Royal Navy Sea Kings Out Of Retirement
Two former Royal Navy helicopters will return to service to train the German Navy in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.
The Sea King Mk5 aircraft - formerly of the 771 Naval Air Squadron - will be painted in the distinctive grey and red until they are re-sprayed after test flights are completed.
The helicopters will be operated by Royal Navy personnel during the training.
In a statement, the Royal Navy said:
"The Ministry of Defence is returning two Sea King Mk5 aircraft to service, and they will once again have a life-saving role."
The helicopters will be retained as UK military aircraft but will be leased to HeliOperations, who in July acquired ownership of the training base in Portland and will operate the Sea Kings until September 2018.
While maintenance activity is being carried out at RNAS Culdrose, the first aircraft is scheduled to commence its flight test phase soon.
The helicopters were previously used in rescue missions in Cornwall, until retirement in April 2016.
771 Naval Air Squadron celebrated its 76th anniversary that year with a spectacular flypast in the skies above Cornwall.
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