Royal Navy Merlin helicopters have been battling the extreme conditions of Norway to get experience of flying in the Arctic Circle, say the Royal Navy.
According to a release:
“The annual winter training deployment of Commando Helicopter Force, the wings of the Royal Marines, ensures naval aviators are ready to support the marines on their operations all around the world.
At the Norwegian air base at Bardufoss, experienced fliers from 845 NAS have been spending time teaching newly-qualified pilots how to operate in the harsh environment, where temperatures have been as low as -27C.”
Pilot Lieutenant Tom Lennon said:
“Part of our tasking out here includes working with deployed units of the Royal Marines and Norwegians. We also do an annual re-stocking of emergency supplies to the remote refuge huts located around the mountain wilderness.”
He added: “The weather in Norway is as biblical as the scenery. At one location, we landed in full white-out conditions in heavy snow before departing 15 minutes later with 50km visibility. The mountainous coastal terrain is among the most impressive I’ve ever seen. The scale and beauty of the Arctic landscape and the opportunity to operate our awesome aircraft here makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
RGR, an interesting story, thanks for posting.