WILDCAT
AWAITS
SURFACE
ATTACK
CAPABILITY
With the retirement of the Lynx HMA8,
the RN also bade farewell to the Sea Skua
anti-ship missile. Originally developed by
British Aerospace Dynamics, the activities
of which now form part of European
missiles house MBDA, the 10-mile
(16km)-range Sea Skua was schemed in
the 1970s to give the RN Lynx a powerful
punch against Soviet missile-armed fast
attack craft and corvettes.
In fact, the Sea Skua was to prove itself
operationally against very di erent
adversaries. During the 1982 South
Atlantic con ict, prior to achieving formal
acceptance into service, the missile
disabled or destroyed three Argentine
vessels. Further success came in 1991
when it was used to deadly e ect
against Iraqi naval forces operating in
the Northern Arabian Gulf: a total of 26
missiles were red in 15 separate target
engagements.
The Sea Skua used semi-active radar
guidance, with the Lynx’s Seaspray
radar illuminating the target and the
missile homing head locking on to the
re ected radar energy. Prior to launch,
the observer would select one of
four sea-skimming approach heights,
the choice being conditioned by the
prevailing sea state and the size of the
target freeboard.
‘Sea Skua has been a hugely successful
weapon’, CDR Richardson told CA. ‘We
trust it, we’ve used it [and] it’s been a core
part of our ‘hard-kill’ capability.’
A nal high-seas ring was undertaken
by 208 Flight on February 25, 2017.
Operating from HMS Portland in the
North Atlantic, ZF557/426 successfully
red three Sea Skua missiles at a ‘Killer
Tomato’ surface target.
It is an inescapable fact that the Wildcat
HMA2 has entered RN service devoid of
any anti-surface guided weapons, leaving
a ‘hard-kill’ capability gap between the
retirement of the Lynx/Sea Skua and the
Helicopter export variant. ‘The South
Koreans have a digital aircraft ight
control system [DAFCS], which is a big
upgrade, and something we do need in
our Wildcats for the future’, said Carnie.
‘Our current analog AFCS will obsolesce in
a few years’ time [and] DAFCS would also
give us a full night-hover capability.’
Another export-driven modi cation
that the RN would like is overload fuel
tanks in the cabin. ‘The South Koreans
have bought these for their AW159s’,
says Carnie. ‘It would allow us to extend
endurance to up to three hours, similar to
[the] Merlin.’
Diverse deployments
Two deployments during 2017 served
to highlight the wide operational
utility of the Wildcat across di erent
missions and theaters. For example,
ZZ530, accompanied by a 12-strong
team of air and ground crew, was in
May transported to Florida to support
the Atlantic Patrol Tasking North for
a seven-month period. Following a
week’s training with the US Coast
Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical
Squadron, to prepare for the subsequent
counter-narcotics patrols, the helicopter
embarked on board the tanker RFA
Wave Knight.
In July, Wave Knight was relieved on
station in the Caribbean by RFA Mounts
Bay. It was revealed on July 26 that the
Wildcat ight had detected a string of
illegal drugs farms.
No 213 Flight, operating ZZ532, has
had a somewhat di erent experience,
completing a seven-week embarkation
(including an intensive period of
operational sea training) on board
the German frigate FGS Lübeck. The
ight had been planned to remain on
board Lübeck for the ship’s subsequent
deployment to support the migrant
relief mission in the Mediterranean,
but a change in programming saw the
embarkation truncated.
Even so, 213 Flight’s time on board
demonstrated the interoperability
of the Wildcat ight from the Lübeck.
Furthermore, it has given the German
Navy exposure to the capabilities of the
Wildcat/AW159 ahead of an upcoming
competition to acquire a replacement
for the Marine ieger’s venerable Lynx
Mk88A eet.
Above left:
A Royal Navy
Wildcat HMA2
from 825 NAS
in fl ight over
the English
Channel.
Crown
Copyright
This image:
The Wildcat
HMA2
achieved
initial
operating
capability
in early
- Crown
Copyright
TYPE REPORT // NAVY WILDCAT
68 March 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
64-69 Wildcats C.indd 68 19/01/2018 11:07