Sikorsky MH-60 Upgrade (MH-60X)

Training_Dummy

Training_Dummy

Meet me at the green spot
Senior Member
Joined
30 May 2023
Messages
674
Reaction score
1,450
What is concurrency on steroids?

Concurrenconcurrency?



I guess this plan is one way of redirecting attention from LMTs newly announced longer ranged MH-6x proposal for navy helos!

From AWST….

“The Advanced Single Main Rotor (A-SMR) concept proposes adding a hybrid-electric drivetrain to increase the range to 500 nm from the Seahawk’s current maximum of 220 nm.”
 
Training_Dummy said:
What is concurrency on steroids?

Concurrenconcurrency?



I guess this plan is one way of redirecting attention from LMTs newly announced longer ranged MH-6x proposal for navy helos!

From AWST….

“The Advanced Single Main Rotor (A-SMR) concept proposes adding a hybrid-electric drivetrain to increase the range to 500 nm from the Seahawk’s current maximum of 220 nm.”
Click to expand...

Well, that's certainly a useful bump. Fits with the idea of an MH-60X rather than a tilt-rotor for Navy missions.
 
Training_Dummy said:
“The Advanced Single Main Rotor (A-SMR) concept proposes adding a hybrid-electric drivetrain to increase the range to 500 nm from the Seahawk’s current maximum of 220 nm.”
Click to expand...
It sounds very good but is the number correct? Airbus did something similar but they only got a 30% bump on a two engine model where there's more room to play around. With given 232 nm (430 km) * 1.3 = 301.6 nm (559 km) ... looks like the a mix up of units.
 
Seragina said:
It sounds very good but is the number correct? Airbus did something similar but they only got a 30% bump on a two engine model where there's more room to play around. With given 232 nm (430 km) * 1.3 = 301.6 nm (559 km) ... looks like the a mix up of units.
Click to expand...
Well... If the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army can make a math mistake, surely we can't be too mad at Sikorsky...
 
Last edited:
Even with the 4-pylon External Stores Support System (ESSS) for carrying fuel tanks and weapons systems, Blackhawk ferry range is only 1150 miles. 500 mile radius sounds like new engine and a lighter frame.
clip_image010_0002.jpg
 
MadRat said:
Even with the 4-pylon External Stores Support System (ESSS) for carrying fuel tanks and weapons systems, Blackhawk ferry range is only 1150 miles. 500 mile radius sounds like new engine and a lighter frame.
clip_image010_0002.jpg
Click to expand...

ESSS are pretty draggy. I expect a lot of fuel is spent just to carry the tanks.

The range cited for A-SMR does seem like a lot. Until we get some more details it's hard to guess what ll it entails. My guess is that at least part of it is the ability to shut down one turboshaft in cruise.
 
They did say an electrical motor boost. Probably turns gas power into electrical for storage which sounds improbable at first, but because we are talking about turbines it would allow you to run as close of an ideal power factor as possible while in use. One downside of helicopters have always been powering up and down using up a lot of fuel disproportionate to fuel use while doing actual work. Instead of losing all the energy at startup and slow down you can boost the rpm's before spoiling the fuel to get to full and consistent speed, and charge while spooling down, two ranges where the turbine operates least best. This is kind of the premise of the next generation of electric boost turbofans. You don't run the turbine fully off the electric, just nudge it through its weakest points. Storage needs are smaller for significant boosts in fuel economy. In fixed wing assets the boost in economy is fairly low, but the complexity and cost to implement are expected to be even more low. The strategy is probably going to be really key in other vehicles where starts and stops are more common, like helicopters and tanks.
 
Another options could be to "electrify" the tail rotor. It "should" reduce the power requirement, especially in hover. I don't recall how much the tail rotor uses in a hover, but it is substantial (8%-10%?). A substantial savings I think for a helicopter that spends a lot of time hovering.
 

AI submarine hunter flown on American helicopters​

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ai-submarine-hunter-flown-on-american-helicopters/
The system, called SensorMAX, takes acoustic data from sonobuoys dropped by the helicopters and monitors it continuously, feeding a stream to the aircrew while also sending information to a ground station. When a new target appears, operators on the ground label the noise signature, retrain the model on that data and transmit a small update packet back to the crew. Lockheed Martin says each retraining cycle takes under five minutes.
Click to expand...
Two MH-60R helicopters equipped with the system flew a series of missions against an undersea threat during the exercise. According to the company, the interface allows aircrew to manage up to eight sonobuoy feeds at once, twice what existing equipment handles, and the updated models were sent to the helicopter and the wider fleet over an encrypted data link. The company states the exercise showed that helicopters paired with AI acoustic analysis can detect and track underwater targets faster than traditional methods.
Click to expand...
 
More on the above:

Forest Green said:

Lockheed Martin and U.S. Navy Demonstrate AI-Powered Submarine Hunter at RIMPAC 2026​

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...e-ai-powered-submarine-hunter-at-rimpac-2026/
Click to expand...
This summer at RIMPAC 26, Lockheed Martin collaborated with the U.S. Navy to successfully demonstrate a rapidly retrainable AI/ML sonar expert for antisubmarine warfare (ASW). The system, known as SensorMAX™, monitors spectral energy including subsurface acoustic data to assist the crew with rapid threat detection. Augmented by over-the-air (OTA) model update capability, SensorMAX aims to dramatically improve the U.S. Navy’s subsurface detection capabilities.
Click to expand...
SensorMAX uses AI/ML technology to understand ocean sounds. Taking in subsurface acoustic data from a network of sensors, SensorMAX provides a continuous data stream to the aircrew and sends information to the ground station. When a new target is identified, system operators label the identified noise signature, retrain the model on the new data and push a small update packet back to the aircrew.
Click to expand...
This closed-loop workflow – capture, label, retrain and deploy – enables the crew with continuously enhanced situational awareness throughout their mission. Retraining the model takes under 5 minutes per iteration.
Click to expand...

Mission Impact​

The success of the exercise proves that an integrated force of MH-60R helicopters and AI-enabled acoustic experts can detect and track underwater threats faster and more effectively than traditional methods, accelerating the Navy’s vision for fleetwide adoption of crew-uncrewed teaming.
Click to expand...

Core Capabilities​

  • Cross-sensor AI training. Lockheed Martin’s SensorMAX can process data from a variety of sensors supporting operations with commercial and defense applications.
  • Works everywhere. Because SensorMAX is lightweight and portable, the same “brain” could be used for data processing in the air, at sea or on land.
  • Rapid inflight classifier update. The ability to update the AI classifier during flight shortens detection-to-engagement time when new threats are detected, giving the helicopter crew a decisive edge against enemy submarines.
  • Model updates OTA. Model updates are delivered over-the-air. Lockheed Martin’s collaboration with FUSE Inc. enables secure, resilient software delivery to deployed aircraft, allowing SensorMAX’s trained AI models and mission software to be updated rapidly without interrupting operations.
Click to expand...
By demonstrating platform-agnostic AI intelligence and classification, the future fleet can leverage any acoustic sensor to expand the protective ring around high-value assets and accelerating the ASW kill chain.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom