US Forces Redirect 99 Ships as MH-60R Sea Hawk Helicopters Enforce Iran Blockade in Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is deploying MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters from ships, including USS Boxer, to support maritime surveillance and interception. The operation shows how distributed naval aviation and networked sensors are being used to enforce selective maritime denial across the Gulf while increasing pressure on commercial traffic and regional security.

USS Boxer and the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit provide an aviation and command node for the blockade, with MH-60R helicopters using the AN/APS-153 multimode radar, AAS-44C electro-optical system and Link 16 connectivity to detect, classify, and track vessels beyond the radar horizon of surface ships. The resulting architecture allows U.S. forces to move from identification and warning to boarding or precision engagement while maintaining wider control of maritime traffic approaching Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz.

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An MH-60R Seahawk assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 launches from USS Boxer (LHD 4) during flight deck operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean on March 20, 2019 (Picture source: US DoD)

That process depends on far more than placing warships along a shipping route. CENTCOM’s July 13 order to resume the blockade applies to vessels heading toward Iranian ports and coastal areas or departing from them, while allowing other regional traffic to continue. Enforcing that distinction requires persistent maritime domain awareness, positive identification of contacts and rapid handoffs between surveillance platforms and units able to compel a diversion. The presence of an MH-60R aboard Boxer is relevant in this context. The previous day, CENTCOM had also shown an MH-60R launching from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Rafael Peralta in support of the same operation. This configuration points to an airborne maritime surveillance network distributed across several naval platforms rather than concentrated around a single ship.

The MH-60R is suited to this type of mission because its sensor suite was developed to detect and classify complex contacts in surface and undersea environments. Its AN/APS-153 multimode radar includes Automatic Radar Periscope Detection and Discrimination, designed to detect small signatures on the sea surface. The helicopter also carries the AAS-44C electro-optical and infrared system for surveillance, target tracking and ranging. Link 16 and Hawklink allow the information collected by the aircraft to be transmitted to surface vessels and incorporated into a shared tactical picture rather than remaining limited to the helicopter crew.

In a blockade operation, these systems reduce the time between initial detection and physical interception. A shipborne radar or another airborne sensor may generate the first track, but the helicopter can rapidly close the distance, observe the vessel from several angles and confirm its identity without requiring a major surface combatant to approach immediately. The MH-60R can then maintain contact while another unit issues radio instructions or moves into position for an interception or boarding. Around the approaches to the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, where tankers, cargo ships, fishing vessels and military units operate within a dense maritime environment, this additional identification layer reduces uncertainty. It also extends surveillance beyond the radar horizon of surface ships and gives commanders more time to determine whether a vessel is complying with instructions or deliberately testing the enforcement posture.

Boxer adds another element to this architecture. With a displacement of around 40,500 tons and a length of 257 meters, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship has a large flight deck capable of operating F-35B Lightning II fighters, MV-22B Ospreys, AH-1Z Vipers, UH-1Y Venoms, and U.S. Navy helicopters. The embarked 11th MEU includes Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 and Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 Reinforced. The Amphibious Ready Group therefore combines fixed-wing strike capability, armed escort, assault transport and ground intervention forces within the same naval formation. Boxer is not simply a helicopter platform. It functions as an aviation and command node able to support surveillance while retaining options for boarding, reinforcement or armed action.

The coercive dimension of the operation is not theoretical. On July 15, one day after enforcement of the blockade resumed, U.S. forces disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker Belma after it continued toward Kharg Island despite repeated warnings. According to CENTCOM, a U.S. aircraft then fired Hellfire missiles at the ship’s smokestack. That episode helps explain the operational logic behind the 99 diversions. Communication and maneuver remain the preferred means of obtaining compliance from a crew, but they are backed by a demonstrated ability to disable a vessel without necessarily sinking it. For U.S. naval planners, this creates a graduated response chain in which identification, warning, tracking, boarding and precision engagement can be assigned to different platforms connected to the same tactical network.

The broader issue is whether U.S. naval forces can maintain this selective form of maritime denial without turning each encounter with a commercial vessel into a potential escalation point. U.S. Energy Information Administration data show oil flows through Hormuz falling from 21.6 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 4.9 million in the second quarter of 2026, illustrating how deeply the regional conflict has already affected energy traffic. Iran retains several means of increasing the military cost of the blockade, including missiles, drones, mines and fast attack craft, while commercial operators must account for military instructions, higher insurance exposure and disruption to shipping routes. The blockade is therefore moving beyond the framework of an economic measure against Tehran. It is becoming a test of whether the United States can maintain military control over commercial movement through one of the world’s main strategic chokepoints without further widening the conflict across the Gulf.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.