Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the official delivery ceremony of three new MH-60 ROMEO Seahawk helicopters to the Greek Navy at the Kotroni Air Base located northwest of the town of Marathon in Attica on Wednesday.
During the ceremony, the Greek Premier stated that the helicopters were a reinforcing factor at a time when geopolitical instability in the broader region was intensifying.
“Despite the calm currently prevalent in the Aegean, we must not forget that our eastern neighbors are accelerating their own arms program. Vigilance is constantly required, but under no circumstances should we allow ourselves to be deluded. We all must be prudent but never naive, remaining committed to the compass that always points towards peace, international law, and cooperation,” the Prime Minister remarked.
Also present at the unveiling of the helicopters was Greek Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias, who before the commencement of the ceremony stated: “Greece is even stronger. Today, we are receiving, in the ceremony attended by Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Hellenic Naval Base in Marathon, the new MH-60 ROMEO helicopters. Greece is even stronger!”
The three helicopters, out of a total of 7 scheduled to be delivered to Greece, are the latest and most versatile version of the Seahawk series and are expected to significantly improve the capabilities of the Greek Navy.
Known officially as MH-60R Seahawk, these helicopters arrived in Greece via a US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft and are also referred to as “submarine hunters” due to their anti-submarine capabilities, while they are also equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems.
They feature 2 T700 GE-401 C engines, while their dipping AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar (ALFS) primary undersea warfare (USW) sensor allows the MH-60R to engage in submarine detection, tracking, localization and classification activities.
The MH-60 ROMEO Seahawk also boasts an AN/AAS-44C(V) multi-mission targeting system, Integrated Global Positioning System/Anti-Spoofing Inertial Navigation System (SAASM).
They are equipped with powerful weaponry and capable of carrying 8 Hellfire missiles, rockets, and sonobuoys, as well as a 7.62mm M-240 machine gun or a 12.7mm M-3 machine gun.
