NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2009 9
YES, it’s a Merlin. A Crab Merlin.
So what’s it doing in these pages?
Ah well, light blue though it is (looks green
to me – Ed), it wouldn’t be flying without a
little help from chaps and chapesses in dark
blue.
If you cast your mind back to July, you
might remember an article about the crucial
contribution made by RN aviators and ground
crew to Merlin operations in Iraq.
Now they’ve come to a close, the Merlins
are being committed to Afghanistan – and
again Naval personnel are playing a key role.
The helicopters and their air and ground
crews were dispatched to El Centro Naval
Air Facility in southern California, a dozen
miles north of the Mexican border, for pre-
deployment training.
The US air base and environs replicate
conditions in Afghanistan to some degree; it’s
hot and dusty. It’s not high, however, unlike
Helmand.
It took C17 Globemasters (they carry a
payload more than three times that of a
Hercules) to ferry four helicopters to the USA
for the four-month Exercise Merlin Vortex,
commanded by Lt Cdr Neil ‘Charlie’ Parrock.
It was his task to ensure that some 450
personnel from the three Services, including
40 aircrews, received at least four weeks of
training, including the art of using night vision
goggles over the desert.
“El Centro is almost identical in terrain
and climate to what we’ll experience in
Afghanistan,” said Lt Cdr Parrock.
“There is no way we can send people
there without this training. The terrain is
mountainous and hotter than Iraq, and the
aircraft are operating at the edges of their
envelope.”
The RAF operate the Mk3 version of the
Merlin – fundamentally the same aircraft as
the RN’s Mk1, except that all the submarine
hunting wizardry in the back of the cab is
replaced by space for up to 20 troops in full
kit.
On top of that, like the Fleet Air Arm
Sea Kings which have already deployed
to Afghanistan, the Merlins went through
upgrades, £45m worth to be precise, which
included the fitting of special rotor blades to
cope with ‘hot and high’ and a new defensive
aids suite.
“Afghanistan presents the most challenging
flying environment for helicopters in the world:
the high altitude, temperatures that soar to
50˚C by day – and rarely below 35˚C at night
during the summer,” said Rear Admiral Tony
Johnstone-Burt, Commander Joint Helicopter
Force. “It tests aircraft to the limit.”
With Merlin Vortex done, the first
helicopters have begun arriving in theatre.
Picture: RAF Mobile News Team
C:LD;;:GH#C:L86GH
6C9CDL:K:CBDG:
D;NDJG;6B>AN6G:
:A><>7A:IDH6K:
;dg[jaaYZiV^ahd[Za^\^W^a^in
VcYVXdbeaZiZa^hi^c\d[
eg^XZhVcYhVk^c\hVXgdhh
i]ZgVc\ZeaZVhZk^h^i
kVjm]Vaa"b^a^iVgn#Xd#j`$cVkncZlh
K6JM=6AAB>A>I6GN
8]ZX`djii]ZaViZhibdYZahVcYY^hXdjcihVilll#kVjm]Vaa"b^a^iVgn#Xd#j`$cVkncZlh
IZgbhVcYXdcY^i^dch/B^a^iVgnY^hXdjcihVgZVkV^aVWaZidVaahZgk^c\bZbWZghd[J@ 6gbZY;dgXZh!gZi^gZYhZgk^XZeZghdccZa!BD9X^k^a^VceZghdccZaVcY=B;dgXZhGZhZgk^hih#I]Zd[[Zg^hVahdZmiZcYZYidhedjhZ dgeVgicZgh!eVgZcihVcYhiZe"eVgZcih!Wgdi]Zgh!h^hiZgh!
hiZe"Wgdi]ZghVcYh^hiZgh!X]^aYgZcVcYhiZe"X]^aYgZc#BdYZa^a ajhigViZY>ch^\c^V=ViX]WVX`:mXajh^k&#-^&+kKKIl^i]EajhEVX`ViZmigVXdhi!GGE—&,!+)%^cX#EajhEVX`#
D[ÄX^Va <dkZgcbZci :ck^gdcbZciVa 9ViV# ;jZa Xdchjbei^dc Ä\jgZh be\ a^igZh$&%%`b VcY 8D ' Zb^hh^dch \$`b# CZl >ch^\c^V
HVaddcVcY=ViX]WVX`gVc\Z/JgWVc·[gdb&,#%&+#+id)&#*+#-!:migV"jgWVc·[gdb((#+-#)id+,#()#'!8dbW^cZY·[g db')#,&&#)
id*)#,*#'#8D 'Zb^hh^dch[gdb'+-id&(+\$`b#
009_NN_Dec.indd 1 18/11/09 18:39:11
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48