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http://www.janes.com/article/77544/chf- ... -ambitions
...for anyone copying this: this feature is already two weeks old...01 February 2018
CHF sets out Merlin aerial refuelling ambitions
The UK Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) has a requirement and a desire
to reconstitute the latent air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capability
of its AgustaWestland Merlin HC4/4A troop transport and assault helicopters,
but currently lacks to funds to do so,
a senior service official told Jane’s on 1 February.
The aircraft are already plumbed for AAR,
and it would just be a case of refitting
the aerial refuelling probes and training the crews to reinstate the capability.
“It is early days [in the CHF’s efforts to make its 25 Merlins AAR-capable],
it is not currently a funded capability,”
Lt Col Penkman said, adding:
“That said, it is absolutely something that we really want to do.”
The colonel’s comments came on the back of a Tweet sent earlier in the day by his counterpart on 845 NAS, Royal Navy (RN) Commander Robert Bond, who posted images of a refuelling probe having been reattached to a Merlin helicopter.
The Tweet was captioned: “The future is upon us…”. Lt Col Penkman told Jane’s that this Tweet was likely intended to remind the decision-makers in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and beyond that this capability exists, and to “start a conversation” on getting it reinstated.