According to a special monitoring tool from the Paine Institute that tracked munitions expenditures in the war against Iran, it showed that in the first 16 days of the conflict, “allied forces consumed 11,294 rounds, at an estimated cost of $26 billion. Replacing them could take years. The US military’s stockpile of THAAD interceptor missiles is approximately a month or less away. The situation in Israel is even more critical. The stockpile of Arrow interceptor missiles is expected to be completely exhausted by the end of March.“ The Paine report states.
The Israeli Air Force has begun receiving the new Sikorsky SH-60F Seahawk carrier-based helicopter. In the Israeli military, the SH-60F is nicknamed “Shalakh” (osprey), continuing the Israeli tradition of giving aircraft Hebrew names. The name is fitting, given that the SH-60F is a naval helicopter and “osprey” is a bird that hunts fish.
Israel’s initial request for eight SH-60F helicopters was approved by the United States in 2015. The purchase, made through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program and the Excess Defense Agreement (EDA), generally dates back to 2016, with the support package approved by the U.S. Department of State in July 2016. Deliveries were delayed by several years due to the modernization of the Saar-6 corvettes, pushing back the expected delivery date to around 2022.
After a further delay of approximately four years, the SH-60F Seahawk helicopters reportedly finally arrived in Israel in recent weeks. They were delivered by ship and transported to the Elbit Systems Cyclone plant in Karmiel for assembly, as part of a complex operation conducted by the Taavura Group.
The deal for the Seahawk helicopters is somewhat unusual: the Israeli Air Force decided to save money by purchasing decommissioned US Navy helicopters instead of new ones. However, when the helicopters arrived at the American company in charge of their modernization, their technical condition was worse than expected. This led to increased costs and delivery times, bringing the total cost to a level similar to that of new helicopters and forcing the Air Force to incur higher maintenance expenses for the older helicopters.
The delay was also exploited to integrate additional Israeli systems, including weapons not originally designed for these helicopters. After completing the mechanical modifications, the helicopters were transferred to Israel for installation of these systems, ahead of their expected entry into service aboard the Saar-6M corvettes in 2026.
According to reports, the Navy’s 193rd Helicopter Squadron has already begun the transition to the new helicopters. The Eurocopter AS565MA Panther helicopter, known in Israel as the “Atalef” (Bat), was officially retired from service in September 2025. To optimize resources, the squadron will be transferred from Ramat David Air Base, where it has operated for the past 25 years, to Palmachim Air Base, where it was originally established. Palmachim already hosts squadrons of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, the land-based equivalent of the Seahawk, allowing for the use of a common maintenance infrastructure and avoiding costly duplication between multiple bases.
The Israeli SH-60F “Shalakh” program does not represent a large-scale transformation of naval aviation, but rather a targeted and cost-effective acquisition of proven helicopters, adapted for search and rescue (SAR), maritime support, and special operations missions. Although the official number of planned helicopters is eight SH-60Fs, some could be used as spare parts donors or as training helicopters.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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