Sea Kings to Ukraine
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V41LEY

Original Poster:

2,983 posts

254 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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According to the BBC this morning. Thought they had all been scrapped. No idea there were any still serviceable let alone fit to fly !

Eric Mc

123,995 posts

281 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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A small number were kept flying in the hands of a private operator. I saw one at Farnborough back in 2018.

Shar2

2,239 posts

229 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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Eric Mc said:
A small number were kept flying in the hands of a private operator. I saw one at Farnborough back in 2018.
Yes, they have three flying now. Don't think they'd be much use to Ukraine. There are also several Mk5's in use training German pilots out of Portland.


lenard

25 posts

133 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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historic helicopters in chard have 5 sea kings 2 yellow 2 ex Belgium and a green one. but cant see them being offered.

Scaleybrat

638 posts

221 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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Presumably they are UK assets being transferred to Ukraine. Were there some frames in storage at Shawbury?

andy97

4,765 posts

238 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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I think there were some airframes at HMS Sultan and at Cosford as engineering training airframes.
No idea whether it is possible (or desirable) to get those back fit to fly!

I do seem to remember that in 1982 the RN formed 848 (?) squadron fair.y quickly to deploy “down south” on Atlantic Conveyor with Wessex Mk5 that were in storage at RNAY Wroughton. Of course, Wroughton has long since closed and doubt we have aircraft in reserve anymore!

V41LEY

Original Poster:

2,983 posts

254 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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If we’re in the business of using obsolete assets to help our allies, we may as well send then XH588 along with William and Harry as pilots.

aeropilot

38,474 posts

243 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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V41LEY said:
According to the BBC this morning. Thought they had all been scrapped. No idea there were any still serviceable let alone fit to fly !
HeliOps in Portland have been operating 3 x ex-RN Mk.5's on the military register under a contract to train German aircrews for a good few years, and that contract ended a while ago, but they were contracted by UK Govt to train Ukraine crews as a follow-on, and its these 3 x Sea Kings that are being donated to Ukraine.
Heliops have a huge hangar full of Sea-Kings and pretty much the entire store of ex-MOD parts supply for them.


Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

277 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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V41LEY said:
If we’re in the business of using obsolete assets to help our allies, we may as well send then XH588 along with William and Harry as pilots.
Wonder if the royals have any ex Sea King pilots that might be expendable?

aeropilot

38,474 posts

243 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
quotequote all
V41LEY said:
If we’re in the business of using obsolete assets to help our allies, we may as well send then XH588 along with William and Harry as pilots.
Sea King isn't obsolete though is it.....for troop transport and casevac purposes.


Pilotguy

435 posts

275 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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aeropilot said:
HeliOps in Portland have been operating 3 x ex-RN Mk.5's on the military register under a contract to train German aircrews for a good few years, and that contract ended a while ago, but they were contracted by UK Govt to train Ukraine crews as a follow-on, and its these 3 x Sea Kings that are being donated to Ukraine.
Heliops have a huge hangar full of Sea-Kings and pretty much the entire store of ex-MOD parts supply for them.
...Is the only accurate and clearly well-informed answer smile

Can posts be stickied on here? No probably not

normalbloke

8,108 posts

235 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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aeropilot said:
V41LEY said:
According to the BBC this morning. Thought they had all been scrapped. No idea there were any still serviceable let alone fit to fly !
HeliOps in Portland have been operating 3 x ex-RN Mk.5's on the military register under a contract to train German aircrews for a good few years, and that contract ended a while ago, but they were contracted by UK Govt to train Ukraine crews as a follow-on, and its these 3 x Sea Kings that are being donated to Ukraine.
Heliops have a huge hangar full of Sea-Kings and pretty much the entire store of ex-MOD parts supply for them.
Thanks for sharing that, very interesting. Does this mean no more Seaking activity at Portland?

aeropilot

38,474 posts

243 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
quotequote all
normalbloke said:
aeropilot said:
V41LEY said:
According to the BBC this morning. Thought they had all been scrapped. No idea there were any still serviceable let alone fit to fly !
HeliOps in Portland have been operating 3 x ex-RN Mk.5's on the military register under a contract to train German aircrews for a good few years, and that contract ended a while ago, but they were contracted by UK Govt to train Ukraine crews as a follow-on, and its these 3 x Sea Kings that are being donated to Ukraine.
Heliops have a huge hangar full of Sea-Kings and pretty much the entire store of ex-MOD parts supply for them.
Thanks for sharing that, very interesting. Does this mean no more Seaking activity at Portland?
Possibly, unless UK Govt are going to be asking them to restore to flight some of the other Sea Kings they have in store for sending to Ukraine, and will further train more Ukrainians to operate them...?

FourWheelDrift

91,036 posts

300 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
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https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/sea-kings-fo...

"UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the United Kingdom is providing three former Royal Navy Sea King helicopters to the Ukraine military. The helicopters, the first one has already arrived, will be used in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role.

Ukrainian crews have been trained in the UK in the last six weeks. This training must have occurred with HeliOperations at the former Royal Naval Air Station Portland.

The company had a fleet of three Westland Sea King HU5 helicopters, XV666, XZ920 and ZA166. These were used for training Marineflieger (German Navy) Sea King crews."


sherman

14,482 posts

231 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
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V41LEY said:
If we’re in the business of using obsolete assets to help our allies, we may as well send then XH588 along with William and Harry as pilots.
Sadly XH588 is getting disassembled to remove it from Doncaster airport and its never going to fly or taxi again
https://vulcantothesky.org/news/october-update-fro...

Caddyshack

12,620 posts

222 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
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Maybe they have Apache’s hidden underneath the Sea king frame.

Tony1963

5,708 posts

178 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
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Apaches

Sorry!

Anyway, it’d take a couple of years or more to train them to be of any use with an Apache, and then there’s the maintenance…

Caddyshack

12,620 posts

222 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
Apaches

Sorry!

Anyway, it’d take a couple of years or more to train them to be of any use with an Apache, and then there’s the maintenance…
Oddly I wouldn’t use an apostrophe there but I just typed apaches again and it didn’t add one so I must have added it.

If they had really gone to the hassle of hiding an Apache under there they would have included the pilots and some ammo I would expect?

Tony1963

5,708 posts

178 months

Thursday 24th November 2022
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Caddyshack said:
Oddly I wouldn’t use an apostrophe there but I just typed apaches again and it didn’t add one so I must have added it.

If they had really gone to the hassle of hiding an Apache under there they would have included the pilots and some ammo I would expect?
Crikey! Talk about hypothetical smile

That would depend on the contract, I suppose. And D or E model? wink

Caddyshack

12,620 posts

222 months

Friday 25th November 2022
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Tony1963 said:
Caddyshack said:
Oddly I wouldn’t use an apostrophe there but I just typed apaches again and it didn’t add one so I must have added it.

If they had really gone to the hassle of hiding an Apache under there they would have included the pilots and some ammo I would expect?
Crikey! Talk about hypothetical smile

That would depend on the contract, I suppose. And D or E model? wink
Well, yes it was very hypothetical but it is good to talk.

I don’t know the difference of D or E but I believe the U.K. spec Apaches had much more powerful engines than the US versions…it has been a while since I read the brilliant Apache books.