According to US media reports, on October 13, local time, an MH-60R "SeaHawk" carrier-based helicopter carried by the Australian Royal Navy 'Brisbane' guided missile destroyer had an accident while performing a routine military mission, and finally crashed into the waters of the Philippine Sea. After the accident, the Australian military has requested the suspension of the helicopter, a comprehensive inspection of the aircraft's combat readiness, and as for the specific cause of the accident, the Royal Australian Navy will set up an investigation team to investigate it thoroughly.
According to public information, the MH-60R "SeaHawk" carrier-based helicopter is a general-purpose ship-borne helicopter developed by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of the American Loma Company, which can perform anti-submarine, anti-ship, maritime search and rescue and force projection and other tasks, the aircraft has a range of more than 800 kilometers, and the effective stay time can reach 4 hours. In terms of combat performance, the aircraft is equipped with digital cockpit, infrared detector, radar and sonar, etc., in addition to carrying MK-46 anti-submarine torpedoes and AGM-119 "Penguin" anti-ship missiles and other attack weapons, with a powerful detection and combat integration capability.
At present, in addition to equipping the US Navy, the aircraft is also exported to Australia and India and other countries. According to statistics, before the accident, the Australian Royal Navy actively served 24 MH-60R "Seahawk" carrier-based helicopters, which are mainly equipped with "Canberra" class amphibious assault ships and "Hobart" class guided missile destroyers, is one of the royal Australian Navy's most relied on anti-submarine weapons and equipment, which together with the P-8A "Poseidon" anti-submarine patrol aircraft, together constitute the mainstay of the Royal Australian Navy's combat combat forces.
It is worth noting that two days before the accident, the Australian military announced that it would spend $985 million to order 12 MH-60R Seahawk carrier-based helicopters from the United States. It said in a statement that in recent years, the number of submarines in the navies of Australia's neighboring countries is increasing rapidly, facing a growing threat from submarines, and the purchase of 12 MH-60R "Seahawk" carrier-based helicopters can effectively enhance the anti-submarine combat capabilities of the Royal Australian Navy. Analysts pointed out that the intention of the arms purchase is very obvious, that is, to contain China. I don't know if this accident will affect the military purchase.
Although the accident was an accident, there was also an inevitability, just as the US Navy's "Connecticut" attack nuclear submarine was hit in the South China Sea, the root cause of the crash of the Royal Australian Navy's MH-60R Seahawk carrier-based helicopter was the increase in its military activities in the waters around the South China Sea. It is reported that the "Brisbane" guided-missile destroyer carrying the crashed aircraft is currently on a combat readiness cruise mission with the US Navy in philippine waters.
The so-called "the higher the jump, the more miserable the fall", at the time of the confrontation between China and the United States, Australia openly took sides, jumped up and down, and completely became the "eagle claw" of the United States.