Sea King ASaC

The Sea King Mk7 Airborne Surveillance and Control – known throughout the Navy as Baggers – are the ‘eyes in the sky’ of the Navy, searching for aerial threats to the Fleet – or suspicious movements on the ground in support of land forces. We owe our nickname to the distinctive inflatable black sack or bag on the side of each helicopter. It may look a rather cumbersome piece of kit from the outside, but inside that sack is the cutting-edge Searchwater 2000 radar capable of remarkably-accurate detection of surface and air targets. Once enemy units are detected, the helicopter’s observers can direct friendly air, sea or ground forces to intercept – as they did with devastating effect during the fighting in southern Iraq in 2003. Right now, our aircraft and men and women are currently committed in the skies of Afghanistan, where the surveillance equipment is vital for tracking the movements of insurgents.