HMS Trent has been pushing aircrews to the limit as she helps write the rulebook for helicopter operations around the globe. The patrol ship has served as a testbed for two weeks of intensive trials with a Wildcat helicopter in the Mediterranean, testing the aircraft in different weather and sea conditions, with different weights and loads by day and night…
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Diamond Joins NATO for Mediterranean Operations
Destroyer HMS Diamond has carried out air-defense training and patrols in the eastern Mediterranean after joining a NATO task group. The Portsmouth-based ship is currently part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, which provides security to and is ready to respond to threats in the region. She has been working alongside ships and personnel from allies such as Italy, Spain,…
Read MoreRFA Wave Knight Assists Haiti After Earthquake
Royal Navy aviators are helping to survey the devastation in Haiti as they fly dawn-to-dusk flights over the earthquake-hit Caribbean country. A helicopter from support ship RFA Wave Knight has been in the air since Friday, flying over parts of the Tiburon Peninsula – epicenter of the quake which struck on Saturday August 14 – to locate villages, towns and…
Read MoreCommando Wildcats Live Weapons Shoot in Scotland
December 7, 2020 – Commando fliers hit the ranges in Scotland to ‘lay down some lead’ and call in air strikes. Wildcats from 847 Naval Air Squadron, which provides battlefield support for the Royal Marines, used exercise areas on the Moray Firth to enhance their ability to bring down a hail of explosive firepower by day and night. Among a…
Read MoreLeonardo AW159 Wildcat Fires First Marlet Missile
March 26, 2020 – Leonardo and Thales are proud to announce the first successful firings of the Thales ‘Martlet’ Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) from Leonardo’s AW159 Wildcat helicopter. The firings were conducted as part of the UK MOD’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) program and demonstrated the integration of the Martlet onto the AW159 platform. This represents a major milestone…
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