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http://www.shephard.co.uk/news/rotorhub ... leet/8067/
Danish Air Force takes control of navy Lynx fleet
January 11, 2011
Control of the Danish Navy's Helicopter Service has been transferred from the navy to the Danish Air Force.
The Danish government's Defence Settlement 2010-2014 decided that from 3 January all helicopters under the charge of the Danish Ministry of Defence would be handed to the air force.
This means that the eight Lynx helicopters previously used by the Navy Helicopter Corps (Søværnets Helicopter Tjeneste) have now formed a new air force unit, Esk 723.
Esk 723 will be based at Karup, the main operating base of the Danish helicopter squadrons, including Esk 722, which flies the EH101 Merlin, and Esk 724, which flies the Fennec.
A Danish officer said that apart from the handover to the air force, little would change.
The Lynx will still be embarked on ships and the crews will continue to serve alongside the navy ships in waters as diverse as those off Greenland to the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden where the Danish Navy contributes to NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy actions.
Esk 723 is also likely to be the operating unit for the Lynx replacement when it is announced later this year.
In December 2010 Rotorhub.com reported that Denmark was considering the MH-60R Seahawk to meet the needs of its Maritime Helicopter Programme (MHP).
Other types being considered include the AW159 Wildcat, the NH90, the H-92 Cyclone and the AW101.