English: A Royal Navy Merlin helicopter with 829 Naval Air Squadron launches a dummy training torpedo off the Cornish coast.

Merlin helicopters from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose have been busy near their West Cornwall Base getting to grips with the launching of practice torpedoes.

The Submarine hunting aircraft, who have recently returned from a highly successful ‘Deep Blue’ deployment in the Eastern Atlantic and off the south coast of Cornwall, are developing their weapon delivery skills. Dropping dummy training torpedoes in the Falmouth Bay area, the weapons are replicas of the real sub-busting Sting Ray lightweight torpedoes. Both Weapons Engineers and Aircrew are required to carry out the same procedures and drill as if live weapons were being used.

Merlin Mk 2 can carry up to four sub-seeking weapons, two either side of the aircraft’s fuselage. Once launched, the intelligent Sting Ray searches out its intended target, even in shallow water. It is electrically powered and features an active homing head with an autonomous operation mode. Real-time information and positive identification against even small, elusive targets ensures the single shaped charge warhead will effectively knock out any submarine.

It is planned to conduct up to 20 torpedo releases a year in the Bay area loading the dummy torpedoes at RNAS Culdrose and once released being recovered by SERCO, using boats working out of Falmouth.

• Organization: Royal Navy
• Object Name: CU140020020
• Category: MOD
• Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Aircraft, Helicopters, Merlin, Weapons, Torpedoes
• Keywords: 829 NAS, Merlin, Mark 2, MK2, Torpedo, training, Drop, Away, Practise, Trials, Sting Ray, Royal Navy, Equipment, Aircraft, Helicopter, Merlin
• Country: UK