The UK Ministry of Defence has agreed to ship helicopters to Ukraine for the primary time since Russia’s invasion. First inducted in 1969, the final one was decommissioned from Royal Navy service in 2018. In 1918, one of many biggest trendy plane designers, Igor Sikorsky from Kyiv, was compelled by the Bolshevik coup to maneuver to america. A century later, the Sikorsky S-61 Sea King helicopters invented together with his genius will defend his homeland. The Royal Navy supplied a six-week programme of Sea King coaching for 10 crews of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and related engineers.

Royal Navy WS-61 Sea King medium-lift transport. (Picture by Royal Navy/UK MOD)

Along with the three former British army Sea King helicopters, the primary of which has already arrived in war-torn Ukraine, the U.Okay. may even provide a further 10,000 artillery rounds. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used a weekend go to to the Ukrainian capital to set out a brand new £50 million ($59 million) package deal of protection support which included 125 anti-aircraft weapons and gear to counter Iranian-supplied drones. Britain can also be supplying cold-weather winter equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces. Ukrainian troops face plummeting temperatures as they battle by the winter to eject Russian forces from occupied Ukrainian territory.

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Royal Navy WS-61 Sea King medium-lift transport
Royal Navy WS-61 Sea King medium-lift transport. (Picture by Royal Navy/UK MOD)

The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built model of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the identical title, constructed by Westland Helicopters. The plane differs significantly from the American model, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines (derived from the US Basic Electrical T58), British-made anti-submarine warfare methods and a totally computerised flight management system. The Sea King was primarily designed for performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. A Sea King variant generally known as the Commando was devised by Westland to function a troop transport. In British service, the Sea King supplied a variety of providers in each the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Power.