Ex-US Navy SH-60F Seahawks return Israeli maritime helicopter capability
The first three second-hand former-US Navy SH-60F Seahawks (designated “Shalach” in Israeli service) have arrived, allowing Israel to re-establish a disbanded squadron.
Israel finally receives restored SH-60F helicopters
The Israeli Defense Force stated that it has reopened its 193rd Squadron operating SH-60F maritime helicopters that it has just received. It announced that the first helicopter had been received on the 29th of July.
According to Israeli National News, the ceremony was attended by Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tishler, Israeli Navy Commander, Maj. Gen. Eyal Harel, as well as commanders, service members, and aircrew.
The Seahawks offer a significant boost in capability over the retired Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopters (designated “Atalef”), roughly doubling the range, endurance, and carrying capacity.
Janes wrote, “News of the milestone came a decade after the US State Department approved the Excess Defense Article (EDA) transfer of eight surplus SH-60F helicopters and their related equipment to Israel in July 2016.”
The IDF said the squadron will operate in “close cooperation” with the Missile Boat Flotilla for missions at sea. These include defending Israel’s strategic assets, safeguarding freedom of navigation, supporting maneuvering forces, and employing naval firepower.
Reactivating the 193rd Squadron
The 193rd Squadron had been temporarily disbanded since September 2025 and had previously operated the Airbus AS565 Panther at Ramat David Air Force Base. It will resume operations at Palmachim Airbase as a maritime support squadron.
The retirement of the Atalef helicopter fleet had left Israel without a dedicated maritime helicopter.
The squadron, nicknamed “Defenders of the West,” was established in 1987, initially operating Aérospatiale HH-65A “Dolphin” helicopters before upgrading to Atalef helicopters starting in 1994.
Three of the eight Seahawks have been delivered, and two more are expected to arrive by the end of the year.
The aircraft were formerly operated by the US Navy and were sold as part of the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme.
Retired ex-US Navy SH-60F anti-submarine helicopters
According to US documents, Israel paid around $300 million for the eight helicopters. This covered engines, avionics, weapons, tanks, spares, support equipment, training/logistics services, and other items to outfit the EDA airframes.
The US retired its SH-60F and HH-60H fleets in the mid-2010s as squadrons transitioned to the more modern MH-60S/Rs.
The ten-year delay from the US Navy’s retirement to delivery to Israel was due to several reasons. One is that they were tied to the Sa’ar 6 corvette programme.
These are four warships that Israel ordered in 2015 to protect its Leviathan gas field and other maritime interests. The ships were delivered in 2020-2021, but rising ship costs delayed funding for the helicopters.
The helicopters were also in worse-than-expected condition, with the retired airframes having spent some time in the Davis-Monthan boneyard, taking longer to restore.
The first US Navy SH-60 helicopters started arriving in the boneyard as early as 2009. Some of these SH-60Fs that have been sent to Israel spent around eight to 12 or more years in storage.
Another cause of delay was the extensive modification needed to be completed to integrate Israeli-specific systems. The primary contractors were Science and Engineering Services, LLC (Huntsville, AL) and General Electric (Lynn, MA).
