The U.S. Naval Academy website (USNI) reported on October 14 that a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter crashed after landing in the Philippine Sea during a routine flight on October 13, and three people on board have been rescued.
The Seahawk helicopter is part of the Australian Navy's destroyer HMS Brisbane, which is on an area deployment mission with another Australian Navy frigate. At that time, the crew of the "SeaHawk" helicopter carried out an emergency landing on the sea surface.
The Australian Ministry of Defence said in a press release that about 20 minutes after the accident, the destroyer HMS Brisbane deployed speedboats and rescued the crew.
Australian Navy Rear Admiral Mark Hammond said the Australian Navy's MH-60R Seahawk helicopter fleet would be suspended, and the Australian Navy is currently equipped with 24 US-made Seahawk helicopters. Both Australian warships are currently searching for helicopter wreckage in the area of the accident to determine the cause of the accident.
Usni News also quoted agencies agencies that the Philippine military also learned of the Australian Navy helicopter crashing into the sea, the Philippine military said in a statement, when the Australian "Seahawk" helicopter was flying through the eastern part of Luzon, the Philippine side is still coordinating with the Australian Navy on this matter, and expressed its willingness to help.
The Australian Navy's destroyer HMS Brisbane left Australia at the end of September with the frigate Bararat for deployment missions in the Indo-Pacific region. Prior to the incident, the destroyer "Brisbane" and the Canadian Navy's frigate "Winnipeg" conducted a joint voyage, after which the "Winnipeg" frigate arrived in Manila to dock. The Australian frigate "Ballarat" participated in the second phase of the "Malabar" maritime military exercise jointly held by the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the Bay of Bengal.
It is worth noting that just a few days before the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter crash, the Australian Navy announced that it would purchase another 12 helicopters from the United States. The International Flight website reported on Oct. 9 that the U.S. State Department has approved the arms sale and will sell an additional 12 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine search helicopters to Australia, valued at an estimated $985 million.
The Australian Navy purchased 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters between 2013 and 2016 and is currently operating a fleet of Seahawk helicopters currently equipped with the Australian Navy's Anzac-class frigates and Hobart-class destroyers. The Australian Navy equipped the helicopter with hellfire missiles and MK-45 anti-submarine torpedoes.
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