Royal Navy helicopters ‘bag’ Afghan drugs
25 August 2011
In recent operations in Afghanistan, Royal Navy Sea King Airborne Surveillance & Control (ASaC) helicopters – fitted with Thales UK’s powerful Searchwater 2000 airborne early warning radar – have helped seize and destroy over five tons of drugs with a ‘street value’ of more than £6m.
The Sea King Mk7 crews use the aircraft’s Searchwater surveillance radar – described by the Royal Navy as ‘cutting-edge’ – to track suspicious activity on the ground and feed this vital information to other aircraft and a wide range of ground units. The Searchwater radar is fitted as part of the Cerberus mission system.
Use of the Searchwater radar provides the essential ‘eyes’ for the land force commander and demonstrates the inherent flexibility of the system that was originally designed to provide airborne force protection for naval task groups at sea.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed that, as well as anti-drug operations, the crews of the Sea King ASaC helicopters have contributed to the capture of 15 suspected insurgents, the recovery of over six tons of explosives, and hundreds of weapons and radios.
The Sea King detachment is shared on a rotational basis between Culdrose-based 854 and 857 Naval Air squadrons. After first deploying to Camp Bastion in 2009, the Sea King force has been flying intensive operational sorties in support of coalition forces, achieving its 1,000th Afghanistan mission last month.
Most recently, due to information supplied by the navy helicopters, insurgents in Helmand suffered a blow to their finance network following the seizure of 500kg of wet opium and 40kg of dry opium, and the arrest and detention of two insurgents.
The Commanding Officer of 854 Naval Air Squadron, Lt Cdr Paul Harrison, highlights the demand for the Sea Kings, affectionately known as ‘The Baggers’ due to the large radar bag on the outside of the helicopter. He says: “Both the US Marine Corps and British forces continue to demand our capabilities to strangle insurgent supply routes.
“The Sea King ASaC continues to surprise everyone, including the most experienced operators, with its long-range detections providing surveillance over massive areas of Afghanistan.”
– Ends –
About Thales and Thales UK
Thales is a global technology leader for the defence & security and the aerospace & transport markets. In 2010 the company generated revenues of £11.2bn (€13.1bn), with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.
Thales UK employs 8,000 staff based at 35 locations. In 2010 Thales UK’s revenues were around £1.5bn.
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