Greece Receives US-Made Romeo MH-60R Seahawk Helicopters

On Wednesday, Greece received three new US-made Romeo MH-60R Seahawk helicopters that will be joining the Hellenic Navy.

The ceremony took place at the Kotroni Air Base near Marathon in East Attica, where Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a brief address, emphasizing the dangers Greece faces from Turkey despite improving relations.

“Despite the calmness that currently prevails in the Aegean, we must not forget that our neighbors to the east are also accelerating their own armaments program,” the PM said. “Approaches are always imperative, but under no circumstances are illusions allowed.”

“And we all [need] to be courteous but not naive, staying focused in the direction of peace, international law and cooperation,” Mitsotakis said.

Στην τελετή υποδοχής και ένταξης στη Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Ναυτικού (ΔΑΝ) τριών νέων Ελικοπτέρων τύπου MH-60 Romeo από το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, στη Βάση του Μαραθώνα, παρουσία του @PrimeministerGR Κυριάκου Μητσοτάκη. pic.twitter.com/uzFT2ARyyu

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) March 20, 2024

“Greece even stronger,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias wrote in a post on the delivery of the helicopters.

Greece will acquire seven helicopters from the transnational program co-signed with the United States.

It placed separate orders for MH-60R aircraft—four in July 2020 and three in April 2021—as a Foreign Military Sales purchase with the US government. After delivery of the first three, the remaining four will arrive in 2025, the manufacturer,  Lockheed Martin, said.

It is the seventh country to receive the US Navy MH-60R naval helicopter. In Europe, Denmark operates 9 MH-60Rs. In 2023, Spain and Norway ordered 14 MH-60R helicopters.

Greece strengthens defense with Seahawk helicopters

The MH-60R Seahawks are the most renowned means of naval operations in both anti-submarine and surface warfare. Their sophisticated detection, strike, and countermeasures systems offer unique capabilities in modern maritime warfare.

It is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modifications are the folding main rotor blades and a hinged tail to reduce its footprint aboard ships.

It is deployed aboard aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, Maritime Sealift Command ships, and fast combat support ships. Its missions include vertical replenishment, medical evacuation, combat search and rescue, anti-surface warfare, maritime interdiction, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and special warfare support.

The arrival of the helicopters to Greece follows the recent decision by the US State Department to approve the sale of up to forty F-35 fighter jets and respective equipment to Greece in an $8.6 billion deal.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security of the United States by improving the air capabilities and interoperability of a NATO Ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the State Department commented in its respective announcement.