Helicopters have been going to sea with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm
for over 70 years. Initially used for search and rescue (SAR) duties
from aircraft carriers, the rapid development of both the helicopters
and service experience resulted in them taking on the vital
anti-submarine (and later anti-ship) attack roles. The 1956 Suez
campaign saw the first operational use of Whirlwind helicopters for the
insertion of troops by air into a battle zone, a capability which was
expanded with more helicopters such as the Wessex, Sea King and today's
Merlin. Through their vital role in the 1960s Indonesian Confrontation,
the Commando helicopter force became universally referred to as the
'Junglies'.
It is often said that if either of the 1982 Task Force aircraft carriers
had been lost the Falklands War could not have been won. The same would
surely have been true without helicopters. Their vital tasks, including
inserting Special Forces behind enemy lines, protecting the Task Force
from Exocet missile attack and recovering wounded troops whilst under
enemy fire, are rightly hailed as being instrumental. At home, the
essential SAR effort by both the Royal Navy and their RAF counterparts
has resulted in incredible stories of saving lives against the odds.
Royal Navy destroyers and frigates have also long since benefitted from
having their own helicopter Flight aboard. Frequently operating in
extremes of weather, flying a Wasp, Lynx or today's Wildcat from and
back to a heaving deck is every bit as risky as flying fixed-wing
aircraft off the carriers of old.
Once dismissed as a novelty, the helicopter has more than proved itself.
Indeed, for ten years until the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth-class
aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm's operational force was entirely
rotary-wing. Today's Merlins and Wildcats, with their dedicated aircrew,
maintenance and support staff continue to demonstrate just how vital an
asset the helicopter has become.
Here are the words of the men and women themselves, skillfully brought
to life by Steve Bond and profusely illustrated in color and b/w.
