The first upgraded UK Royal Marines Merlin Mk3 helicopter completed maiden flight earlier this week from Leonardo's plant in Yeovil,...
The first upgraded UK Royal Marines Merlin Mk3 helicopter completed maiden flight earlier this week from Leonardo's plant in Yeovil, UK.
Dubbed the Merlin Mk4, the helicopter is much better adapted to operations at sea than the Mk3 it is replacing and will be the mainstay of Commando Helicopter Force for the next decade and beyond.
The upgrade constitute the Phase 2 of the Merlin Life Sustainment Program (MLSP) awarded to Leonardo (then AgustaWestland) in 2014.
The Mk4 features an automatic folding main rotor head and folding tail which make it much more suitable for operating from aircraft carriers and assault ships at sea.
The four crew members also have access to the vastly improved avionics system featuring five integrated displays and two touch screens. The aircraft are also fitted with the same cockpit as the Royal Navy’s Merlin Mk2 aircraft, giving the Merlin fleet a common cockpit featuring five 10” x 8” integrated display units, two touch screen units for controlling the aircraft’s systems and mission equipment, as well as two cursor control devices for cursor control of the tactical displays.
The first Mk4 is likely to be ready for front-line operations by late 2017. The Mk3 to Mk4 conversion began in August 2015 and the entire fleet of 25 will be converted by the end of 2020.
At present the two troop-carrying squadrons of Commando Helicopter Force, based at RNAS Yeovilton – 845 and 846 NAS – operate the Mk3 and Mk3i (the latter has undergone enhancements and improvements which plug the gap between Nos.3 and 4).
The Mk2 version is operated by Royal Navy in anti-submarine warfare role. The fleet achieved final operational clearance in September 2015.
The Mk3/Mk4 replaces the retiring Sea King HC4 helicopters.
