ROYAL NAVY MERLIN TO UNDERGO OPERATIONAL TRIALS AT AUTEC

23 March 1999

Three Merlin HM MK 1 helicopters will undergo the first in a series of trials in the Bahamas to demonstrate that the aircraft meets its operational performance targets. Prime Contractor, Lockheed Martin ASIC and their principal subcontractor, GKN Westland Helicopters, will conduct the series of Operational Performance Acceptance Procedure (OPAP) trials on behalf of the Ministry of Defence using aircrew from the Royal Navy. The three helicopters, designated PP5, RN02 and RN03, will undertake the trials, code-named ‘Operation Pearly King’, at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre (AUTEC) on Andros Island in the Bahamas. AUTEC is a detachment of the US Naval Undersea Warfare Centre based at Newport Rhode Island. The location provides a deep-water capability for underwater weapons testing as well as a three-dimensional instrumented tracking range. During the trials Merlin will be required to detect and localise a submarine and carry out simulated attacks. Subsequent analysis will measure the attack error, which will then determine if Merlin meets its operational performance specification. Lockheed Martin and GKN Westland personnel will be supporting the trials at AUTEC for the full duration. Around the clock support will also be on hand to provide spares and other logistics requests.

A commercial Ro-Ro ship was used to transport the Merlins to the USA, they then undertook a short test flight at the US Naval Air Station in Mayport. The aircraft flew on to West Palm Beach Airport before completing the remaining 177 miles to Andros Island.

The Royal Navy’s Merlin helicopter entered service on 1 December 1998 with the formation of the Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU) 700M Squadron at RNAS Culdrose. Merlin HM MK1, the maritime multi-mission variant of the EH101, features a series of state-of-the-art mission systems, including radar, active dipping sonar, data link and electronic surveillance measures which enable it to carry out its anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare role. The highly versatile system can fulfil many secondary missions, including search and rescue, casualty evacuation, troop transportation and vertical replenishment.