Originally Posted by
helispotter
If I interpret it correctly, MH-60L is based on UH-60L which in turn seem to be upgraded UH-60A's with T700-GE-701C originally fitted (to the L's) in place of T700-GE-700 (for A's).
Not quite right.
A to L: Higher Gross Weight, Improved Durability Gear Box (didn't have the 3000 hour life limit like the A's) and a bunch of changes to the structure of the aircraft to handle the increased max gross. There was an an extensive A to L conversion program undertaken by the Army. Yes, engine upgrades were there also.
Yet MH-60L, of which only 37 produced and with all its 'extras', is one of the pair with the lowest listed O&M rate of all the variants.
Who do you think operated those variants? Won't further comment on MH-60L.
A to L is IIRC from the Maintenance / Overhaul budget, not the acquisition budget. I am a little bit familiar with the original MH-60R upgrade from the SH-60B and SH-60F. The only way that was possible was to get it from rework money, not new program money, because there was no new program money to fund it during the Clinton administration.
(That approach ended up being a bit of a bust, as the lot 13 base line had to deal with early lot aircraft that had been ridden hard and put away wet).
Built new was the ultimate path forward for that, once a new administration showed up with funds for acquisition, and it got them into the fleet.
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