Royal Navy begins transferring ex-RAF Merlins to Yeovilton

The UK Royal Navy (RN) has relocated the first of its newly acquired fleet of AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC.3/3A troop transport helicopters to their homebase in Yeovilton following a five-year transition from the Royal Air Force (RAF).
846 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) flew its six helicopters from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire to Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton in Somerset on 26 March.
The RN acquired 25 Merlin HC.3/3A helicopters from the RAF under the Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) in 2010. These are intended to the replace the Westland Sea King HC.4 platforms that are being retired in March 2016.
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Sikorsky finishes build of first UK Long SAR aircraft

Sikorsky has finished assembly of the first “baseline” S-92 to be delivered to Bristow Helicopters for the UK’s Long SAR requirement.
It will be handed over to the operator in July next year following fit-out with search and rescue mission equipment at the airframer’s facility in Coatsville, Pensylvania.
In all, Bristow will receive seven brand-new examples of the 11t type in the period to July 2015. Four additional airframes, based in Sumburgh and Stornoway, are already in use under the UK’s Gap SAR contract and will transfer across when the new regime begins in 2015.
Bristow won the 10-year SAR deal in March this year. It will see the company take over search and rescue operations from Royal Navy and Royal Air Force units, replacing aged Westland Sea Kings with the S-92s and AgustaWestland AW189s.
They will be equipped with FLIR Systems Star Safire 380-HD imaging equipment.
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UK to launch Crowsnest AEW assessment in 2013

The UK Ministry of Defence will launch the assessment phase for its planned Project Crowsnest effort to replace the Royal Navy's Westland Sea King 7 surveillance helicopters during 2013, only three years before the current type's retirement from use.
"The Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (SKASaC) aircraft will be retired in 2016 when the Sea King fleet exits service in entirety," says UK's minister for defence equipment, support and technology
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