ROTARY UTILITY

ROTARY UTILITY

HMS Prince of Wales and her sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will not only carry the F-35B Lightning jet, they will also be home to helicopters from all three armed services as well as rotary assets from partner nations. Richard Scott reports.

While the raison d’être for the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) is Carrier Strike – the delivery of offensive air power from the sea – it was recognised from the outset of the programme that rotary-wing aircraft would have a vital force protection role to play as part of the carrier air wing. Furthermore, the broader concept of Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP) promotes the flight deck and aviation support facilities available on HM Ships Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth as an operating base for rotorcraft from all three services and, indeed, allies. This intent was reaffirmed in the Joint Force 2025 vision set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

The responsibility for delivering underwater and above-surface force protection to the Carrier Strike Group is shouldered by the Royal Navy’s Merlin Helicopter Force, based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. That force today comprises 30 Merlin HM Mk.2 aircraft, of which 25 are maintained in the forward fleet.

The Merlin CROWSNEST will provide ASaC capability to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

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Merlin is a true multi-mission helicopter, but it is the aircraft’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability that sets it apart. The upgrade to HM Mk.2 standard has included a package of sonics upgrades. From 2019, the Merlin force will add airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) to its repertoire. This capability, replacing that delivered by the venerable Sea King ASaC Mk. 7 until its retirement on Sept. 26, 2018, is being enabled through the introduction of the CROWSNEST radar and mission system role fit.

Lockheed Martin UK was awarded a £269 million contract to deliver the CROWSNEST programme in late 2016. The company is working in partnership with Thales (supplying a development of its Cerberus mission system and Searchwater radar) and Leonardo Helicopters (responsible for the production of 10 CROWSNEST role fit kits, and fixed fittings for all 30 Merlin helicopters). On March 28, 2019, the first Merlin HM Mk.2, fitted with the CROWSNEST system completed its first flight, and the new kit is on track to achieve initial operational capability in 2020.

In advance of the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth in the fleet, the Merlin force was re-purposed and re-brigaded to focus on carrier air group (CAG) operations in support of Carrier Strike Group operations. Current planning assumptions assume a CAG including 14 Merlins, typically a mix of nine for ASW plus five CROWSNEST-configured aircraft for the ASaC mission.

Royal Navy Merlin HM Mk.2 helicopters protect HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales from surface and underwater threats.

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Exercise ‘Deep Blue’ in 2014 signalled the start of the process of building up the Merlin force to once again undertake high-tempo Task Group ASW operations. A total of nine aircraft were embarked on board HMS Illustrious for ‘Deep Blue’, with one more operating from the Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster. A follow-on ‘Deep Blue’ exercise was conducted from HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean during July 2016. Whereas the 2014 exercise was all about relearning the arts of sustained ASW operations from a carrier, ‘Deep Blue II’ was more oriented towards maritime force protection, involving a tailored air group comprising Merlin, Sea King, and Wildcat helicopters.

Imbuing the CAG mindset continued as the Merlin force built toward the introduction to service of Queen Elizabeth in 2018 (with entry into operational service due in 2020). However, plans to re-brigade the Merlin force have been adjusted to reflect the decision to maintain one QEC carrier at high readiness at all times and so deliver a Continuous Carrier Capability. 824 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) will retain its operational conversion unit status, while 814 NAS, 820 NAS, and 849 NAS (the latter to be the ASaCspecialist CROWSNEST squadron) will be the three carrier-based front-line units.

Wider Utility

An outcome of SDSR 2010, the concept of CEPP goes beyond fast jet Carrier Strike to embrace the wider utility of the QEC carriers as mobile joint air operating platforms with the ability to embark a rotary-wing air group of at least 40 aircraft. This reflects the inherent flexibility and adaptability of the two ships to conduct a broad spectrum of tasks, such as humanitarian relief, capacity building, and support to amphibious operations. Accordingly, QEC offers the potential to operate in support of air manoeuvres in the littoral (near the coastline). It is for this mission that the Commando Helicopter Force will receive the Merlin HC.4/4A helicopter as the long-term replacement for the now-retired Sea King HC.4.

The Merlin HC.4/4A is the ultimate product of the Merlin Life Sustainment Programme (MLSP), under which ex-RAF Merlin HC.3/3A battlefield support helicopters are being re-roled and ‘ship-optimised’ to serve the lift needs of 3 Commando Brigade as part of the Commando Helicopter Force. MLSP is in fact delivering in two phases: The first stage, now complete, has modified seven existing HC.3/3A aircraft for ship operations, including the fitting of folding tails and rotor heads.

As joint operating platforms, the QEC will operate a range of helicopters from sister services such as the Chinook HC.6.

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Phase 2 – entails some 25 Merlin Mk. 3/3A helicopters – receiving the HC.4/4A designation – to be fully optimised for ship operations, and cleared for ship operations at 15,600 kg maximum all-up weight. This programme, including the conversion of the seven interim Merlins, will bring the legacy HC.3 and HC.3A aircraft up to an almost identical standard, so enabling both aircraft to operate within either of the two front-line squadrons. The first HC.4 Merlin was delivered back to the RN on May 24, 2018. The rest of the 24 aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2020, and all 25 should be fully operational by 2023.

A key part of the MLSP ship optimisation is the introduction of main rotor head fold motors, the associated fold management unit, and the automatic tail fold. Accordingly, the aircraft mission management computer software will be modified to include the head and tail fold capability. The HC.4/4A aircraft will also be fitted with the same cockpit as the Merlin HM Mk.2.

A Wildcat HMA Mk.2 of 700(W) Naval Air Squadron conducting flying trials near HMS Monmouth off the South coast of the UK.

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What should not be forgotten is that QEC will be joint operating platforms. In this capacity, the intent is to achieve the appropriate flight deck clearances in order to be able to operate a range of helicopters from the sister services. These include RAF Chinook HC.6 heavy-lifters, and Army Air Corps’ Wildcat AH.1 and Apache AH.1 attack helicopters. Excellent progress has been made already with Chinook trials beginning in February 2018, and the first Apache landing on HMS Queen Elizabeth on June 3, 2019. Royal Navy Wildcats have already operated from HMS Queen Elizabeth during her Westlant 18 trip to the United States in 2018 and continue to do so through Westlant 19.

Operating attack helicopters from a carrier deck is not altogether new: the embarkation and operation of Apaches from HMS Ocean in 2011 in support of Operation Ellamy provided the RN with a first opportunity to project a rotary-wing precision strike capability. It was also the first time that Army Air Corps attack helicopters had operated from a maritime platform in an operational setting; in this instance, it was a more flexible and far lower risk alternative to basing the Apaches on land. Ocean also embarked US Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters during Ellamy. Other helicopters proven from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth include US Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawks, Canadian Armed Forces CH-148 Cyclones, and US Marine Corps’ MV-22s and CH-53s, exemplifying the navy’s ability to conduct combined operations with allied nations.