阿富汗赫尔曼德省桑金前线作战基地
Photo by UK Navy/LA Nick Tryon | 2009-01-01 00:00:00 |
英国海军2009年“游隼杯”摄影大赛参赛作品,两架“海王”MK4 直升机在阿富汗桑金前线作战基地。(Two Royal Navy Sea Kings at Forward Operating Base Sangin in Afghanistan. The Sea King Mk4 – known throughout the Naval world as the Junglie – are the green giants of the Fleet Air Arm. Wherever Royal Marines go in the world, they are accompanied by the venerable Sea Kings of the Commando Helicopter Force, based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. It not merely ferries the green berets into action, but also delivers their supplies and also field guns or Land Rovers if needed. The Junglies have seen action most recently in Iraq – they were instrumental in the opening hours of the 2003 war with Saddam Hussein by landing Royal Marines on the Al Faw peninsula. Recent years have seen the two front-line Mk4 squadrons – 845 and 846 Naval Air Squadrons – committed around the clock in Afghanistan supporting the mission of all Allied forces there. The Sea King was upgraded for its mission in Helmand to the Mk4+. It featured improved rotor blades to cope with the challenging environment, defensive aids and decoys to fend off enemy attack, night vision goggles to allow the crew to fly at all times and in all weather conditions. The Mk4 owes its nickname not to its distinctive jungle-green livery but the historical role Commando helicopter squadrons performed in Borneo in the 1960s.)