Pictured: Air Engineers disconnect stores from a Merlin Mk 4 helicopter during a vertical replenishment from RFA Tidespring, 27 July 2021. Credit: Crown copyright/UK MoD.

The UK Royal Navy has declared the full operational capability of a number of upgraded Merlin maritime helicopters to support Royal Marines in 3 Commando Brigade, a littoral strike unit.

In total, 25 AW101 Merlin helicopters, nearly half the Merlin fleet – 19 Mk3 and six Mk3a units – were upgraded to the improved Mk4/4a standard. Leonardo, a European defence prime, delivered the fleet at its facility in Yeovil, South West England.

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The new variant will ensure the Commando Helicopter Force has the capability to provide air manoeuvre support to forces.

Specifically, the Mk4/4a is a “ship optimised, in-service capability platform,” meaning the helicopter is more compact, with a foldable main rotor and tail, which allows two of the aircraft to fit on just one of a Queen Elizabeth-class carriers’ aircraft lifts. This provides more efficient storage and deployment from surface warships and aircraft carriers around the world.

The upgrade also includes a new defensive aid suite of avionics while obsolesent aspects have been removed.

Following delivery of the last conversion in 2022, Defence Equipment & Support, the UK’s defence procurement arm, has overseen the retrofit after delivery activity including integrated Mission Planning System installation and integration of type-leading Synthetic Training Equipment.

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Image of the upgraded Merlin Mk4/4a with folded main rotor and tail. Credit: UK DE&S.

The first Merlin, designated Mk1, entered service with the UK Royal Navy in December 1998, at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, where the first squadron of Merlins was formed in October 2001.

The platform has a lifting capacity of 3.8 tonnes, a length of 23 metres, and a speed of 160 knots.

Nimble navy

The decision to upgrade the Merlin helicopters enables a smoother tempo of Commando operations at sea. The upgrade notably complements the more recent Royal Navy strategy for a greater forward presence around the world.

Maintaining a forward presence eliminates the long transit times and allows ships to remain in operational zones.

This nimble force structure is already a proven operational concept as Batch 2 River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels – HMSs Forth, Medway, Trent, Tamar, and Spey – maintain Britain’s presence abroad despite the service’s reduced ship count.

A more flexible Merlin design will make amphibious operations more efficient due to the new storage design.