An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 16 | Big shoes to fill NH90NFH taking over SAR duty from the Sea King Mk48 within the Belgian Air Component W hen in the evening of 6 th March 1987, the MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in shallow waters about one mile off the coast after leaving the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. 193 people died, making it the biggest peacetime maritime disaster involving a British ship since the sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland in 1914. Due to the quick response of the Belgian Navy and 40 Smaldeel (Squadron) of the Belgian Air Force, providing SAR duty at nearby Koksijde Airbase and flying the Sea King Mk48, 346 passengers and crew were saved from the ice-cold water, of which some 30 people were rescued by Sea King. The images of the Sea King operating in the pitch-black night over the ships wreck, winching down rescue divers into this dangerous environment to look for survivors went around the globe. It gave the people of 40 Squadron, and the Sea King in particular, a legendary status... an effect that was magnified when about five years later a popular TV series was broadcasted about life within 40 Squadron. Up to this day 40 Squadron and the Sea King enjoy immense popularity in Belgium and the neighbouring countries. Something old, something new... On 1 st April 1961 the Belgian Air Force (after the structural reforms in 2002 renamed Belgian Air Component) formed a Heliflight operating 5 Sikorsky HSS-1 helicopters to fulfil the SAR duty. Homebase would be Koksijde Airbase, located near the Belgian coast. In 1963 a second Flight was formed with 7 extra helicopters of the type Sikorsky S-58C after which in 1974 the unit received the official status of 40 Smaldeel with a squadron motto "Aude Audenda" - "Dare what has to be dared". As it became clear that the Sikorsky with its outdated radar and navigation system was not fully equipped for long range missions over sea the Belgian Government decided in 1973 to buy five Westland Sea King Mk 48s, a British license-built version of the Sikorsky S-61, which received serial numbers RS01 to RS05. The helicopters were delivered at Koksijde on 8 th November 1976, where they operated alongside the Sikorsky S-58Cs until in 1986 when the last of the old Sikorsky helicopters was being retired. In the meantime, 40 Smaldeel had built a strong reputation after numerous successful interventions, thanks to the professionalism of the crew and the reliability of the Sea King. In 1995 the Sea Kings received an extensive upgrade with Westland in the UK and with SABCA Aerospace Industries in Belgium. The upgrade included new avionics and communication systems, replacement of the old MEL ARI 5995 radar by the modern Bendix RDR 1500B, covering a radius of 240 km over 360°, installation of a mission planning system and an Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), enabling the Sea Kings to operate under almost all-weather conditions. The most important was the acquirement of three FLIR 2000 F cameras (Forward Looking InfraRed), which could be quickly installed under each of the Sea Kings. The FLIR covered the 12° blind spot of the radar in front of the helicopter, caused by the exhaust of the engines and offers a clearer view during SAR missions in dark and bad weather conditions. However, maintenance became an issue for the old lady and some of the airframes were starting to suffer from corrosion around the cabin floor. The new kid on the block… NH90NFH "Caiman" With SAR duty lives are at stake, it is of vital importance that at least two aircraft are in operational condition at all times. Since 2005 the Belgian Government was looking for a successor of the popular Sea King and in 2007 a decision was made in favour of the NH Industries NH90. Four of the NH90s (serial number RN01- RN04), also named "Caiman", were ordered in the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) variant as a replacement for the Sea Kings of 40 Smaldeel and the Alouettes of the Belgian Navy Heli flight, implementing that except for SAR duty the new helicopter will also fly maritime / military operations in support of the Belgian navy where it will operate from the helicopter deck of the Belgian Marine Component (Belgian Navy) M-class Frigates. The Caiman is a modern high-tech helicopter designed and equipped for maritime operations. Powered by two Rolls Royce Turbomeca RTM-322-01/9 turboshaft engines which each provide some 2100 PK, good for a cruising speed is 260 km/h with an action radius of about 880 km, it is the first helicopter to have the fly by wire system installed and at the belly of the aircraft is the modern Thales Ocean Master surveillance tactical naval radar. The first Caiman was delivered to the Belgian Air Component on 1 st August 2013 at the Marignane factory, France. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) SAR was gained already on 21 st August 2015, meaning that 40 Smaldeel could participate in SAR standby with one Caiman and four trained crews available on an alternate week-to-week schedule with the aging Sea King. Full Operational Capability (FOC) SAR will be reached this year. One by one Prior to the decommissioning of the Sea King we've seen a series of goodbye announcements which were postponed each REPORT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEERT MEURIS & MICHIEL PEETERS

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