Sea King is back on duty (From Salisbury Journal)

Sea King is back on duty

11:34am Thursday 26th January 2012 in Forces focus By David Falcke

A SEA King helicopter has returned to duty after an 18-month rebuild after it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan.

The rocket blasted its way through the aircraft, narrowly missing the pilot and commander and slightly injuring the door gunner.

The aircraft was airlifted back to Camp Bastion and returned to UK for repair.

This aircraft is no stranger to war, during the Falklands conflict one of the aircraft's rotor blades was hit by 30mm canon shells from an Argentine Skyhawk aircraft, but within two hours its maintainers had the aircraft flying on another mission.

Two days later, the veritable war horse was used to ferry General Menendez, the commander of the occupying Argentine troops, to HMS Fearless where initial surrender negotiations were being held.

It was also hit and damaged by small arms fire while on operations in Bosnia.

While some might consider this aircraft unlucky, only one person has been slightly injured in any of the attacks and the skill (and thrift) of the Royal Navy aircraft fitters sees it returned to duty at Royal Naval Air Station where it has joined 846 Naval Air Squadron.