Saudi Navy Conducts MH-60R Seahawk Combat Operations From Al Jubail-Class Corvette.

Army Recognition reporters at DIMDEX 2026 observed a Royal Saudi Navy MH-60R Seahawk operating from the Al Jubail-class corvette Onaizah, highlighting the ship’s aviation-centric combat design. The combination highlights Saudi Arabia’s efforts to expand its capabilities in over-the-horizon surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and maritime security in the Gulf and Red Sea.

Army Recognition teams reporting from DIMDEX 2026 in Doha observed a Royal Saudi Naval Forces MH-60R Seahawk secured on the flight deck of the Al Jubail-class corvette Onaizah, offering visitors a rare close-up of the aviation component that transforms the ship from a missile-armed surface combatant into a true multi-domain naval platform. Held from 19 to 22 January at the Qatar National Convention Centre, with visiting warships moored at Hamad Port, the exhibition placed the Saudi corvette and its embarked helicopter among the most closely examined displays of the show.
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Royal Saudi Navy Al Jubail-class corvette Onaizah combines anti-surface and air defense missiles with advanced sensors and a full-flight deck, enabling it to project surveillance, strike, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities far beyond the horizon through its embarked MH-60R helicopter (Picture source: Arùy Recognition Group).

The MH-60R, known as the Romeo, is optimized for shipboard routine: folding main rotor and tail pylon, marinized structure, and deck-handling provisions designed for quick spotting and securing in high winds. U.S. Navy data lists a 53 ft 8 in rotor diameter, 180 kt maximum speed, and roughly 380 nm range, with a three to four person crew. In the Saudi configuration notified to Congress, the mission kit includes APX-123 IFF transponders and embedded GPS/INS for precise navigation and identification, alongside Link 16 connectivity. Power comes from T700-GE-401C engines in the 1,800 to 1,890 shp class.

The mission-system advantage is sensor fusion. The Saudi package includes the AN/APS-153(V) multi-mode radar, adding automatic radar periscope detection and surface mapping, useful for both open-water search and separating small craft in coastal clutter. Tracks can be sent back to the ship through Hawklink, a common data link built to move radar, video, and acoustic data so the combat information center can act on the helicopter’s picture beyond the horizon. For ASW, the MH-60R pairs sonobuoy processing with the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar dipping system, widely described as the platform’s primary undersea sensor and optimized for littoral conditions. Identification and cueing come from the AN/AAS-44C(V) EO/IR turret with laser designation, supported by the ALQ-210 ESM suite for passive threat geolocation.

Weapons fit follows the same “detect, classify, engage” logic. The Saudi notification lists AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles, 70 mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets, and both M240D and GAU-21 crew-served guns, giving the helicopter options from warning shots to precision strikes against small boats or shore points. In U.S. service, the Romeo is also a torpedo carrier, typically associated with the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo for submarine prosecution, allowing the aircraft to convert an acoustic contact into an engagement without waiting for a ship maneuver.

The MH-60R gives Onaizah reach. It can fly a radar and EO/IR picket ahead of the formation, classify contacts, and feed tracks back for over-the-horizon engagements while the ship preserves its own emissions. In anti-submarine warfare, it can lay a sonobuoy pattern, dip to tighten localization, and then cue shipboard weapons or attack directly, creating a full detect-to-engage chain from a small combatant. When the tactical picture shifts, the same aircraft can pivot to search and rescue or communications relay, keeping commanders supplied with eyes and radios where satellites and UAVs are not enough.

For Saudi Arabia, the stakes are in geography. The kingdom must protect Gulf energy infrastructure and the Red Sea route toward Suez while facing drones, anti-ship missiles, and mines, and an undersea challenge that includes Iranian Ghadir-class mini-submarines assessed at more than twenty boats optimized for shallow water operations. Operating from a corvette designed for a 10-ton class helicopter, an embarked MH-60R becomes a rapid-response ASW and surface surveillance asset for convoy escort and offshore defense. Seen at DIMDEX, the message is that Saudi sea control is shifting toward a combined ship-helicopter kill chain.