Ground was broken this week for a new maintenance and warehouse facility in Australia for U.S.-made MH-60R helicopters.

The facility of Maritime Helicopter Support Company, a joint venture of Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin Australia, is to open next year and will be comprised of two buildings -- an 89,000 square foot maintenance repair operation building, and a warehouse of 33,000 square feet.

"Excavation and construction of these through-life support buildings begin an important chapter for the long-term readiness of Australia's most sophisticated maritime helicopter," said Rod Skotty, president of MHSCo. "Our company's experience supplying repaired parts for more than 500 U.S. Navy H-60 maritime helicopters around the world will directly carry over to a larger business model specially configured for Australia's maritime helicopter needs, and carried out by skilled Australian technicians and administrators inside a modern, dedicated space."

Located in Nowra, in the state of New South Wales, the facility will provide through-life logistics support for the Royal Australian Navy's new fleet of 24 Seahawks, built by Sikorsky with Lockheed as mission systems integrator.

Sikorsky Helitech is overseeing the construction work near the RAN's Naval Air Station Nowra, Sikorsky said.

Australia bought the aircraft under a government-to-government agreement in 2011.