Flight
test activities with the Royal Navy's upgraded AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2
multi-mission helicopter have passed an initial 10-sortie campaign performed
from the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious.
Conducted
from 3 September using test aircraft ZH826, the work focused on proving the
HM2's new-generation navigation systems, says Lockheed Martin, prime contractor
for the £850 million ($1.37 billion) Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme
(MCSP) activity.
"Over
the following two-week period, the ship sailed between Plymouth and the edge of
the Atlantic, during which time the planned 10 flight sorties were made,"
Lockheed says. Covering a variety of flight profiles, these included testing
the navigation system under GPS-denied conditions, it adds. The flights were
planned using a Lockheed-supplied ground preparation facility embarked aboard
the vessel.
A total
of 30 RN Merlins will be modernised under the MCSP effort, with a previous
schedule calling for the first production example to be returned to the fleet
in the fourth quarter of this year. The type should achieve a mid-2013
in-service date, with full operational capability due to be declared in late
2014.
Other
elements of the upgrade include the integration of new displays in the cockpit
and for the rear mission operators, with the work expected to sustain the
Merlin as a frontline asset until around 2029.
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