Lockheed Martin in Owego awarded $382 million contract for MH-60R aircraft production

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced on Friday that Lockheed Martin was awarded a $382 million contract from the Navy for the manufacture and delivery of eight MH-60R aircraft. Schumer explained that a significant amount of the work on these aircraft would be executed at Lockheed’s Owego facility. 

“This significant contract will maintain Lockheed’s first-rate workforce in Owego,” said Schumer in a press release received on Friday.

“This contract is a major victory for Lockheed Martin and its dedicated workers at the Owego facility, where these critical helicopters are manufactured,” said Senator Schumer, adding, “I applaud the Navy’s significant investment in Lockheed Martin, which confirms what we already knew: Lockheed Martin is a world-class defense firm doing outstanding work right here in Upstate New York.”

Jeff Brown, spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, explained on Friday that the contract award helps to ensure uninterrupted, on-time deliveries of the MH-60R to the U.S. Navy.

Brown added, “We are proud to continue supporting the U.S. Navy by delivering an aircraft that enables aircrews to perform diverse missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, combat search and rescue, vertical replenishment and airborne mine countermeasures.”

Brown stated that Senator Schumer has been a strong supporter of Lockheed Martin’s MH-60R program, and during his visits to the Owego facility over the year, he has been briefed on the MH-60R program, toured the production line and met with employees doing the work on this aircraft to make it the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter.  

“We thank the Senator for his support and look forward to continuing to work with him as we transition into international sales as they develop,” said Brown.

Last year, Schumer met with top Lockheed Martin executives in Owego during a tour of the MH-60R production line and reinforced his commitment to protect and support New York jobs – like the thousands at its facility in Owego and at other facilities and suppliers across the state. After this key visit, Schumer called on Defense Secretary James Mattis and Navy Secretary Richard Spencer to continue investing in key helicopter programs that are of critical importance to both our Armed Forces and to regional economies, like the Southern Tier.

The MH-60R SEAHAWK helicopter is used today by the U.S. Navy as a primary platform for anti-submarine warfare in open ocean and littoral zones. According to Lockheed Martin, this helicopter is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter. It is the most capable naval helicopter available today, and can operate from the shore and from a variety of ships. 

Also known as the ‘Romeo’, the MH-60R combines the capabilities of the Navy’s legacy SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters into a single sensor-rich platform operated by a three-person crew. The MH-60R can also be used for search and rescue, supply delivery, medical evacuation, and communications relay. The MH-60R uses state-of-the-art smart automation to process sensor data into actionable knowledge, prioritize threats for the crew to act on, and reduce workload. 

Lockheed Martin stated that this advanced aircraft provides naval commanders with unmatched capabilities in the critically important “submarine hunting” mission.

Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employees approximately 2,600 people at its Rotary and Mission Systems facility in Owego. The company is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.