Rotorcraft
Japan’s New Seahawk Variant Takes to the Air
The SH-60L is the latest in a line of license-built Seahawk versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The XSH-60L prototype undertakes its first hover test on May 12. (Photo: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)
The XSH-60L prototype undertakes its first hover test on May 12. (Photo: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries conducted the first flight of the XSH-60L military helicopter on May 12, following its rollout on 1 October last year. The prototype for the SH-60L performed a 30-minute hover test from the company’s Komaki-Minami facility at Nagoya Airport, where the license-built version of the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk is made.