LONDON — The British government this year is expected to develop a detailed plan for a mid-life update of Royal Air Force (RAF) Merlin Mk. 3 helicopters to prepare them to take over for retiring Royal Navy Sea Kings.
The activity is advancing in parallel with flight trials and production of the Royal Navy’s own upgrade of the Merlin, with two of four Mk.2 prototypes now in flight trials. RAF operates 22 Merlin Mk.3s and six Mk.3As, which are due for updates in 4-6 years. The plan is to modify them into maritime-capable helicopters—adding the folding head and tail and tie-downs—as well as installing structural and avionics updates. A Defense Ministry official says the helicopters would almost certainly receive the cockpit avionics upgrade now being put on the Royal Navy Merlin Mk.2 to reduce cost and have fleet commonality. Along with the equipment changes, both the cockpit avionics and mission workstations are undergoing a major overhaul to ease operations. One of the upgrades allows each position to have an independent moving map.
The helicopters are likely to be transferred to the Royal Navy, although RAF officials are still fighting to retain them for utility roles and operate the rotorcraft, as needed, off ships. How many of the RAF Merlins would be upgraded, and the exact phasing of the service introduction, is due to be resolved this year, a program official says. One issue that will drive the timing is the operational pace in Afghanistan.
Phasing upgrades to minimize the effect on the operational fleet also is key to the Royal Navy’s upgrade of 30 Merlins that is supposed to sustain the fleet until at least 2029, notes Jeff Streznetcky, managing director for helicopter systems at prime contractor Lockheed Martin U.K. Integrated Systems. The first two of four test helicopters have been built at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil, England, facility. The flight test program, which began in November, is due to run into 2013 and comprise about 750 hr.
Full-rate production is slated to start this year—and reach up to 10 rotorcraft at one time with a nine month modification cycle—with the Royal Navy to receive its first production Merlin Mk.2 in the fourth quarter of 2012. The second pre-production airframe is due to arrive next month. The initial in-service date for the Mk.2 is planned for late 2013, followed by full operational capability a year later.
Although the main focus is life extension, capability upgrades also are being introduced, including new radar modes (such as inverse aperture radar) and improved acoustic processing.
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