# Helicopters not fit for uses



## John A Silkstone (Aug 4, 2009)

'Combat ban' for Afghanistan helicopters
Helicopters earmarked by the Ministry of Defence to help British troops in Afghanistan will not be able to fly on combat operations because they are not armour-plated, senior RAF sources have disclosed. 

A Royal Naval Merlin helicopter lands aboard the HMS Illustrious Photo: GETTY 
A failure to equip the six Merlin helicopters – which will go to Helmand in December – with proper protection from bullets and rocket-propelled grenades will endanger the lives of passengers and crew, pilots have told The Daily Telegraph. 

The disclosures come in the wake of public criticism from military leaders and senior politicians over the shortage of helicopters for British troops in Afghanistan. The shortage has been blamed for some deaths, particularly in cases where troops have had to travel in lightly armoured vehicles on the ground, rather than by air. 

"I don't want people to come back strapped into their seats with bullet holes in them," said a source in the Merlin fleet. "We are going to send aircraft out to Afghanistan that are lacking in the required protection. It will be the same as driving a Snatch Land Rover along a road full of mines." 

Senior RAF officers believe that the failure to meet the estimated £100,000 cost of fitting Kevlar armour to each aircraft has become an issue that could prevent them being used on operations in Helmand. As much of the country is unsafe for unprotected aircraft, they are likely to see little service until the problem is remedied. 

The MoD might now delay their deployment in order to have them fitted with the armour, or it could deploy them as "a calculated risk". 

The Merlins have been successful at negating the threat from surface-to-air missiles during their five-year deployment in Iraq. But in Afghanistan, their lack of armour may make them vulnerable to small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, which they will face when landing in "hot" zones in assaults against the Taliban. 

The Daily Telegraph has also previously disclosed the existence of intelligence that the insurgents are actively trying to destroy a British helicopter carrying troops. 

An RAF spokesman said: "Our Merlins have ballistic protection as standard, but we are always looking for the best ways to protect our forces. An urgent operational requirement to prepare the Merlin Mk3s for deployment will see the armour up-rated based on the advice of our technical experts."


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