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UK Afghan helicopters 'not safe' MoD denies Merlin 'unsafe' claims
(1 day later)
Helicopters to be sent to Afghanistan may not be able to take part in combat because they lack adequate protection, the Daily Telegraph has reported. Helicopters being sent to Afghanistan will be able to perform "the full range of military tasks" despite claims they lack protection, the MoD has insisted.
Pilots are angry that six Merlins - due to go to Helmand in December - do not have Kevlar armour, the paper says. Reports in the Daily Telegraph claimed six Merlins - due to go to Helmand in December - did not have Kevlar armour.
It quotes senior RAF sources who warn this could prevent the craft taking part in missions against the Taliban. The paper quotes senior RAF sources as warning this could prevent the craft's use in missions against the Taliban.
Defence chiefs say the Merlins are fitted with ballistic protection and are being modified for operational use. Defence chiefs say the Merlins are fitted with ballistic protection and are being modified ahead of deployment.
Pilots told the paper they had called for the Merlin Mk3 helicopters, which will be used to move troops and kit around Helmand, to be upgraded at a cost of around £100,000 each. Combat missions
Transporting personnel and equipment by air reduces the risk of attack from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which prey on the need for coalition forces to use slow-moving convoys of heavy vehicles to replenish units. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: "The Merlin is one of our best protected helicopters and we are absolutely satisfied that it will be well protected against threats in Afghanistan.
'Range of modifications' "The fleet has already successfully flown thousands of missions over Iraq, often in the face of significant danger.
However, pilots have claimed their requests for the helicopter upgrades have been ignored and say they fear the lack of protection could risk lives. "Notwithstanding Merlin's success in Iraq, we are now spending an additional £45m improving its protection.
"I don't want people to come back strapped into their seats with bullet holes in them," a Merlin fleet source told the Telegraph. These helicopters are the same that have been flying in Iraq for some years Andrew Brookes Aerospace analyst
We will continue to provide the greatest level of force protection for both crew and passengers while maintaining performance in Afghanistan's particularly arduous environment Ministry of Defence "When deployed to Afghanistan the Merlins will be ready to perform the full range of military tasks required, including combat missions and ferrying troops into battle."
"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." Independent aerospace analyst Andrew Brookes, from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said he could find no evidence of pilots or commanding officers expressing concern.
However, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman insisted that the helicopters would be ready for deployment later this year. "These helicopters are the same that have been flying in Iraq for some years - perfectly successfully, perfectly securely - in operational conditions."
"Our Merlin Mk3 helicopters have ballistic protection as standard, and are being fitted with a range of modifications to make them fit for operational use," he said. Describing the crafts' armour as "very, very good", Mr Brookes said: "These are modern helicopters, top of the range. They aren't clapped out. They have got wonderful kit."
"For reasons of operational security, we do not discuss specific defensive capabilities of our aircraft. To do so would potentially offer enemy forces a tactical advantage. 'Lacking protection'
"Nevertheless, we will continue to provide the greatest level of force protection for both crew and passengers while maintaining performance in Afghanistan's particularly arduous environment." Transporting personnel and equipment by air reduces the risk of attack from roadside bombs, which prey on the need for coalition forces to use slow-moving convoys of heavy vehicles to replenish units.
'Busting a gut' Pilots had told the Telegraph they had called for the Merlin Mk3 helicopters, which will be used to move troops and kit around Helmand, to be upgraded at a cost of around £100,000 each.
However, they claimed their requests had been ignored.
"We are going to send aircraft out to Afghanistan that are lacking in the required protection," a Merlin fleet source told the Telegraph.
"It will be the same as driving a Snatch Land Rover along a road full of mines. I don't want people to come back strapped into their seats with bullet holes in them."
Prevent casualties
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said he understood the problem was not primarily a question of the cost, but instead that factories could not fit all the required protection in time.BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said he understood the problem was not primarily a question of the cost, but instead that factories could not fit all the required protection in time.
The MoD considered it better to get extra helicopters to Afghanistan quickly and then allow commanders to decide on the balance of risk of how to use them, he added.The MoD considered it better to get extra helicopters to Afghanistan quickly and then allow commanders to decide on the balance of risk of how to use them, he added.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said last week he was "busting a gut" to get more helicopters out to Afghanistan following suggestions by some military leaders and politicians that there were not enough out there to support British troops.Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said last week he was "busting a gut" to get more helicopters out to Afghanistan following suggestions by some military leaders and politicians that there were not enough out there to support British troops.
The chief of the defence staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, said deploying more of the craft would prevent casualties and Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown said there "definitely" were not enough helicopters, before rowing back on his comments.The chief of the defence staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, said deploying more of the craft would prevent casualties and Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown said there "definitely" were not enough helicopters, before rowing back on his comments.