Helicopters from across the UK armed forces will be pooled into two joint operational brigades, if proposals forming the basis of a continuing Strategic Defence Review (SDR) study are acted upon.
The study of a joint helicopter group (Flight International, 29 October-4 November) proposes that all of the Royal Air Force, Army and Royal Navy helicopter units be brought together under one tri-service headquarters, according to Whitehall sources.
The only helicopter force which is understood to be not included in the proposed joint command is that providing the Royal Navy's anti-submarine-warfare capability.
In an effort to avoid the ownership battles which have previously blighted attempts to bring together helicopter operations, the command of the joint helicopter force would rotate between the services. The helicopters would also be crewed on a tri-service basis.
The RAF's Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Eurocopter Puma and EH Industries EH101 Merlin, and the RN's GKN Westland Sea King helicopters would be brought together to form a transport brigade. The army's GKN Westland WAH-64 attack helicopters and Lynx Light Battlefield helicopters would form an aviation brigade.
The moves to bring the helicopter forces under one roof has emerged from the efficiency-audit element of the SDR.
A similar move had been considered as part of the previous government's Defence Cost Study review, but fell by the wayside because of inter-service rivalries. The renewed military interest in a joint helicopter command is in part an attempt to pre-empt what many believed is the inevitable political pressure for such a step.
Source: Flight International
