South Korea's defense acquisition program administration expects to finalize an estimated $878M foreign military sales contract with the U.S. government to procure a dozen MH-60R Seahawk naval helicopters built by Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) Sikorsky subsidiary, Defense News reported Wednesday.
DAPA chose the Seahawk platform for the second batch of the agency's maritime operational helicopter procurement effort that will also include equipment and support services.
The report said DAPA initially planned a sole-source acquisition of Leonardo AW159 multimission helicopters but changed its decision after the agency received an MH-60R price offer from the U.S.
The South Korean navy wants to receive all 12 Seahawks by 2025 via phased delivery and deploy the maritime aircraft aboard its future frigate vessels and Aegis combat system-equipped destroyer ships, the report added.
