Landing Zone

INTERNATIONAL

845 – THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD B Flight of 845 NAS is currently deployed in RFA FORT VICTORIA (FTVR) as the Commando Aviation Detachment (CAD) of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG).

Written By: Lt H B Saunders RN

O

p FORTIS is the largest Task Group deployed by the Royal Navy in recent memory, marking a radical change in the way that UK maritime aviation is deployed.

The majority of the Fight embarked FT VR while she sat alongside in Faslane, with the Merlin Mk4’s of the CAD joining a few days later as she approached the South Coast of the UK. As the rest of the CSG prepared to ship from Portsmouth, a fire on board FT VR forced a last-minute

relocation of the CAD to HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH (QNLZ).

History appeared to repeat itself as nearly 50 years ago B Flight deployed on the aircraft carrier HMS ALBION to the Far East, where they saw action in the dense foliage of Borneo and gave birth to the nickname ‘Junglies’. Remaining flexible with a can-do attitude, in difficult and constantly evolving circumstances, is part of the Junglie reputation and has ensured the preservation of operational output. This

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is thanks in no small part to the efforts of the B Flight engineers.

LAET Clucas, B Flight avionics engineer remarked: “So far on Op FORTIS, the engineers have been busy with a range of engineering challenges which have included a generator fail, flying control restrictions and a rejected main gearbox, to name but a few.

On top of that, the short notice move to QNLZ from FT VR, with minimal maintenance equipment, made things a little tricky.

“However, we took this in our stride and made sure an aircraft was available for tasking during a busy tempo. Our return to FT VR coincided with a muchwelcomed break in Cyprus. Our return to FT VR did however require a small team of two engineers to remain with the aircraft on QNLZ, whilst a replacement gearbox was arranged in the UK. “As we approached our next port visit, an additional seven engineers returned to QNLZ to begin the replacement of

the unserviceable gearbox. A challenging endeavor on land, let alone on a very busy aircraft carrier. Op FORTIS is the first deployment for many of the Air Engineering Technicians (AET) on board and we are looking forward to hopefully having some more runs ashore to experience the local cultures.”

It takes all types and trades to keep a deployment ticking; the CAD brings with it a chef, aircraft handlers, Survival Equipment (SE) specialists, logistics, Royal Navy Police and an armourer, bringing the total complement of support personnel to seventy-five. The addition of these personnel to B Flight allow Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) units to deploy as self-sustaining units. Improving their ability to remain flexible to rapidly

changing situations, as demonstrated early in the deployment with our short notice move to QNLZ. The small team of seven aircraft handlers have found FT VR has not afforded them the same luxury QNLZ had with her large flight deck and vast hangars.

However, this did not prevent LH Edney and his team make best use of the limited space available on FT VR. “Our daily struggle is getting the aircraft in and out of the hangar that was built for a Sea King, meaning we do not get much room for error, approximately three inches either side. As a team we also managed to squeeze in a third Merlin in the port side hangar, an achievement many said could not be done due to the fuel farm blocking our path,