Sea Kings to Ukraine
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Sea Kings to Ukraine
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The Royal Navy provided a six-week programme of Sea King training in the UK for 10 crews of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and associated engineers. The additional military aid comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Kyiv at the weekend, where he announced a £50 million package of defence aid. That package included 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones, including dozens of radars and anti-drone electronic warfare capability. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: Our Support for Ukraine is unwavering. These additional artillery rounds will help Ukraine to secure the land it has reclaimed from Russia in recent weeks.
The Defence Secretary is visiting Norway where he will host a meeting of the Northern Group of defence ministers onboard the UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The meeting is expected to cover the implications of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, security developments in Northern Europe, and Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership applications. The Northern Group is a UK initiative which aims to promote more coherent, efficient and effective defence and security co-operation in northern Europe. It comprises 12 nations; Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.
The UK is also supplying winter kit to Ukraine’s troops as they continue to battle to liberate their country from Russian forces as winter rapidly approaches – when temperatures are known to sink to minus 20°C and below in parts of the country. Heavy duty sleeping bags and roll mats, combined with heated accommodation and personal winter clothing, will help to prevent cold-related injuries and ensure troops can operate effectively and efficiently.
Read more at https://helihub.com/2022/11/24/uk-do...ds-to-ukraine/
Being no expert on such things but simply reading that the Sea Kings were built in 1995 and withdrawn from service in 2018, how much in the way of spare and consumable parts and highly experience engineers will it take to keep the Sea Kings operational in Ukraine's winter ?
The RN had something like 132 SK. That is a lot of Christmas trees.
The Sea King was a pretty reliable beast too, provided what you wanted was just to get airborne and stay there for 4 hours.
The type of SK is also unclear: There are posts about SAR/aeromed usage, pictures of Mk4's, and reports that they are Mk 5's. My guess is they are actually Ex SAR Mk5 frames. If so you don't need to worry about the mission system stuff too much. There is also still a fair bit of UK expertise which can be applied without needing to be anywhere near UKR.
Still, just 3 aircraft is not a lot of capability, but Zelensky has accepted them, so someone sees a use.
N
The Sea King was a pretty reliable beast too, provided what you wanted was just to get airborne and stay there for 4 hours.
The type of SK is also unclear: There are posts about SAR/aeromed usage, pictures of Mk4's, and reports that they are Mk 5's. My guess is they are actually Ex SAR Mk5 frames. If so you don't need to worry about the mission system stuff too much. There is also still a fair bit of UK expertise which can be applied without needing to be anywhere near UKR.
Still, just 3 aircraft is not a lot of capability, but Zelensky has accepted them, so someone sees a use.
N
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These are where they are apparently coming from,
See
https://helioperations.co/somerton
A post on the mil site
Don't forget the Indian Navy still operate the type and I believe set up facilities to overhaul the transmissions etc, see links below
https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/...-Sea-King.html
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/aircrafts-helicopters
See
https://helioperations.co/somerton
A post on the mil site
The 3 aircraft are ex Royal Navy Mk 5`s that have been operated by Heliops on Portland previously training German aircrews and now Ukranian .... "Dara, Damien and Finlay". Ones up this morning locally while one has already been delivered after a new paint job. Substantial ex MOD Sea King stores held by Heliops which no doubt go with them. Being ex Mk 5`s I believe they are NV capable but in terms or warfare then I think the options are limited.
https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/...-Sea-King.html
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/aircrafts-helicopters
Last edited by NutLoose; 24th Nov 2022 at 13:57.
How many RN Sea King parts are interchangeable with US built S-61's and US Nav/US Air Force H-3's?
There are plenty of US built 61's still operating with parts support from Sikorsky.
There are plenty of US built 61's still operating with parts support from Sikorsky.
Mk 4s with the DAS would have been a better bet but the Sea King is a good workhorse for basic SH stuff.
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I remember in the distant passed the Sea King operated by Boscombe was a US built one and i think it had the refuelling points on the starboard side while the Uk ones ones were on the port.. I might be wrong but it was a long time ago.
I don't think there are many common parts, the fuselage is a different length (S61 is longer) different engines definitely, the MRGB's might be similar but all ours had the ELS modification. I also think the rotor diameter is different, something that was an issue when they were looking at Carson blades.
Ukraine already has a large fleet of sar 225’s ex North Sea and 145’s. What use is another new type requiring far more intensive maintenance per flying hour in addition to a training burden. Someone’s making out like a bandit on this.
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NVG capability? Do the 225’s and the rest have that?
Maybe they are to use them to free up some of the other types for use elsewhere, or dependent on versions procured to use for anti submarine warfare as a possible deterrent for they subs launching missiles? After all they can be armed with torpedos.
Maybe they are to use them to free up some of the other types for use elsewhere, or dependent on versions procured to use for anti submarine warfare as a possible deterrent for they subs launching missiles? After all they can be armed with torpedos.
Perhaps the Ukrainians will have a cunning plan for them.
HeliOps also had a number of Mk.3 Sea Kings in its stores so it will be interesting to see positive evidence of which aircraft are actually in Ukraine. Likewise the H225s .....Whilst there are/ were North Sea examples in store with Heli One any exports to Ukraine have been well hidden under the radar.
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I rather like the Ukrainian comments
In 1918, one of the greatest modern aircraft designers, Igor Sikorsky from Kyiv, was forced by the Bolshevik coup to move to the United States. A century later, the Sikorsky S-61 Sea King helicopters invented with his genius will defend his native land.
The contribution of a. handful of aged Sea Kings to the Ukraine effort is a very tiny segment of the contribution Sikorsky the Man, Engineer, and Visionary has made to Aviation and the defense of freedom all around the World.
I rather like the Ukrainian comments
Still, he made good helicopters.
N
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skadi
Last edited by skadi; 29th Nov 2022 at 06:35.