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82-651: The RNNAS was established on 1 June 1912, with the maiden flight of the HNoMS Start , piloted by Hans Dons . The founding of the Air Service was based largely on pride. On 19 April 1912 newspapers had reported that a Swedish pilot was planning to fly over Moss and Horten . Horten was the site of the main base of the Royal Norwegian Navy . Three officers of the Norwegian submarine Kobben decided that it would be

164-553: A bird strike , although investigations of the cause of the accident proved to be inconclusive. The SAS lost 18 men in the crash, their highest number of casualties on one day since the Second World War . The Royal Signals lost one man and the RAF one man. During the 1991 Gulf War Sea Kings from several nations, including Canada, Britain, and the U.S., were present in the coalition forces against Saddam Hussein 's Iraq regime. Due to

246-531: A 2-seater reconnaissance aircraft for military use Built by Rumpler as a 2-seat Taube floatplane, Start was the Royal Norwegian Navy 's very first aeroplane , bought in Germany and arriving in Horten on 25 May 1912, at a cost of 30,000 Norwegian kroner . Funding came from private contributions after a speedy initiative from the commander and officers of the submarine HNoMS Kobben , Norway's first submarine; one of

328-542: A SAR flight in the islands, initially from Navy Point on the north side of Stanley harbour, and later from RAF Mount Pleasant. In 1992, six further helicopters were ordered to replace the last remaining Westland Wessex helicopters in the SAR role, entering service in 1996. However, teething problems resulted in the actual operational use of the HAR3A's being delayed until mid 1997. The six Sea King HAR3As featured updated systems, including

410-565: A UN-declared safe zone, a flight of French Aérospatiale Pumas and Sea King HC4 helicopters were shelled while taking off from an improvised landing zone. Two further Sea Kings arrived to evacuate several UN casualties, managing to fly the wounded to the Bosnian city of Tuzla , where they came under further enemy fire while unloading. During NATO's intervention in Kosovo , Sea Kings of 814 Naval Air Squadron , operating from numerous Royal Navy vessels in

492-585: A contract to purchase several Mk42B Sea Kings, an upgraded variant to perform dual-purpose: anti-shipping and anti-submarine missions, following a competition for the order against the Aérospatiale Super Puma . These helicopters would operate from the Godavari -class frigates as well as replace the existing Sea Kings. A team of Indian engineers was sent to Britain to help develop the Mk42B's avionics, especially

574-648: A digital navigation system and more modern avionics. Westland also manufactured SAR versions of the Sea King for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the German Navy and the Belgian Air Force . On SAR variants, the cabin was enlarged by a stretch of the fuselage behind the door; another key feature, used for additional flotation in the unusual event of a water landing, inflatable buoyancy bags were housed inside

656-399: A podded capability onboard Merlins. Previous proposed replacement programmes - Future Organic Airborne Early Warning (FOAEW) and MASC (Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control) - were initiated and then cancelled, due largely to the erroneous assumption that the entire ASaC Mk7 system could simply be lifted and plugged into another aircraft type. However, as a result of the time gap between

738-679: A shame if they were not able to beat him to it. Later that year, the Maurice Farman biplanes Njaal and Gange Rolf were purchased. In 1915 the Navy established its own aircraft factory and a flying school. The main flight base was established in Horten. Other naval air stations were established in Kristiansand in 1918, Bergen in 1919 and in Tromsø shortly before the invasion in 1940. In 1940 most of

820-604: A station for one helicopter from 2009. The helicopters are to be replaced by AgustaWestland AW101 under the Norwegian All-Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) programme gradually from September 2020. The candidates for the NAWSARH contract of 10–12 helicopters was the AgustaWestland AW101, NHIndustries NH90, Eurocopter EC225 and Sikorsky S-92 . July 2013, AgustaWestland AW101 and Eurocopter (EC225)

902-747: A third separate squadron - 334 Squadron . Both planes and running costs were financed by the exiled Norwegian government. The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service ceased to exist on 10 November 1944 when the Royal Norwegian Air Force was established. In honour of the achievements of the RNoAF Squadrons of the World War II The Royal Norwegian Air Force has maintained the RAF squadron names. Thus Norway still has 330 and 333 squadrons, respectively flying Sea King helicopters and Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft. 334 Squadron

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984-752: A total of 330 Sea Kings; export customers include the Indian Naval Air Arm , the German Navy , the Royal Australian Navy , and the Royal Norwegian Air Force . The last of the Royal Navy's Sea Kings in the ASW role was retired in 2003, being replaced by the AgustaWestland Merlin HM1 . The Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) variant is expected to be replaced around the introduction of

1066-516: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This naval article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This military aviation article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters . The aircraft differs considerably from

1148-680: Is a prolific operator of the Sea King, using many different variants for a wide variety of purposes. In addition to operating ASW Sea Kings for coastal patrols, Egypt procured a land-based transport adapted from the basic Sea King, marketed by Westland as the Commando, including a VIP subvariant. An electronic warfare version was also deployed by the Egyptian Air Force, featuring sophisticated onboard jamming systems. As of 2011, 23 Sea Kings/Commandos remain in service with Egypt. The Qatar Emiri Air Force also operates Westland's Commando variant, as

1230-484: Is currently deactivated and is going to reform with NH90 utility helicopters sometime in 2007. HNoMS Start The Taube was first constructed in 1909-1910 by Austrian Igo Etrich and later developed into a two-seater military aircraft in 1912. Many Taubes were built under licence by a wide array of manufacturers but most were produced by the Rumpler Flugzeugwerke . By 1912 the design had evolved to

1312-485: The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment ; subsequent production Sea Kings were delivered to the Royal Navy's 700 Naval Air Squadron from August 1969 onwards. By 1979, the Royal Navy had ordered 56 HAS1s and 21 HAS2s to meet the anti-submarine requirements, these were also configured for the secondary anti-ship role. The Westland Sea King was updated and adapted for numerous roles, subsequent variants include

1394-642: The Australian War Memorial before landing at Nowra . On 16 December 2011, the Chief of Navy presided over the ceremonial decommissioning of 817 Squadron RAN at NAS Nowra. Five of the withdrawn helicopters have been made available for sale. The replacement for the Sea King was intended to be the MRH 90 . However, in the 2010s issues with that design lead to only six being acquired and the SH-60 Seahawk ended up being

1476-629: The Fairey Gannet aeroplane was withdrawn after the last of the RN's fleet carriers was decommissioned in 1978. During the Falklands War, a number of warships were lost and casualties suffered due to the lack of an AEW platform. The proposed fleet cover by the RAF Shackleton AEW.2 was too unresponsive and at too great a distance to be practical. Consequently, two Sea King HAS2s were modified in 1982 with

1558-562: The HAS2 , HAS5 and HAS6 . Changes from initial production aircraft included an expansion of the cabin and upgraded engines. One of the most extensively modified variants was the Westland Commando , operated by the Royal Navy as the HC4. The Commando had capacity for up to 28 fully equipped troops and had originally been developed to meet an Egyptian Air Force requirement. Due to the deletion of

1640-470: The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 . Due to training shortfalls on the new helicopters, Sea King operations were considerably restricted during the 1971 war; by November 1971, increased aircrew experience had enabled offensive anti-submarine operations to be conducted. The Majestic -class aircraft carrier INS  Vikrant was also refitted in 1972–1974 to enable extensive Sea King operations, becoming

1722-517: The Persian Gulf , resulting in the death of seven personnel. A report into the collision called for Sea Kings to be outfitted with night vision goggles, as well as better onboard safety equipment, and recommended changes to procedure regarding the use of radar at night. However, it later transpired that the Board of Inquiry had not been told that the three main contributory factors it reported coincided with

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1804-559: The UN and NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina . 845 Naval Air Squadron and their Sea Kings had been dispatched to the region in late 1992 in response to escalating tensions in the region. They performed various logistical and transport missions, such as the repositioning of Royal Artillery L118 Light Guns in the region and in the evacuation of casualties. In one incident on 24 March 1993, during an attempt to establish an air evacuation route to

1886-697: The amphibious capability, not required in the Egyptian desert, the most noticeable change from the Sea King was the deletion of the side floats, the main undercarriage being carried on stub sponsons. An improved variant of the Egyptian Commando, with changes including the fitting of folding blades common to the ASW variants, was designated as the Sea King HC4 by the Royal Navy and all the aircraft were new build. First flying on 26 September 1979, due to its operational range of up to 600 nautical miles without refuelling,

1968-574: The helicopter rotor . Initial trials carried out with active Sea Kings found several advantages to the BERP rotor, including a longer fatigue life and improved aerodynamic characteristics. Subsequent Westland helicopters, such as the record-breaking Lynx and the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin, took advantage of BERP rotors for greater performance. Westland equipped later-built Sea Kings with the new composite rotors as well. Westland has produced

2050-734: The Adriatic, including the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible , maintained a patrol of the Balkans' coast. The Sea Kings were also heavily used in the transport role during the preparations for a ground invasion of Kosovo. In 2000, Sea King HC.4s of 846 NAS participated in Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq , multiple Sea King ASaC7 from 849 NAS were operated from HMS Ark Royal . On 22 March 2003, two AEW Sea Kings from 849 NAS operating from Ark Royal collided over

2132-573: The American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines (derived from the US General Electric T58 ), British-made anti-submarine warfare systems and a fully computerised flight control system. The Sea King was primarily designed for performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. A Sea King variant known as the Commando was developed by Westland to serve as a troop transport. In British service,

2214-495: The BBC: "They are old...but they have gone through modernisation, and we need them very much. I believe this is just the start of our work together." The BBC also reports that a third Sea King is being prepared to be sent to Ukraine in the "coming weeks". The third Sea King HU.5 was delivered to Ukraine in May 2023. In January 2024, Germany agreed to send 6 further Sea Kings to Ukraine. Egypt

2296-611: The Dhruv's maintenance record. In May 1998, the United States enacted sanctions upon India as a part of the international response to a series of nuclear weapons tests by India . As of 1999 , these sanctions effectively grounded India's Sea Kings because India could not purchase any US-supplied spare parts for the fleet. Westland also complied with the sanctions by refusing to maintain any US-made components. A limited number of Sea Kings were kept operational by cannibalising other aircraft and

2378-518: The Falklands Conflict. They were transported to the combat zone and operated from the decks of various ships of the Royal Navy, such as the landing platform dock HMS  Fearless . In the theatre, they performed a wide range of missions, from anti-submarine patrols and reconnaissance flights to replenishment operations and the insertion of special forces . Support provided by the Sea Kings in

2460-667: The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper was also flown from Norway to Britain for testing. The Army and Navy air forces established themselves in Britain under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Norwegian air and ground crews operated as part of the British Royal Air Force , both in wholly Norwegian squadrons, and in others. The first exile air unit was the 330 Squadron equipped with Northrop torpedo-bombers. This squadron

2542-500: The HAS.1, but was not fitted with sonar. The 22 Sea Kings were delivered between April 1973 and September 1974, equipping Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (MFG 5) (Naval Air Wing 5). An additional Sea King was delivered in April 1975 to replace one destroyed in a gale. The surviving Sea Kings were upgraded between 1986 and 1988, adding the capability to carry Sea Skua anti-ship missiles, which required

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2624-485: The HC4 'Commando' became an important asset for amphibious warfare and troop transport duties, in particular. Several Royal Naval Air Squadrons have operated the Commando variant, such as 845 Naval Air Squadron , 846 Naval Air Squadron and 848 Naval Air Squadron . In British service, the Sea King HC4 was deployed on operations in the Falklands, the Balkans, both Gulf Wars, Sierra Leone , Lebanon and Afghanistan. Towards

2706-576: The Indian Navy considered the AEW Sea King, expected to be designated as Mk42D, it was judged to be too expensive, consequently, in 2003, the Russian Kamov Ka-31 was procured instead. The indigenous HAL Dhruv was the intended replacement for the Sea King in the ASW role, however, in 2000, it was deemed unsuited, as the Indian Navy were dissatisfied with the design's folding blade mechanism and by

2788-508: The Iraqi capital, Baghdad . In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , Australian Sea Kings played a major role in disaster relief efforts in Indonesia's Aceh province, delivering medical teams and supplies from Royal Australian Navy ships. Prior to retirement, the last major missions were flown during the 2010–11 Queensland floods , in which Sea Kings provided SAR coverage of

2870-592: The NH-90. HeliOperations continue to operate three Mk 5 Sea Kings, based at RNAS Portland , training German Navy pilots as of 2017. The last German Navy Sea Kings were retired in March 2024, making their last operational flight that month. In November 2022, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the United Kingdom announced they were donating three former Royal Navy Sea Kings to Ukraine . In January 2023,

2952-640: The Norwegian aircraft which reached Britain were four German made Heinkel He 115 sea planes , a fifth escaping to Finland . Three Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11 maritime reconnaissance aircraft also made it to Finland, landing on Lake Salmijärvi in Petsamo on 8 June. Six He 115s were bought before the war, and another two were captured from the Germans during the Norwegian Campaign . A captured Arado Ar 196 from

3034-551: The Royal Navy's requirement for a ship-based airborne early warning platform. On 26 September 2018, the last remaining Sea King variant in Royal Navy service was retired. Many operators have replaced, or are planning to replace, the Sea King with more modern helicopters, such as the NHIndustries NH90 and the AgustaWestland AW101 . Germany retired the type in March 2024; however, it is still in widespread service around

3116-501: The SAR role and served with 771 Naval Air Squadron , Culdrose and HMS Gannet SAR Flight at Prestwick Airport in Scotland. As of 2009 , they are expected to remain in service until 2016, being replaced with civilian operated SAR rotorcraft. Both Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge have flown SAR Sea Kings in front-line roles. The Royal Navy's airborne early warning (AEW) capability had been lost when

3198-469: The Sea King AEW fleet being upgraded with a new mission system, Comms, NavAids, JTIDS , Active Noise Reduction and Videographic recording. The Mission System Upgrade (MSU) component (Radar and partial JTIDS integration) was based around the improved Searchwater 2000AEW radar, with an all-new Man-Machine Interface. This MSU component was later termed "Project Cerberus" by Thales, after successful integration

3280-671: The Sea King to meet a requirement for an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter to replace the Westland Wessex , placing an order with Westland for 60 SH-3D Sea Kings in June 1966. The prototype and three pre-production aircraft were built by Sikorsky at Stratford, Connecticut and shipped to the United Kingdom to act as trials and pattern aircraft. The first of the SH-3Ds was initially fitted with General Electric T58s and, after being shipped from

3362-442: The U.S. Navy Sea Kings were intended to be under tactical control of the carrier from which they operated, the Royal Navy intended its helicopters to be much more autonomous, capable of operating alone, or co-ordinating with other aircraft or surface vessels. This resulted in a different crew arrangement, with operations being controlled by an observer rather than the pilot, as well as fitting a search radar. The Royal Navy selected

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3444-407: The United States, was flown in October 1966 from the dockside at Avonmouth to Yeovil airfield . The other three were delivered from the docks, by road to Yeovil, for completion with British systems and Rolls-Royce Gnome engines. The first Westland-built helicopter, designated Sea King HAS1 , flew on 7 May 1969 at Yeovil. The first two helicopters were used for trials and evaluation by Westland and

3526-403: The Westland Sea King provided a wide range of services in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force . As well as wartime roles in the Falklands War , the Gulf War , the Bosnian War , the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War , it was used as a Royal Navy Search and Rescue (red and grey livery) and RAF Search and Rescue Force (yellow livery) helicopter. The Sea King was also adapted to meet

3608-446: The addition of a Ferranti Seaspray radar in a nose radome. The 21 remaining Sea Kings are tasked to a variety of roles including SAR, transport, disaster relief, tactical land–sea transport, evacuation, surveillance, reconnaissance and naval support. The main base is Nordholz , although units are always stationed at Heligoland Airfield and Warnemünde , and sometimes at Borkum Airfield . The helicopters are scheduled to be replaced by

3690-416: The addition of the Thorn-EMI ARI 5980/3 Searchwater LAST radar attached to the fuselage on a swivel arm and protected by an inflatable dome. This allowed the radar to be lowered below the fuselage during flight and for it to be raised for landing. These prototypes, designated HAS2(AEW) , were both flying within 11 weeks and deployed with 824 "D" Flight on HMS Illustrious , serving in the Falklands after

3772-466: The aircraft's sponsons . Upgrades and changes made to SAR Sea Kings include the addition of radar warning receivers , a cargo hook for the underslung carriage of goods, and the redesigning of the cockpit for compatibility with night vision goggles . As of 2006 , up to 12 HAR3/3As were dispersed across the UK, a further two HAR3s were attached to the Falkland Islands, providing 24-hour rescue coverage. Some Royal Navy HAS5 ASW variants were adapted for

3854-421: The carrier was retired from service, without replacement. As the Sea King was too large to operate from the Adelaide -class frigates , 817 Squadron was then forced to operate from land bases, in both ASW and utility roles, with the Sea King relinquishing the anti-submarine mission in 1990. During the 2003 Iraq War, Sea Kings were heavily used in logistical roles, such as the first delivery of humanitarian aid to

3936-418: The carrier's primary anti-submarine aircraft. During the early 1960s, India and Britain agreed upon the domestic production of the Leander -class frigate . The initial helicopter deployed aboard India's Leander s, known as the Nilgiri class , was the Aérospatiale Alouette III , however, this offered much less capability in the anti-submarine role compared with the Sea King and the need for design changes

4018-417: The cessation of hostilities. A further eight HAS2s were modified to a production standard, known as the AEW2 . Two remained "fitted for but not with". These entered operational service in 1985, being deployed by 849 Naval Air Squadron . Three Sea King HAS5/6s were later converted as part of the ASaC Mk7 programme, bringing the Mk7 fleet to 13; still 3 below the requirement. The upgrade programme resulted in

4100-487: The command of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Southern Norway and Northern Norway . Introduced in May 1973, they were originally stationed at Bodø Main Air Station , Ørland Main Air Station , Sola Air Station and Station Group Banak . In 1997, the squadron conducted 237 SAR and 747 air ambulance missions. From 1995 to 1998, one helicopter was stationed at Ålesund Airport, Vigra , and since 1999, one has been stationed at Rygge Air Station . Florø Airport became

4182-487: The end of the Sea King's operational life, several HAS6s were repurposed by the removal of the ASW equipment, as troop transports. In 2010, the last of the UK's converted ASW Sea Kings to troop transports were retired. In the 1970s, Westland's experience with the Sea King led the company to conduct the British Experimental Rotor Program (BERP), in coordination with the Royal Aircraft Establishment , which applied innovations in composite materials and new design principles to

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4264-485: The evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon . In October 2011, following several years of service in Afghanistan as troop transports for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces stationed there, the Sea King HC.4s returned to the UK; their replacement is the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin. Between April 2009 and July 2011, the Royal Navy's Sea Kings stationed at Camp Bastion conducted over 1000 operational missions. The last Sea King flight in service

4346-449: The first Sea King was videoed being used by the Ukrainian Naval Aviation . In April 2023, the BBC did an interview with one of the co-pilots of a UK donated Sea King to Ukraine. These helicopters served in the Falklands War so they are at least some 40 years old. The co-pilot has said that the Sea King is used for rescuing pilots who have ejected, delivering soldiers, and conducting reconnaissance, among other tasks. One engineer also told

4428-418: The flagship HMS Hermes . On 12 May, a Sea King operating from Hermes crashed into the sea due to an altimeter problem; all crew were rescued. On 19 May 1982 a Sea King, in the process of transporting SAS troops to HMS  Intrepid from Hermes , crashed into the sea while attempting to land on Intrepid . Twenty-two men were killed and nine survived. Bird feathers were found in the debris, suggesting

4510-549: The form of transport for men and supplies has been viewed as vital to the success of the British operation. Sea Kings also protected the fleet by acting as decoys against incoming Exocet missiles , with some missions being flown by Prince Andrew, Duke of York . Anti-Submarine Sea Kings of 820 Naval Air Squadron were embarked in HMS  Invincible . With 11 HAS.5s, the squadron operated anti-submarine and search and rescue sorties with one helicopter always airborne on surface search duties. On 14 June, an 820 NAS Sea King HAS.5

4592-468: The globe, including India and several Middle Eastern countries. Westland Helicopters, which had a long-standing licence agreement with Sikorsky Aircraft to allow it to build Sikorsky's helicopters, extended the agreement to cover the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King soon after the Sea King's first flight in 1969. Westland proceeded to independently develop the Sea King, integrating a significant proportion of components from British suppliers; key changes include

4674-433: The ground advance. There was thorough radar coverage by U.S. airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft; British AEW Sea Kings were not deployed. Following the end of hostilities, the available Sea Kings remained on deployment in the region to conduct transport missions to relocate people displaced by the conflict to refugee camps and repatriate citizens to their home countries. The Sea King participated in

4756-445: The largest contributors was H.M. King Haakon VII of Norway . The first flight was made on 1 June 1912 by Secondløytnant Hans Fleischer Dons (who was also second in command on the submarine HNoMS Kobben). He took off from Gannestad in Borre Municipality , flew over Karljohansvern naval station and Moss before landing in Øra, not far from Fredrikstad . The flight was 48 kilometres (30 mi) long and took 35 minutes. Dons

4838-418: The main successor. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 , Pakistan invested heavily in modern submarines and long-range torpedoes. In response, India opted to procure six Westland Sea Kings from Britain in 1969, for ASW duties, designated as Mk42 . The purchase also included the provision of air-droppable homing torpedoes for use against submarines. The delivery of the aircraft began a few months before

4920-503: The manufacture of some components by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). In December 2000, President Bill Clinton permitted a relaxation of the sanctions. In the late 2000s, HAL and AgustaWestland signed an agreement to jointly maintain and perform upgrades to India's fleet of Sea Kings. The Norwegian Ministry of Justice owns 12 Mk43B Sea Kings which are operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Forces's 330 Squadron . The aircraft are used for SAR and air ambulance missions and are under

5002-431: The new radar enables the ASaC7 to simultaneously track up to 400 targets, instead of an earlier limit of 250 targets. The effectiveness of the AEW7 was greatly increased via the addition of a Link 16 data link, allowing gathered radar information to be analysed and rapidly put to use by multiple allied platforms in range. The ASaC7s remained in service until they were replaced under the "Crowsnest" programme; intended as

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5084-465: The onboard software. Changes from the older Sea Kings included a brand new avionics suite, the use of composite materials throughout the fuselage and in the rotor blades, as well as the integration of the Sea Eagle missile , which had been procured from Britain in 1983. Between 1988 and 1992, a total of 20 Mk42B Sea Kings were delivered to the Indian Navy. Six Sea Kings in troop-carrying capacity, designated Mk42C , were also procured in 1987. Although

5166-425: The planes in Norwegian service were outdated, and the 1 100 transport and fighter planes of the Luftwaffe soon gained air superiority. The armed resistance in Norway was abandoned 9 June 1940, although some Norwegians would continue the fight abroad. The aircraft of the Norwegian Naval Airforce were the only ones which had the range to fly all the way from the remaining bases in Northern Norway to Britain . Amongst

5248-403: The planned out of service date of the Sea King in 2016, and the introduction of "Crowsnest", seven Sea King ASaC.7 helicopters remained in service with the RN through to the second half of 2018. The last Sea Kings were retired in September 2018, marking almost half a century of service, with the last three taking a ceremonial flight before retirement. A number of Sea Kings were deployed during

5330-480: The primary causes were the loss of oil from the main gearbox. The Australian Sea Kings had similar avionics to that of the Sea King HAS.1, with the same ARI 5995 search radar in a dorsal radome, but had American Bendix AN/AQS-13A dipping sonar instead of the Plessey sonar of the Royal Navy Sea Kings. They also had more powerful engines giving improved high temperature hover performance. Australia's Sea Kings were flown by 817 Squadron RAN from HMAS Melbourne until

5412-454: The region and delivered aid relief to citizens in the flooded areas. The replacement of the Fleet Air Arm's Sea King fleet commenced faster than initially planned following the loss of a Sea King during a humanitarian aid mission in Indonesia in April 2005, resulting in nine deaths. Investigators uncovered serious faults in the condition of the Sea King's mechanical flight control system, resulting from maintenance deficiencies. In May 2007,

5494-546: The ship's Limbo anti-submarine mortar . Beyond the original 1971 procurement, India chose to acquire a further six Mk42s in 1974, and three more in 1980; these three had been specifically modified to operate from the flight deck of the last two Nilgiri s and designated as Mk42A . As a follow-on to the Nilgiri s, India commenced development of a new frigate, based on the Leander / Nilgiri , but larger. The resultant Godavari class , also known as Project 16, could operate two Sea Kings simultaneously. In 1982, India signed

5576-526: The six remaining Sea Kings were grounded for two months following the discovery of a number of missing parts. On 1 September 2011, the Australian Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare , announced that the Sea Kings would be withdrawn from service in December 2011; having flown in excess of 60,000 hours in operations in Australia and overseas in that time. The farewell flight was conducted on 15 December 2011, three Sea Kings flew over Sydney Harbour and across to Canberra , passing Lake Burley Griffin and

5658-484: The threat of potential use of any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction , it was standard practice for Sea King crews to wear fully enclosed NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protective suits . Britain's Sea Kings primarily engaged in inter-ship transport duties, including ferrying troops between the fleet and land. Six Sea King Mk4 helicopters from 845 Naval Air Squadron and six of 848 Squadron , which had been reformed to meet this operational demand, worked in support of

5740-481: The three main areas of degradation between the Mk2 and Mk7. (NVG, Anti-Collision lighting and Interoperability with ships). These had been identified and two contracts let to mitigate the risks had been cancelled by an administrative official. Moreover, in 1994 the RN had rejected the recommendation of the programme manager to retain NVG. In July 2006, Sea King HC.4 helicopters based at RNAS Yeovilton were temporarily deployed to Cyprus to assist in Operation Highbrow,

5822-481: The two Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carriers. The UK has also planned to retire the HC4 and search and rescue variants in March 2016. A dedicated search and rescue (SAR) version, the HAR3 , was developed for the RAF Search and Rescue Force . The type entered service in 1978 to replace the Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 . A 16th helicopter was ordered shortly after, and following the Falklands War of 1982, three more instances were purchased to enable operation of

5904-494: The use of a pair of Rolls-Royce Gnome turboshaft engines and the implementation of an automatic flight control system . On this matter, authors Jim Thorn and Gerald Frawley stated that: "Despite appearances, Westland's Sea King [is a] very different aircraft from Sikorsky's". Many of the differences between the Westland-built Sea King and the original helicopter were as a result of differing operational doctrine. While

5986-478: The war, Norwegian personnel received flight training at Toronto , Canada, at Toronto Island Airport . The advantage of this site was its ability to provide both basic flight and seaplane training. Although the airport is located on an island in the harbour, personnel were housed in barracks on the mainland, in a neighbourhood which is still known today as Little Norway . On 10 May 1945 the Mosquitos were formed into

6068-460: Was 826 Naval Air Squadron with nine HAS.5s, which carried out continuous anti-submarine sorties. From the departure of Hermes from Ascension in April until the Argentine surrender, the squadron operated at least three helicopters airborne continuously for fleet protection. On 23 April 1982, a Sea King HC4 was ditched while performing a risky transfer of supplies to a ship at night, operating from

6150-533: Was conducted by Westland and GEC-Marconi. This variant was initially referred to as the Sea King AEW7 , but renamed ASaC7 (Airborne Surveillance and Control Mk.7) just before In Service Date. The main role of the Sea King ASaC7 is detection of low-flying attack aircraft; it also provides interception/attack control and over-the-horizon targeting for surface-launched weapon systems. In comparison to older versions,

6232-617: Was congratulated by both the King and the Government of Norway . Start was officially given as a gift to the navy on 1 August 1912 and is today displayed at the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection . Data from General characteristics Performance Armament This Norwegian history -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This European military article

6314-458: Was established in the autumn of 1940 and was operating from Akureyri , Iceland , from July 1941. On 28 January 1943 the entire squadron relocated to Oban , Scotland where it began to re-equip with Short Sunderlands . The second maritime squadron was the 333 squadron established in 1943 in Woodhaven , Scotland equipped with Catalina sea planes and Mosquito fighter-bombers . At the start of

6396-597: Was formed for the war with 10 Sea King HAS.2s modified as utility variants to support ground forces. The anti-submarine equipment was removed and the helicopters fitted with troop seats. Two aircraft embarked in Queen Elizabeth 2 and were later used for moving troops from QE2 to other ships, the remainder embarked in Atlantic Causeway and were used for troop movements around the islands. Embarked in HMS ; Hermes

6478-511: Was in September 2018, marking an end to half a century of service with the Royal Navy. In 1974, Australia purchased 12 Westland Sea King Mk 50s as the Royal Australian Navy 's new ASW helicopter; the Sea Kings replaced the aircraft carrier HMAS  Melbourne 's complement of Westland Wessex HAS31 in the following year. Early operations were troubled by a series of accidents. Between October 1975 to May 1979, four aircraft were lost in accidents,

6560-521: Was realised to allow the Sea King to be deployed upon the flight deck of the Nilgiri class, a practice pioneered by the Royal Canadian Navy using their Sikorsky CH-124 Sea Kings on similar-sized frigates. It proved unfeasible to operate the Sea King from the unmodified Nilgiri class, with the last two ships of the class being fitted with an enlarged flight deck and hangar. This required removal of

6642-657: Was short-listed to conduct further discussions for the NAWSARH programme for up to 16 helicopters. The German Navy placed an order for 22 Sea King Mk.41s on 20 June 1969 as a replacement for the Grumman Albatross flying boat in the Search and Rescue Role. This was the first export sale for the Westland Sea King, and was the first dedicated Search and Rescue Sea King variant, with an enlarged cabin and more fuel. The German Sea Kings had similar radar and navigation equipment to

6724-544: Was used to transport Major General Jeremy Moore to Port Stanley to accept the surrender of Argentine troops on the island. The squadron flew 1,650 sorties during the war. A Flight of 824 Naval Air Squadron embarked two Sea King HAS.2As aboard RFA  Olmeda and were used to move supplies to other ships on the way south and later anti-submarine patrols. C Flight had three Sea King HAS.2As on board RFA  Fort Grange which were used for replenishment duties, supplying over 2,000 tons of stores. 825 Naval Air Squadron

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