After announcing on September 15 that it would help Australia acquire nuclear submarine technology, the United States is preparing to sell helicopters to Australia.
According to a press release released by the U.S. Defense Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on the 8th local time, the U.S. Department of State has approved the sale of 12 MH-60R "Seahawk" helicopters to Australia. The U.S. side said the move would help uphold "U.S. foreign policy and national security goals."
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said on the 9th that this move means that the Australian Navy will replace the European-made MRH90 helicopter that was grounded due to "problems", which caused dissatisfaction in Australia. Some Australian politicians have criticized that in order to buy "problematic" European helicopters, "the Australian government has spent a lot of money", but now it has to "waste taxpayers' money".
Screenshot of the ABC report
The DSCA said in a press release on the same day that the 12 MH-60R multi-role helicopters involved in the arms sale were "requested to buy" by the Australian government. The U.S. State Department has decided to approve the sale of the helicopters and related services and equipment to Australia for a total price of about $985 million (about 6.35 billion yuan), and the DSCA has submitted the relevant certification documents to the U.S. Congress.
According to public information, the MH-60R Seahawk multi-purpose helicopter is one of the most advanced military carrier-based helicopters in the West, developed by the American Sikorsky Aircraft Company, which can perform anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, water search and rescue, reconnaissance, communication relay, logistics transportation, personnel delivery and vertical supply and other tasks. Its maximum flight speed is 267 kilometers per hour, the range is 834 kilometers, the flight altitude can exceed 3000 meters, and the continuous operation time is up to 4 hours.
"Australia is one of America's most important allies in the Western Pacific, and this arms sale to Australia will help (uphold) U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives." "Assisting our allies in developing and maintaining strong self-defense capabilities is critical to U.S. national interests," the DSCA said. The U.S. side also trumpeted that Australia's strategic location has made a so-called "significant contribution" to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region.
According to the DSCA, the arms sale will "enhance Australia's anti-surface ship, anti-submarine combat capabilities, and vertical replenishment and search and rescue capabilities". Moreover, "the sale of this type of equipment will not change the basic military balance in the region.".
MH-60R Seahawk helicopter From verticalmag magazine website
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the 9th that Australia will buy US-made helicopters, which means that the country's navy has decided to abandon the "MRH90" helicopter designed and manufactured by Europe that was previously purchased for 3.7 billion Australian dollars (about 17.4 billion yuan).
According to reports, as early as June this year, the Australian Defence Force has completely "stopped" 47 "MRH90s". The Australian side said that since the purchase of these European-designed helicopters in 2006, there have been many "technical problems", such as "the hatch is too narrow", which has also led to the Australian military's recent can only rely on renting temporary helicopters for training and non-combat transport missions.
The ABC said the Australian government had spent a fortune to buy these "problematic" Eurocopter helicopters. However, now it is necessary to pay a large amount of money to buy 12 US-made helicopters, which has triggered strong dissatisfaction in Australia.
Australian Labour MP Pat Conroy argued that the arms deal highlighted Australia's defence mismanagement and wasted taxpayer money. "The Australian government has spent a huge amount of money to buy MRH90 helicopters, and now it has to make taxpayers suffer."
The report also noted that despite the US announcement, the Australian side has not yet issued any comment on the arms sale.
Previously, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced a new trilateral security partnership "AUKUS" on September 15, and the United States and Britain will also help the Australian Navy acquire nuclear submarine technology. Subsequently, Indonesia, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries have said that this move may trigger an "arms race" in the region.
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