Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby this week applauded the U.S. Coast Guard’s decision to award the MH-60T contract to Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky facility in Troy, Alabama. The more than $200 million award, which will procure 25 new hulls for the Coast Guard’s MH-60T aircraft, will allow the lifesaving helicopters to be flown for a minimum of 10 additional years while ensuring work for the Troy facility.
“The Coast Guard’s announcement regarding the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters highlights Troy’s first-class workforce and proven track record,” Shelby said. “Not only does this contract provide additional work for Sikorsky’s Troy facility and its employees, but it ensures the Coast Guard is able to meet its operational needs and requirements. I am pleased that the Coast Guard has selected Troy and look forward to the impact this $200 million will have on the Wiregrass region.”
The award, which is valued at $206 million, is for the sustainment of 25 Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters. This supports and increases the workforce in Troy, where the maintenance and repair of these helicopters currently take place. Specifically, the facility replaces the “hull” of the helicopter, which is essentially the frame and shell of the aircraft.
The Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Shelby is the leading Republican, has provided increased funding over each of the past three years for the Coast Guard to procure new hulls for its MH-60 aircraft — a close cousin of the Blackhawk and Seahawk variants. Shelby provided an additional $48 million for the sustainment of Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters included in the Fiscal Year 2021 omnibus appropriations bill, which was signed into law in December 2020.
The Sikorsky helicopter plant in Troy employs approximately 400 people and primarily produces variants of the MH-60 medium-lift helicopter.
