Winching over the waves: Merlin practises drills with Spanish navy frigate on CSG25
Aircrews from 845 Naval Air Squadron have been taking to the skies during their time on Carrier Strike Group 25 to conduct some winch training drills.
The crew of the Merlin Mk4 helicopter from 845 NAS carried out the training for some of the junior aviators with the help of the Spanish warship ESPS Méndez Núñez.
There are two types of Merlin helicopter currently in use in the Royal Navy, these being the Mk2 and the Mk4.
While the Mk2 is principally an anti-submarine warfare helicopter, the Mk4 features several modifications for use by the Royal Marines.
These include a fast-roping beam that allows the rapid deployment of Special Forces from the main cabin door.
845 Naval Air Squadron has a complement of more than 230 personnel who operate and maintain the Merlin Mk4 and Mk4A helicopters in support of 3 Commando Brigade.
The nickname "Junglies" was bestowed by the troops 845 supported in the jungle campaigns of Malaysia and Borneo in the 1960s, and survives to this day.
ESPS Méndez Núñez, meanwhile, is an Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate and was commissioned in 2006.
She has worked with the Royal Navy before, being part of the HMS Illustrious Combat Group in the Red Sea in 2008, and has taken part in a number of anti-piracy operations off Somalia.
She has now joined CSG25 as part of Operation Highpast, the deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
Op Highmast is led by the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, and involves a dozen nations.
The eight-month mission will take the task group to the western Pacific Rim via the Mediterranean and Middle East with a series of large-scale exercises with Britain's allies and partners.
The goal is to reaffirm the UK's commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region.
It will also demonstrate collective resolve with the UK's allies and showcase British trade and industry.
Over the course of the deployment, upwards of 4,500 British military personnel will be involved, including nearly 600 RAF personnel and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
CSG25 is currently heading towards the northern coast of Australia to take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the 11th and largest iteration of the exercise.
It will consist of a live-fire exercise, and field training exercises incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25, click here.
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