‘Banshee’ joins Perth

HMAS Perth recently set sail from Fleet Base West in Western Australia to commence a regional presence deployment (RPD) throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Embarked in HMAS Perth is an MH-60R Seahawk from Flight 603, 816 Squadron, callsign ‘Banshee’. 

Following embarkation, Flight 603 began a flight integration training (FIT) period, which involved conducting key evolutions required for the flight to integrate seamlessly with the bridge and operations teams in Perth. 

‘Banshee’ conducted a series of deck landings, refuelling and personnel transfers by day and night, as well as a series of mission-specific evolutions.

Flight Commander Perth LCDR Glenn Watson spoke highly of Perth’s ship’s company and their professionalism and proficiency during the FIT phase. 

“Integration into HMAS Perth has been seamless, ship’s company has welcomed us as their own,” he said. 

“The flight is both excited and proud to deploy on Perth and we look forward to the challenges of RPD.”

Flight Operations Officer LEUT Jamie Newton said the primary mission of the MH-60R Seahawk is to support anti-submarine warfare, while also providing the ship with a recognised maritime picture beyond that of the ship’s organic sensors.

“Banshee brings a range of capabilities to enhance Perth’s performance in her existing mission set and also allow her to undertake other taskings in support of RPD,” he said.

“Banshee’s advanced sensor suite provides enhanced situational awareness in the surface and sub-surface domains.

“An embarked helicopter allows HMAS Perth to project its presence forward as well as conduct utility and search and rescue operations.”

The embarkation and integration of an MH-60R Seahawk further enables RAN ships to undertake their directed tasks in the Indo-Pacific region.