalanx, Shipboard close-in weapon system, Naval SystemsNaval Systems20mm Mk 15 PhalanxShipboard close-in weapon systemThe 20mm Mk 15 Phalanx is a U.S.-origin shipboard close-in weapon system built around an M61A1 Gatling gun, self-contained search and track radar, and automated fire-control functions. Navy and manufacturer sources describe it as the U.S. Navy's inner-layer defense against anti-ship missiles, aircraft, unmanned aircraft, and small surface threats; direct combat-use evidence includes USS Jarrett's Gulf War Phalanx firing during the Iraqi Silkworm engagement near USS Missouri and USS Gravely's Red Sea interception of a Houthi anti-ship missile.

Sources

MH-60R Seahawk | NAVAIRPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports MH-60R Seahawk mission, manufacturer, service-entry context, replacement of SH-60B/F aircraft, and baseline specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter > United States Navy > Display-FactFilesPublisher: United States Navy | Note: Supports Seahawk family context and the distinction between the MH-60R anti-submarine/surface-warfare configuration and the MH-60S multi-mission configuration. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter FY15 DOT&EPublisher: Director, Operational Test and Evaluation | Note: Supports MH-60R shipboard basing, mission sensors, armament, and Digital Rocket Launcher / APKWS II surface-warfare testing. | Accessed: 2026-06-29U.S. Navy Helo Crews Kill Houthi Assault Boat Teams After Red Sea AttackPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports 2023 Red Sea Crisis use by U.S. Navy helicopters against Houthi small boats in December 2023. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Navy MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter Has Shot Down Its First DronePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports 2023 Red Sea Crisis use by an MH-60R Seahawk deployed to the Red Sea that shot down a Houthi drone. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Swamp Foxes Conduct First Swing Loaded Operational FlightPublisher: United States Navy | Note: Supports the MH-60R's documented employment of existing Hellfire missiles and APKWS II. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MH-60R Seahawk and Hellfire.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary MH-60R gallery image, a public-domain U.S. Navy photo. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MH-60R Sea Hawk 131202-N-AZ866-375.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a public-domain U.S. Navy MH-60R image aboard USS Nimitz. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (cropped).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a public-domain U.S. Navy MH-60R carrier-landing image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29