Helicopters

Raider, developed by Sikorsky, is based on the company’s proven X2 Technology, enabling speeds twice that of conventional helicopters

The Sikorsky S-97 Raider light tactical prototype helicopter recently flew faster than 200 knots at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center, Lockheed Martin has announced.

Raider, developed by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is based on the company’s proven X2 technology, enabling speeds twice that of conventional helicopters.

“The Sikorsky S-97 Raider flight test program is exceeding expectations, demonstrating Raider’s revolutionary speed, maneuverability, and agility,” said Tim Malia, Sikorsky director, Future Vertical Lift Light. “X2 Technology represents a suite of technologies needed for the future fight, enabling the warfighter to engage in high-intensity conflict anytime, anywhere as a member of a complex, multi-domain team.”

Sikorsky continues to demonstrate the application of its X2 Technology as the company prepares its proposal for the U.S. Army‘s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition, driving forward the Army’s efforts to revolutionize its aircraft fleet as part of what is known as Future Vertical Lift.

Raider incorporates the latest advances in fly-by-wire flight controls, vehicle management systems, and systems integration. The suite of X2 Technologies enables the aircraft to operate at high speeds while maintaining the low-speed handling qualities and maneuverability of conventional single main rotor helicopters.

“It’s exciting to achieve these high speeds with X2 Technology,” said Sikorsky experimental test pilot Bill Fell, a retired U.S. Army pilot. “It’s undeniably important for the warfighter to get to the mission fast. And once they get there, X2 Technology provides the critical handling qualities that make the aircraft survivable, lethal, and agile. Sikorsky X2 Technology changes the way we fly and fight – we can get there fast, be more effective while on the scene and we can get out fast.”

Sikorsky’s X2 Technology at the heart of the Raider helicopter is scalable to a variety of military missions, including light assault, light attack, armed reconnaissance, close-air support, combat search and rescue, and unmanned applications.

The development of X2 Technology and the Raider program has been funded entirely by significant investments by Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, and industry partners.

Photo by Lockheed Martin

The MV-22 impacted shallow reefs, so it wasn’t really on land, but it also wasn’t in the ocean. It was a unique environment.

As reported by major media outlets on Dec. 13, 2016, an MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing crash-landed in shallow water 0.6 miles (1 km) off the coast of Nago in northern Okinawa.

Upon hearing the notification, Airmen belonging to the 33rd and 31st Rescue Squadron (RQS) from Kadena Air Base rush to their stations ready to save lives, as explained by Senior Airman Lynette M. Rolen, 18th Wing Public Affairs, in the article Midnight Emergency.

The five crew members of the MV-22 Osprey were all safely rescued from the relentless Pacific Ocean.

“My crew and I had just finished flying on a training mission,” said Maj. Anibal Aguirre, 33rd RQS weapons and tactics officer. “We had been sent home when we were notified through our maintenance personnel that an incident happened. The maintenance crews were ready to go so we did a recall of our crews and coordinated with different authorities and units.”

Within an hour of the recall notification, 33rd and 31st RQS members were in the air searching for the crew in the pitch-black of night, above the endless ocean. The squadrons worked with the 353rd Special Operations Group, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Japan Coast Guard throughout the rescue.

Upon finding the aircraft’s crew, the rescue squadron members realized the Osprey landed on a shallow reef, which presented rescuers with a unique situation.

“Every situation is going to be different,” said Staff Sgt. Sterling Brisbin, 31st RQS pararescueman. “In this case, it was unique since the MV-22 impacted a shallow reef, so it wasn’t really on land, but it also wasn’t in the ocean. It was a unique environment where we were hoisting down into the water that might only be one or two feet deep, and there were boulders all over the place. We had to move through the terrain and bring the helicopters in and execute the hoist safely… while at night.”

Brisbin further commented that some of the aircrews managed to get themselves out of the wreck, but they were either on top of the aircraft or rocks surrounding it.

“It felt amazing to help them,” said Brisbin. “Those guys were in a rough spot and were super tough, but some of them were pretty badly hurt, they were out on the reef in the cold of night. So to be able to be the pararescueman who gets them safely into the helicopter and taken care of felt great.”

All five members of the crew were transferred to Camp Foster Naval Hospital for medical treatment. Two of the crew members were injured and are now in stable condition, but the other three were released from the hospital.

Image by U.S. Air Force

“Ice buildup adds extra weight and changes the aerodynamics of the helicopter,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Reed, aviation electronic technician at Air Station Cape Cod

The following article, originally titled Frigid flying: Coast Guard aircrews take on New England Winter, written and distributed by the First Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office, is a work By Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Groll

Freezing rain? Teeth-chattering temperatures? Limited visibility? Coast Guard aircrews are still ready to fly.

At Air Station Cape Cod, aviation maintenance and electronic technicians work around the clock to ensure the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters are prepared and ready to launch. There is one thing the maintenance crews and pilots cannot control: winter weather.

“The weather here is worse than the two tours I did in Alaska… icy and bitter cold,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew “Sully” Sullivan, an aviation electronic technician (AET) who transferred to Air Station Cape Cod from Sitka, Alaska.

“Icy weather conditions are considered 14 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit or below with visible moisture in the air,” said Lt. Tyler Dewechter, a Jayhawk helicopter pilot at Air Station Cape Cod.

When the forecast calls for visible moisture, the risk of flying gets more challenging for the pilots and crew. Visible moisture can limit the pilots’ ability to fly as high as required in order to use the aircraft’s instruments.

According to Dewechter, the difficulty with flying in Cape Cod is that these conditions often occur at all altitudes. Air Station Cape Cod is a landlocked unit and none of the runways protrude to a body of water where there would be fewer obstacles in the flight path.

“To safely fly, we need to have a 300-400 foot ceiling and at least a one-mile visibility,” said Dewechter.

According to Lt. Ben Wolhaupter, another Jayhawk pilot at Air Station Cape Cod, a flight ceiling is when the sky is covered by at least 80 percent cloud coverage and is measured by the height of the layer of clouds above the surface of the earth or airport.

“For example, if one looks outside on a foggy day, the ground to the line of fog is called the ceiling,” said Wolhaupter.

According to Dewechter, Cape Cod’s cold weather often requires precise visual navigation under very low ceilings and low visibility to safely navigate from the airfield to the scene of a search and rescue case.

Depending on the weather, pilots can either rise above the moisture in the air or fly under it due to joint policies and procedures the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has with the Federal Aviation Administration in order to fly in severe weather during search and rescue cases from that would normally ground commercial aircraft.

The Jayhawk is also the only search and rescue helicopter in the Coast Guard’s fleet able to deal with the icy weather from Maine to Northern New Jersey because it is equipped with both engine anti-ice and blade de-icing systems. AETs are responsible for making sure the systems are working properly before a flight.

Both anti-ice systems are spread out throughout the outside of the helicopter and around parts of the rotor blades, windshield, and engines.

Sullivan said the anti-ice detector for the engines is mounted on the right engine and automatically provides information to the anti-icing system. The blade de-icing system is in the rotor head and tail rotor and it activates only if enough ice has accumulated.

“Ice buildup adds extra weight and changes the aerodynamics of the helicopter,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Reed, another AET at Air Station Cape Cod.

Reed said wires flow down the rotor blades and a hot electronic pulse is sent out when there is ice buildup, melting it and keeping the blades in working order while in flight.

When the system is activated, the electronic pulse hits two blades at a time so as not to offset the helicopter’s weight.

“If all four blades are done at the same time, it could knock the helicopter out of the sky,” said Sullivan.

A Jayhawk helicopter crew is generally made up of two pilots, a flight mechanic, and an aviation survival technician. The flight mechanic is an aviation maintenance technician or AET who is qualified on all the components of the helicopter necessary to keep it flying.

During a normal flight, the side door remains closed, but during operations, it is open so the flight mechanic can operate the hoist. In order to keep warm and battle the winds of the rotor blades, the flight mechanic wears multiple layers of clothing.

“We know we are going to be cold and wet,” said Reed, “Between the rotor blades pushing heavy winds down on us to the sea spray being kicked up because of the winds from the blades, it is inevitable.”

Flight mechanics can wear up to three layers of undergarments and then their aircrew dry coverall. This suit has a rubber neck and wrist seals, keeping the aviator warm and the water out. It doesn’t replace having the helicopter’s heater running though.

“We are willing to sweat to make sure our aircrew stays warm,” said Dewechter.

The pilots do not have to worry about the cold weather coming in from the open door during operations; they are protected in the cockpit. However, in addition to flying in frigid conditions, pilots have to make sure there is enough fuel to return home when the anti-ice system or heat is flowing through the aircraft.

“Under standard flying conditions the heat and anti-ice system cannot run at the same time,” said Dewechter.

The pilots and crew must consider weight and fuel consumption. The weight of individuals in the helicopter consumes a set number of fuel gallons. Running the heaters for the crew and survivors consumes additional fuel as well.

According to Dewechter, difficult decisions must be made to balance the need for the anti-ice system and the additional fuel burn of the auxiliary power unit on the helicopter to warm survivors pulled from the water.

But that’s not the only challenge where fuel is concerned.

“When icing conditions are present certain locations are no longer available for landing and close attention must be paid to fuel management and weather conditions in order to make sure we can land safely following a rescue,” said Dewechter.

When the aircrew is returning from an off-shore search and rescue case and freezing rain is pounding down on the helicopter, the crew knows the anti-icing systems will keep the ice to a minimum for a safe return home. The Coast Guard aircrews are trained and know what to do and how to perform their missions in the ever-changing and always challenging New England weather.

Photo by PA1 Kurt Fredrickson / U.S. Coast Guard

The Sikorsky CH-53K can carry a 27,000 lb. external load over 110 nautical miles in high/hot conditions, which is more than triple the external load-carrying capacity of the legacy CH-53E aircraft

As shown by the interesting video in this post, by completing an external lift of a 36,000-pound payload at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center on Feb. 10, 2018, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter achieved a maximum weight on the single center point cargo hook. Noteworthy, as Sikorsky prepares to deliver the first aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) this year, this milestone marks the completion of critical flight envelope expansion activities for the CH-53K.

According to the company news release, the CH-53K lifted the external load of 36,000 lbs. into a hover followed by flight, demonstrating satisfactory handling qualities and structural margins. The gross weight of the aircraft topped out at just over 91,000 lbs., making this the heaviest helicopter ever flown by Sikorsky.

“The successful completion of these last critical envelope expansion tests further demonstrates the maturity of the CH-53K aircraft,” said Dr. Michael Torok, Sikorsky Vice President, Marine Corps Systems. “We look forward to bringing this unique and exceptional heavy lift capability to the United States Marine Corps and our international customers.”

Prior to the 36,000-lb. lift, the CH-53K lifted various external payloads up to 27,000 lbs. including a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The CH-53K can carry a 27,000 lb. external load over 110 nautical miles in high/hot conditions, which is more than triple the external load-carrying capacity of the legacy CH-53E aircraft. Other flight envelope accomplishments include tethered hover demonstrating flight speeds to 200 knots, angle of bank to 60 degrees, takeoffs and landings from sloped surfaces up to 12 degrees, external load auto-jettison, and gunfire testing.

“The payload capability of this helicopter is unmatched, triple that of its predecessor, and better than any other heavy-lift helicopter in production,” said Col. Hank Vanderborght, USMC Program Manager for the Naval Air Systems Command’s Heavy Lift Helicopters Program. “The CH-53K program continues on pace to deploy this incredible heavy lift capability to our warfighters.”

The CH-53K is also garnering international interest. Rheinmetall and Sikorsky recently signed a strategic teaming agreement to offer the CH-53K for Germany’s new heavy-lift helicopter competition. Additional teammates will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the aircraft’s debut at the ILA Berlin Air Show in April.

Photo by Lockheed Martin

The CH-146 raft is back in the RCAF’s possession as the investigation continues. A spokesperson said they will help the residents with accommodations and other support

As you can see in the following video an inflatable life raft fell out of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CH-146 Griffon helicopter and crashed through the roof of a house in Miami last week.

The helicopter was flying to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport after completing search-and-rescue (SAR) training in South Florida when the life raft became detached.

A woman was in the house at that time and was not seriously injured.

According to CBS, witnesses say the woman was lying in bed when she heard the helicopter circling her house.

“She was laying in bed and she could hear the helicopter going by in circles, then all of a sudden [she heard] a big explosion. She looked and [there was a] big yellow bag on top of the bag and, crash, it blew up just like an explosion. Then she comes out screaming,” according to one witness. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

At first, they thought a bomb had exploded.

“I heard the lady screaming, ‘Somebody killed me! What happened!’ And I saw her shaking,” said homeowner Jean Pierre Joseph. “I see a big hole and then the bag fell down and there’s a yellow rope as well.”

The raft is back in the Air Force’s possession as the investigation continues. A spokesperson said they would help the residents with accommodations and other support.

The CH-146 Griffon is a Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter (UTTH) whose primary role is the tactical transportation of troops and materials. The CH-146 is also used in SAR missions. The Griffon can be equipped with a hoist that enables it to extract people and a cargo hook that lets them transport cargo from almost any terrain.

The helicopter can carry up to 13 people (two pilots, a flight engineer, and 10 passengers) and has a maximum gross weight of nearly 5,400 kilograms. The Griffon can reach speeds up to 260 kilometers per hour.

Photo by Screenshot from the video and Royal Canadia Air Force

“It’s been special flying the legacy AH-1Ws, and they definitely played a huge part in the Marine air-ground task force,” Capt. J. J. Pierce, HMLAT-303 adjutant and transitioned AH-1Z “Viper” pilot

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) retired its last AH-1W on Feb. 6 with Capt. John T. Fischer and Capt. Daniel J. Houser (both with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39) flying the last Super Cobra to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

As explained by Master Sgt. Christine Polvorosa, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar / 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in the article Bittersweet farewell as last 3rd MAW Super Cobra, takes final flight, since its activation on April 30, 1982, HMLAT-303 has trained Cobra and Huey pilots for the Marine Corps and Navy in an extensive training syllabus including familiarization, navigation, ordnance, terrain, formation, instrument and night vision goggle flight.

While HMLAT-303 doesn’t deploy as a training squadron, the AH-1W has a long history of deploying with other HMLA squadrons in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and is currently still operational with MAG-29 on the East Coast.

“The majority of the Cobra instructor cadre at HMLAT-303 grew up with the AH-1W at their first squadron and deployed with it,” said Capt. J. J. Pierce, HMLAT-303 adjutant and transitioned AH-1Z “Viper” pilot. “Having known that the AH-1W was going to be phased out for a while now, the cadre is excited about the new capabilities with the AH-1Z and welcomes the change. It’s been special flying the legacy AH-1Ws, and they definitely played a huge part in the Marine air-ground task force.”

According to Capt. John T. Fischer, an AH-1Z Weapons and Tactics Instructor with HMLAT-303, the AH-1Z Viper has a significantly higher maximum gross weight due to the improved engines and four-bladed rotor system when compared to the AH-1W; meaning more power available. This increase in power available permits the AH-1Z to carry an increased ordnance payload to the fight.

The AH-1Z also has six stations on its wing pylons to carry ordnance and four on the AH-1W. Stations one & six are capable of carrying the AIM-9, an infrared-guided air-to-air missile, which provides the AH-1Z the capability to defend itself and other assault support platforms against an enemy aircraft.

Stations two through five are each capable of carrying one of the following: (19) x 2.75″ unguided rockets, (4) x AGM-114 Hellfire, (7) x 2.75″ Guided Rockets (APKWS—Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System), (1) x AIM-9, (1) x 77-Gallon Auxiliary Fuel Tank. When you combine the increase in speed with the increase in fuel (time on station), payload, and one of the best sensor systems on the battlefield, you get a much more effective platform for providing offensive air support, armed escort, and airborne supporting arms coordination than the AH-1W, explained Fischer.

“Additionally, there’s a digital ‘under the glass’ cockpit. It’s faster, carries more ordnance, and has 84 percent identical components with the UH-1Y (Huey), which makes maintenance processes more efficient. Approximately 30 minutes more endurance, or time on station, allowing more time to support the Marines on the ground,” added Pierce.

The Super Cobra has left a legacy as the Marine Corps’ primary attack helicopter, and in their 35-year history, the Marines and Sailors of HMLAT-303 have truly lived up to the charge directed by the commandant of the Marine Corps upon the squadron’s activation: “… that HMLAT-303 will provide the leadership and professional performance to set the new standards in aircrew training.”

Photo by Pfc. Juan Anaya Jr. / U.S. Marine Corps

During his V-280 flight, Chief Warrant Officer 3, Tom Wiggins, performed Hover In Ground Effect repositioning, pattern flight, and roll-on landings

Chief Warrant Officer 3, Tom Wiggins, of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command made history on Feb. 7, 2018, by becoming the first person in his service to fly the Bell V-280 Valor.

The flight took place at the Bell Flight Test Facility in Amarillo, Tex. During the flight, he performed Hover In Ground Effect repositioning, pattern flight, and roll-on landings.

Born under the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR TD) program, the V-280 is a U.S. Army science & technology effort designed to develop, expand, and demonstrate new capabilities in vertical lift technology. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) leads the JMR TD effort. It is a precursor to the Department of Defense Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

“One of the keys to this successful S&T demonstration effort is the nature by which the government and industry partners have completely teamed not only during the analysis, design, and early qualification efforts but also for the flight test activity,” said JMR TD Program Director Dan Bailey in a U.S. Army press release.

FVL will deliver the next generation of vertical lift aircraft to the Joint Warfighter, providing the speed, range, payload, and mission systems critical to successfully engaging the enemy in future operations.

AMRDEC personnel have been fully involved in the demonstrator effort, including the integration of experimental test pilots and flight test engineers into the mixed flight test team. Army pilots will take part in additional flights throughout the test program.

“With Army combat-experienced, experimental test pilots embedded in Bell’s test team, we have a unique opportunity to help bring the project across the finish line and also develop insights valuable to the FVL initiative. We’re very proud of CW3 Wiggins,” said Director of the Aviation Development Directorate, Dr. Bill Lewis.

Four agreements were awarded under the JMR TD to AVX Aircraft, Bell Helicopter, Karem Aircraft, and a team of Sikorsky-Boeing for initial designs with the Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing efforts funded to build and fly technology demonstrator aircraft.

Bell’s first flight with an Army pilot is another on-schedule milestone in an effort that was awarded in September 2013, with a Preliminary Design Review in 2014, a Critical Design Review, and the start of aircraft assembly in mid-2015, and assembly complete in early 2017.

The V-280 is a clean sheet next-generation tilt-rotor, applying lessons learned from nearly six decades of tilt-rotor expertise to create groundbreaking simplicity and deliver transformational, affordable technology to alter the course of vertical flight.

Safe and survivable, the design features integrated cabin armor, fly-by-wire component redundancy, state-of-the-art countermeasures, and performance. Advanced tilt-rotor speed and range provide commanders access not currently available. With more than twice the speed and range of current helicopter platforms, the V-280 provides access to get to the objective while providing superior agility at the objective. Airborne battle boards bring fused data and mission updates to the cabin for real-time tracking.

Special emphasis has been placed on reducing the weight of the V-280 in comparison to the V-22, which in turn would reduce cost. To do this, composites are used extensively in the wing, fuselage, and tail. Wing skins and ribs are made of a honeycomb-stiffened “sandwich” construction with large-cell carbon cores for fewer, larger, and lighter parts. Skins and ribs are paste-bonded together to eliminate fasteners. With these measures, costs are reduced by over 30 percent compared to a scaled V-22 wing. Bell expects the V-280 to cost around the same as an AH-64E or MH-60M. While the Osprey has a higher disk loading and lower hover efficiency than a helicopter, the V-280 will have a lower disk loading and longer wing for greater hover and cruise efficiency.

Photo by Bell Helicopter

The AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters are progressively retired from service in favor of the latest-variant AH-1Z Viper

The U.S. government intends to sell away surplus AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters used by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) route, Jane reports.

The H-1 Light Attack Helicopter Program Office (PMA-276) will hold an industry day on Jan. 24 to brief the industry on the program. International customers who are willing to buy them will get an upgraded rotorcraft with a glass cockpit.

Having entered service with the USMC in 1986, the AH-1W is a highly capable variant of the Vietnam War-era AH-1 Cobra that is still in global service with countries such as Bahrain, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. The surplus SuperCobras could either boost some of these existing fleets or provide a new dedicated rotary-attack capability to a new customer.

Powered by twin General Electric T700-GE-401 engines, the AH-1W has a top speed of 147 kt, a range of 256 n miles (474 km), and a service ceiling of 18,700 ft (limited to 10,000 ft by oxygen requirements), all in a basic combat configuration.

With a maximum take-off weight of 6,697 kg, the platform is equipped with a nose-mounted 20 mm Gatling gun with 750 rounds and has four external wing stations that can fire 70 mm and 127 mm rockets, TOW and Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and Sidearm anti-radiation missiles. It is equipped with a night targeting system/forward-looking infrared radar that provides laser range-finding/designating and camera capabilities.

The AH-1W is being replaced by the AH-1Z, starting in 2006 as part of a remanufacture program. The Last AH-1W is expected to be replaced in 2020. AH-1Ws are fielded in Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadrons, or HMLAs, along with the UH-1N. Detachments from HMLAs deploy as part of the task-organized Aviation Combat Element of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, the most common of which is the Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU.

Photo by U.S. Marine Corps

Additional source: NAVAIR

To mark the Lynx’s decommissioning from British Army service, the Army Air Corps have flown four of the last remaining airframes on a commemorative tour around England

The Lynx helicopter has had a long and distinguished career with the British Army stretching back nearly 40 years.

Described as a primary battlefield utility helicopter, the venerable Lynx entered service in 1978 and since then has been used to: destroy tanks, evacuate the wounded, gather intelligence, provide humanitarian support, rescue those in peril, wow the crowds at air shows, and much more besides.

The Lynx has the distinction of being the world’s first fully aerobatic helicopter with the ability to perform loops and rolls.

In 1986, a specially modified Lynx set the current Fédération Aéronautique Internationale‘s official airspeed record for helicopters at 400.87 km/h.

It’s proven itself across the globe in such exacting locations as the freezing plains of Northern Canada, the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia and Central America, the sub-zero environment of the Arctic, to the dust bowls of the Middle East, and has supported British troops on active service in Bosnia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Sierra Leone.

However, as told in the British Army news release, age has finally caught up with the Lynx and although it’ll be a tough act to follow, Wildcat will replace the Lynx.

The Wildcat, with its superior avionics engines and improved capability, will prove a formidable force over any battlefield of the future.

To mark the Lynx’s decommissioning from British Army service, the Army Air Corps have flown four of the last remaining airframes from RAF Odiham in Hampshire, from where they are based, on a commemorative tour around England taking in some of the sites and locations to which the aircraft is most fondly associated: Middle Wallop, Upavon, Yeovil, Wattisham to name a few.

The flight culminated in an impressive 4 ship ‘air procession’ along the length of the River Thames over Central London, then finally landing back at RAF Odiham.

Photo by Cpl Rob Travis / Crown Copyright