A Royal Navy surveillance helicopter has arrived at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to strengthen the defence of British military forces in the Eastern Mediterranean, ITV News reported.
The Merlin helicopter, along with aircrews and an engineering team from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, landed at the base on Monday afternoon having departed Cornwall on Saturday, according to ITV News.
The aircraft is from 820 Naval Air Squadron and is equipped with a powerful radar and mission system designed to detect aerial threats. Operated by a crew of three, it can fly at up to a mile in height and look “over the horizon” to provide advance warning of incoming drones or missiles.
The deployment follows an Iranian drone strike on RAF Akrotiri a week ago, as Iran continues to strike at countries in the Gulf and a number of nations report intercepting Iranian missiles.
The commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, Captain James Hall, said the aircraft had been activated immediately upon the decision to deploy. “We activated one of our ASaC aircraft to deploy immediately to provide an additional layer of defence for our forces at Akrotiri,” he said. “Our aircraft from Merlin Helicopter Force are held at readiness to respond at short notice to any threat to UK interests.”
Hall said 820 Naval Air Squadron had relevant operational experience, having deployed ASaC aircraft in the Red Sea last year during transits of the carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales as part of Operation Highmast.
He added that the Merlin would complement the defensive capabilities already provided by Wildcat aircraft, as well as HMS Dragon when the destroyer arrives in the region, creating what he described as a layered protection capability for UK forces.
The commanding officer of 820 Naval Air Squadron, Commander Al Woodward, said the deployment had no fixed end date.
“This is open-ended for us. The situation in the Middle East is incredibly volatile at the moment,” he said. “We’re now established there and my job will be to make sure that we are able to endure, to sustain that capability for as long as is required.”
Woodward added that the squadron would maintain readiness to deploy additional aircraft if called upon by the UK government.
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron, armed with air-to-air Martlet missiles, have also been sent to Cyprus, ITV News reported.
The aircraft were flown to the island aboard an RAF C-17 transporter from RNAS Yeovilton. The Wildcat-Martlet combination has not yet been used in combat but has performed successfully against aerial drones in test range trials.
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