Military Helicopters

The military helicopter has been a hugely important asset for all of the UK’s armed forces for over six decades. In service with the Fleet Air Arm, the Army Air Corps and the RAF, their flexibility has allowed them to fulfil many different roles including troop transport, heavy lifting and reconnaissance.On land, they also perform the invaluable role of rescuing casualties from the battlefield, where the helicopter is the only method of quick extraction to a field hospital. At sea, the helicopter’s vertical take-off and landing capability has made it an ideal companion to many of the Royal Navy’s ships, where it fulfils the crucial roles of search and rescue, and anti-submarine warfare.From the diminutive Westland Wasp to the mighty twin-rotor Boeing Chinook, Andrew Morten looks at the history, capabilities and roles of the many different helicopters used by the British Armed Forces.