'Eyes in the sky' Merlin arrives in Cyprus to bolster aerial defences

The Merlin Mk2 helicopter, aircrews and an engineering team from 820 Naval Air Squadron, left Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose on Saturday and arrived at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus this afternoon.

With its powerful radar and mission system, the ASaC Merlin - known as Crowsnest - provides a defence against aerial threats. With a crew of three, the aircraft can fly up to a mile in height and look ‘over the horizon’ – giving advance warning of incoming drones or missiles.

The commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, Captain James Hall, said: “We have activated one of our ASaC aircraft to deploy immediately to provide an additional layer of defence for our forces at Akrotiri. Our aircraft from Merlin Helicopter Force are held at readiness to respond at short notice to any threat to UK interests.

“820 Naval Air Squadron already has experience of providing force protection from similar threats, having deployed ASaC aircraft on active operations in the Red Sea last year during the transits of the carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales during Operation Highmast.

“This will also compliment the defensive measures provided by the Wildcat aircraft and HMS Dragon, when she arrives in the region next week, providing a layered capability for the protection of UK forces.”

The Merlin will join Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron, which were transported to RAF Akrotiri by an RAF C-17 transporter on Friday to bolster air defences, specifically against the drone threat.

This week the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon will deploy to the eastern Mediterranean. The ship is one of the most capable air defence warships in the world, fitted with Sea Viper missiles.