Eagle-eyed plane spotters were thrilled when a Royal Australian Navy Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter touched down at Bundaberg Airport yesterday.
The large aircraft, with tail number N48-018 and call sign “Tiger 18″, arrived in the region at about 3 pm and was a sight to behold according to plane enthusiast and Bundaberg Plane Spotting Facebook page creator Hayden Alexander.
“It stayed on the ground for about an hour after arriving from HMAS Brisbane off the coast as they head up north for Talisman Sabre,” he said.
“The pilot was a local as she had gotten out and came outside the fence and was seeing some family members.”
According to the Royal Australian Navy, the MH-60R Seahawk is a next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter.
It is equipped with a highly sophisticated combat systems designed to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and the Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedo.
Hayden said the chopper was one of many unique aircrafts he had witnessed touching down in Bundaberg over the years.
“I have captured photos of the RAAF C-17 globemaster, RAAF Boeing 737-BBJ, USMC -C-130J super Hercules, RAAF Boeing CH-47 chinook, RAAF Dassault falcon 7x and more,” he said.
“I run the Facebook page called Bundaberg Plane Spotting after I saw the interest in the Bundaberg area.
“I decided to make the page and have just over a thousand members.
“I post everything air force/navy/rare that comes to town from C-17 globemasters , E-7A wedgetails , C27 J Spartans and more, all from the Royal Australian Air Force.”
