US accepts Taiwan’s preliminary request for up to 20 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to counter Chinese submarines
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The United States has reportedly accepted Taiwan’s Letter of Request for Price and Availability regarding the potential acquisition of up to twenty MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. This revived procurement under the Shenying III initiative addresses critical capability gaps created by the impending retirement of Taiwan’s legacy S-70C(M) naval helicopter fleet. The proposed acquisitions aim to enhance maritime surveillance, submarine tracking, and tactical transport resilience across Taiwan’s regional operational zones.
The MH-60R Seahawk would allow Taiwan to detect, track, and attack Chinese submarines farther from its warships using dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and torpedoes, helping protect naval vessels, ports, and maritime supply routes. (Picture source: US DoD)
According to the Liberty Times on October 9, 2026, the U.S. reportedly accepted Taiwan’s Letter of Request for Price and Availability (LOR for P&A) for the potential acquisition of up to 20 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters, relaunching a procurement program that was canceled in 2022 due to cost and disagreements over defense priorities. By October 1, 2026, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense authorized the revised Shenying III proposal, while increasing the requirement from 12 to 20 helicopters to replace the Taiwanese Navy’s 17 surviving S-70C(M)-1/2 helicopters acquired between 1990 and 2001. Washington also accepted Taiwan’s preliminary request for C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, reopening discussions on two aircraft acquisitions previously constrained by U.S. preferences for mobile, dispersed weapons under Taiwan’s asymmetric defense strategy.
Neither proposed sale has received final U.S. State Department approval, and no Letter of Offer and Acceptance, contract value, delivery timetable, or initial operational capability date has been established or disclosed. The Shenying III program began in 2015 with a requirement for 10 MH-60Rs and an estimated acquisition package of $800 million, equivalent to $80 million per helicopter, including package costs. The original objective was to replace the Navy’s 500MD/ASW Defender helicopters, introduced in 1979, while retaining the S-70C(M)s for operations from frigates. By 2022, the Navy had increased its requirement to 12 MH-60Rs and allocated NT$34.019 billion ($1.066 billion), or NT$2.835 billion ($88.8 million) per helicopter on the same package-average basis.
Related topic: Belgium considers U.S. MH-60R Seahawk helicopter for maritime search and rescue operations
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng canceled the acquisition on May 5, 2022, citing excessive purchase costs, while Washington prioritized coastal defense systems such as truck-mounted Harpoon anti-ship missiles. In September 2025, the Navy reconsidered either acquiring 12 MH-60Rs or upgrading the sonar and submarine-detection systems of its existing S-70C(M)s, before expanding the proposal to 20 helicopters in 2026. This revision changed the program’s scope from replacing the 500MD/ASW and supplementing the S-70C(M) fleet to replacing both S-70C(M) variants, whose retirement would otherwise leave Taiwan without its principal shipborne anti-submarine helicopters.
The MH-60R Seahawk itself is a twin-engine naval helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky, with a length of 16.18 m, width of 4.37 m, height of 5.18 m, maximum takeoff weight of 10,200 kg, and maximum level-flight speed of 333 km/h. Its standard U.S. Navy anti-submarine equipment includes the AN/AQS-22 airborne low-frequency dipping sonar, AN/APS-153 maritime surveillance radar, acoustic processing equipment, and sonobuoy launch capability, allowing the helicopter to detect submarines through active and passive acoustic searches while monitoring surface contacts. The AN/AQS-22 can be lowered into the water at successive hovering positions, while sonobuoys can be deployed across a wider area to investigate submarine movements without requiring the helicopter to remain directly above each contact. The MH-60R can employ Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes, which have a nominal weight of 276 kg and a diameter of 324 mm, as well as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles against suitable surface targets.
Its four-person crew normally comprises two pilots and two airborne tactical operators, dividing flying duties, acoustic analysis, sensor operation, and weapons employment. These capabilities would allow Taiwan to replace its existing S-70C(M) fleet with modern ASW helicopters able to conduct submarine detection, classification, tracking, and attack during a single mission. The exact radar configuration, acoustic equipment, weapons quantities, software, and ship-integration arrangements for Taiwan remain undecided. Taiwan originally purchased 10 S-70C(M)-1 helicopters under Shenying I, introduced on July 19, 1990, through the 701st Helicopter Squadron at Hualien, and 11 S-70C(M)-2s under Shenying II, introduced by July 9, 2001, through the 702nd Squadron at Zuoying, Kaohsiung. Accidents in 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2022 reduced the original inventory to 17, alongside the 501st Squadron’s seven to nine remaining 500MD/ASWs.
The S-70C(M)s operate from Cheng Kung-class frigates, derived from the U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry-class, and Kang Ding-class frigates, derived from the French La Fayette-class, while Taiwan’s Air Force separately operates 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, introduced from 2013. Taiwan will sustain the two S-70C(M) variants differently during the transition. The S-70C(M)-1, fitted with commercial-type engines, will not receive a comprehensive service-life extension, as its continued availability depends on spare parts procurement, inspections, and maintenance expenditure. The S-70C(M)-2s, equipped with T700-GE-401 military engines, will be subjected to a more extensive program covering engines, airframes, and submarine-detection equipment.
Taiwan intends to keep the later variant operational until 2041, equivalent to 40 years from its introduction, creating a possible 15-year transition from 2026 during which Taiwan must maintain older helicopters while receiving enough MH-60Rs to equip operational squadrons, complete crew conversion, and establish maintenance support without reducing the number of aircraft available for ship deployments. The MH-60R’s value is particularly relevant to the geography of Taiwan’s maritime approaches and the employment of Chinese submarines during a potential blockade. Taiwan’s main western ports, including Kaohsiung and Keelung, connect the island to maritime routes passing through the Taiwan Strait, while eastern operating areas extend toward the Philippine Sea, where submarine detection requires surveillance beyond coastal waters.
Cheng Kung-class and Kang Ding-class frigates can deploy helicopters to investigate suspected submarine contacts without maneuvering directly over them, separating the ship’s position from the helicopter’s acoustic search area. The MH-60R’s dipping sonar can conduct successive searches at selected positions, while sonobuoys permit acoustic monitoring across multiple locations and Mk 54 torpedoes provide an engagement capability once a submarine’s position is sufficiently established. Its maritime radar also supports the detection and tracking of surface contacts, including smaller vessels, although radar cannot replace acoustic sensors for detecting submerged submarines. Increasing the helicopter inventory from 17 to 20 aircraft would also provide three additional units for deployment, training, maintenance rotation, or reserve.
Acquisition costs remain a determining factor because Taiwan’s previous requirement increased from $800 million for 10 helicopters in 2015 to $1.066 billion for 12 helicopters in 2022 before cancellation. Regional purchases provide comparisons, although the financial scope of each package differs. On September 15, 2026, South Korea approved 20 additional MH-60Rs for $2.41 billion, equivalent to $120.7 million per helicopter on a package-average basis, with deployment planned by 2032. Denmark’s proposed September 2026 package covered three MH-60Rs for $425 million, or $141.7 million per helicopter. These totals include differing weapons, spare parts, training, and support arrangements, making direct aircraft-price comparisons unreliable.
Taiwan would also need to fund acoustic equipment, torpedoes, sonobuoys, aircrew training, maintenance infrastructure, and integration with its frigates. Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky have considered a maintenance facility in Taiwan, where Army UH-60 Black Hawks, prospective Air Force HH-60 rescue helicopters, and naval MH-60Rs could create a combined H-60-family inventory exceeding 100 aircraft. Commonality could support shared maintenance infrastructure for certain airframe and mechanical components, but naval mission equipment would still require specialized personnel, test equipment, and spare parts.
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Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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The United States has reportedly accepted Taiwan’s Letter of Request for Price and Availability regarding the potential acquisition of up to twenty MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. This revived procurement under the Shenying III initiative addresses critical capability gaps created by the impending retirement of Taiwan’s legacy S-70C(M) naval helicopter fleet. The proposed acquisitions aim to enhance maritime surveillance, submarine tracking, and tactical transport resilience across Taiwan’s regional operational zones.
The MH-60R Seahawk would allow Taiwan to detect, track, and attack Chinese submarines farther from its warships using dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and torpedoes, helping protect naval vessels, ports, and maritime supply routes. (Picture source: US DoD)
According to the Liberty Times on October 9, 2026, the U.S. reportedly accepted Taiwan’s Letter of Request for Price and Availability (LOR for P&A) for the potential acquisition of up to 20 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters, relaunching a procurement program that was canceled in 2022 due to cost and disagreements over defense priorities. By October 1, 2026, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense authorized the revised Shenying III proposal, while increasing the requirement from 12 to 20 helicopters to replace the Taiwanese Navy’s 17 surviving S-70C(M)-1/2 helicopters acquired between 1990 and 2001. Washington also accepted Taiwan’s preliminary request for C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, reopening discussions on two aircraft acquisitions previously constrained by U.S. preferences for mobile, dispersed weapons under Taiwan’s asymmetric defense strategy.
Neither proposed sale has received final U.S. State Department approval, and no Letter of Offer and Acceptance, contract value, delivery timetable, or initial operational capability date has been established or disclosed. The Shenying III program began in 2015 with a requirement for 10 MH-60Rs and an estimated acquisition package of $800 million, equivalent to $80 million per helicopter, including package costs. The original objective was to replace the Navy’s 500MD/ASW Defender helicopters, introduced in 1979, while retaining the S-70C(M)s for operations from frigates. By 2022, the Navy had increased its requirement to 12 MH-60Rs and allocated NT$34.019 billion ($1.066 billion), or NT$2.835 billion ($88.8 million) per helicopter on the same package-average basis.
Related topic: Belgium considers U.S. MH-60R Seahawk helicopter for maritime search and rescue operations
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng canceled the acquisition on May 5, 2022, citing excessive purchase costs, while Washington prioritized coastal defense systems such as truck-mounted Harpoon anti-ship missiles. In September 2025, the Navy reconsidered either acquiring 12 MH-60Rs or upgrading the sonar and submarine-detection systems of its existing S-70C(M)s, before expanding the proposal to 20 helicopters in 2026. This revision changed the program’s scope from replacing the 500MD/ASW and supplementing the S-70C(M) fleet to replacing both S-70C(M) variants, whose retirement would otherwise leave Taiwan without its principal shipborne anti-submarine helicopters.
The MH-60R Seahawk itself is a twin-engine naval helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky, with a length of 16.18 m, width of 4.37 m, height of 5.18 m, maximum takeoff weight of 10,200 kg, and maximum level-flight speed of 333 km/h. Its standard U.S. Navy anti-submarine equipment includes the AN/AQS-22 airborne low-frequency dipping sonar, AN/APS-153 maritime surveillance radar, acoustic processing equipment, and sonobuoy launch capability, allowing the helicopter to detect submarines through active and passive acoustic searches while monitoring surface contacts. The AN/AQS-22 can be lowered into the water at successive hovering positions, while sonobuoys can be deployed across a wider area to investigate submarine movements without requiring the helicopter to remain directly above each contact. The MH-60R can employ Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes, which have a nominal weight of 276 kg and a diameter of 324 mm, as well as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles against suitable surface targets.
Its four-person crew normally comprises two pilots and two airborne tactical operators, dividing flying duties, acoustic analysis, sensor operation, and weapons employment. These capabilities would allow Taiwan to replace its existing S-70C(M) fleet with modern ASW helicopters able to conduct submarine detection, classification, tracking, and attack during a single mission. The exact radar configuration, acoustic equipment, weapons quantities, software, and ship-integration arrangements for Taiwan remain undecided. Taiwan originally purchased 10 S-70C(M)-1 helicopters under Shenying I, introduced on July 19, 1990, through the 701st Helicopter Squadron at Hualien, and 11 S-70C(M)-2s under Shenying II, introduced by July 9, 2001, through the 702nd Squadron at Zuoying, Kaohsiung. Accidents in 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2022 reduced the original inventory to 17, alongside the 501st Squadron’s seven to nine remaining 500MD/ASWs.
The S-70C(M)s operate from Cheng Kung-class frigates, derived from the U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry-class, and Kang Ding-class frigates, derived from the French La Fayette-class, while Taiwan’s Air Force separately operates 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, introduced from 2013. Taiwan will sustain the two S-70C(M) variants differently during the transition. The S-70C(M)-1, fitted with commercial-type engines, will not receive a comprehensive service-life extension, as its continued availability depends on spare parts procurement, inspections, and maintenance expenditure. The S-70C(M)-2s, equipped with T700-GE-401 military engines, will be subjected to a more extensive program covering engines, airframes, and submarine-detection equipment.
Taiwan intends to keep the later variant operational until 2041, equivalent to 40 years from its introduction, creating a possible 15-year transition from 2026 during which Taiwan must maintain older helicopters while receiving enough MH-60Rs to equip operational squadrons, complete crew conversion, and establish maintenance support without reducing the number of aircraft available for ship deployments. The MH-60R’s value is particularly relevant to the geography of Taiwan’s maritime approaches and the employment of Chinese submarines during a potential blockade. Taiwan’s main western ports, including Kaohsiung and Keelung, connect the island to maritime routes passing through the Taiwan Strait, while eastern operating areas extend toward the Philippine Sea, where submarine detection requires surveillance beyond coastal waters.
Cheng Kung-class and Kang Ding-class frigates can deploy helicopters to investigate suspected submarine contacts without maneuvering directly over them, separating the ship’s position from the helicopter’s acoustic search area. The MH-60R’s dipping sonar can conduct successive searches at selected positions, while sonobuoys permit acoustic monitoring across multiple locations and Mk 54 torpedoes provide an engagement capability once a submarine’s position is sufficiently established. Its maritime radar also supports the detection and tracking of surface contacts, including smaller vessels, although radar cannot replace acoustic sensors for detecting submerged submarines. Increasing the helicopter inventory from 17 to 20 aircraft would also provide three additional units for deployment, training, maintenance rotation, or reserve.
Acquisition costs remain a determining factor because Taiwan’s previous requirement increased from $800 million for 10 helicopters in 2015 to $1.066 billion for 12 helicopters in 2022 before cancellation. Regional purchases provide comparisons, although the financial scope of each package differs. On September 15, 2026, South Korea approved 20 additional MH-60Rs for $2.41 billion, equivalent to $120.7 million per helicopter on a package-average basis, with deployment planned by 2032. Denmark’s proposed September 2026 package covered three MH-60Rs for $425 million, or $141.7 million per helicopter. These totals include differing weapons, spare parts, training, and support arrangements, making direct aircraft-price comparisons unreliable.
Taiwan would also need to fund acoustic equipment, torpedoes, sonobuoys, aircrew training, maintenance infrastructure, and integration with its frigates. Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky have considered a maintenance facility in Taiwan, where Army UH-60 Black Hawks, prospective Air Force HH-60 rescue helicopters, and naval MH-60Rs could create a combined H-60-family inventory exceeding 100 aircraft. Commonality could support shared maintenance infrastructure for certain airframe and mechanical components, but naval mission equipment would still require specialized personnel, test equipment, and spare parts.
Explore More Defense News
• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
