Pursuant to Administrative Decision 1277/2021, the Cabinet of Ministers authorized the expenditure of US$ 12,835,000 for the purchase of two modified and upgraded Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King helicopters, to be incorporated into the Argentine Navy to perform logistic support tasks at the Comandante Espora Naval Air Base.
The favored supplier is Carson Helicopters, a company that commercializes the S-61T (Triton)/ Super SH-3 from S-61/ Sea King cells that were extensively refurbished and modernized. The upgrade program transformed the original Sikorsky helicopter for a number of specific applications in search and rescue, firefighting, troop transport, external lift, and maritime patrol missions.
Major improvements include composite main rotor blades, a state-of-the-art glass cockpit, and modular wiring, which increase the aircraft’s performance, robustness, and reliability. These enhancements provide increased payload, combined with reduced pilot fatigue and aircraft maintenance, increasing overall safety.
The amount of the operation includes maintenance training courses for eight technicians and the logistics package of spares and rotables for the first two years or 500 flight hours of the helicopters.
A major improvement of the Sea Kings to be acquired is related to their avionics, as they will be equipped with a Full Glass Cockpit provided by Genesis Aerosystems:
The cockpit has four IDU-680 EFIS displays with redundant quad FMS, moving maps, synthetic vision, and a fully integrated EICAS. The avionics suite also features an automatic direction-finding system, a distance measurement system, an integrated digital audio/radio management system, and a helicopter interior audio control.
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