This Is The Early Warning Radar Helicopter The Royal Navy Could Have Had

The U.K. Royal Navy recently announced that the first Merlin Crowsnest carrier-based airborne early warning helicopter had been delivered to its home base, at Culdrose in Cornwall, ahead of a scheduled first operational cruise aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth later this spring, bringing a powerful new surveillance capability to the fleet. But the Crowsnest concept could have been altogether very different, had the U.K. decided on a more advanced — and more costly — active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar setup.

With the primary task of long-range air, sea, and land surveillance, a radar helicopter, like Crowsnest, is a vital component of the U.K.’s resurgent carrier strike capability, providing a way to detect, identify, and track threats beyond an armada’s horizon, ensuring that it’s protected.