MHI conducts first test flight of upgraded variant of SH-60K naval helicopter

Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced on 12 May that it has conducted the first test flight of an upgraded variant of its SH-60K multirole naval helicopter featuring what it described as “improved on-board systems and flying capabilities”.

MHI said in a statement that the helicopter prototype, which was ordered by the Japan Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), conducted a 30-minute hovering flight that same day from Nagoya Airport, which is adjacent to MHI’s Komaki-Minami plant.

MHI announced on 12 May that it has conducted the first test flight of an upgraded version of the SH-60K naval helicopter at Nagoya Airport. The new variant is meant for use by the JMSDF. (MHI)

Few details were provided about the improvements made to the rotorcraft, with the company only saying that development work on this variant – the designation of which has yet to be confirmed – began in 2015. Delivery of the prototype to ATLA set to take place within the current fiscal year, which ends on 31 March 2022. The new variant is being developed for use by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

The JMSDF currently operates at least 69 SH-60K helicopters, the first of which were delivered to the service in 2002: about a year after the platform’s first flight.

The SH-60K is an improved version of the SH-60J, which is also in JMSDF service, and both rotorcraft are licence-built variants of the Sikorsky-developed SH-60B helicopter. They are used by the JMSDF for anti-submarine-warfare (ASW), anti-ship, and search-and-rescue operations.