British Merlins join HMS Ocean
The Uk' Royal Navy's upgraded Merlin iMk3 medium-lift helicopters of 846 naval air squadron have joined the HMS Ocean amphibious assault ship for training, the navy announced on 29 March.
The iMk3 is an upgraded version of the helicopter to support the Royal Marines, featuring communications upgrades, a strengthened undercarriage and a folding main rotor head. The Merlin Mk4, designed to better suit the marines, is scheduled to be delivered in late 2017.
Lt Cdr Alex Hampson, pilot, said: ‘The iMk3 has a number of modifications to allow us to operate at sea, day and night, as well as the ability to conduct various other tasks such as the fast roping of troops to the deck of a ship on the move.
‘The efforts of so many people involved in the transition are now coming to full fruition as we see the first Merlin iMk3 on the deck of a royal navy warship at sea. The small team of engineers and aircrew that we brought on board with us understand this perfectly and are rightly proud to be the first to do so.’
Lt Col Del Stafford, Commanding Officer, 846, said: ‘The aircrew, engineers and aircraft have been undergoing the transition process from Sea King for several years. Even though this short embarkation on HMS Ocean may seem like a relatively minor achievement, it marks an extremely important milestone for all that have been living and breathing Merlin operations for the last few years.’
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