On Mar. 7, the Royal Navy also began the deployment of a Merlin HM2 equipped with the Crowsnest Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) radar system – seen in pictures in the folded position, to avoid it striking the ground – to an unspecified Middle East location. ZH864 departed RNAS Culdrose as NAVY 012 and traveled south to France for the first leg of its journey.

It was not stated precisely where the Merlin would be stationed, though alongside other assets at RAF Akrotiri would be logical. Together with the Wildcat helicopters, the Merlin – using altitude and mobility in its favor – can provide a more flexible and longer range 360-degree early warning capability compared to the permanent UK operated Type 101 radar head on Mount Olympus or the Giraffe radar systems reportedly deployed at Akrotiri itself.

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