Maroon Man
“However, I do feel a bit of sadness for the Sea King guys that have been waiting and waiting and waiting for something a bit more capable - and now they see us having another slice of the BH/SH funding pie”.
When this question comes up I always recall that the RN “EHI 01” (now Merlin Mk1) was originally planned to have two roles. Primary was ASW, Secondary was “Commando”. That is, to augment what at the time where recently procured Sea King HC Mk4s. Reversion to this Secondary role would have been lengthy, involving removal of the sonics kit (at least) and insertion of seats; also, the Commando variant was to have an augmented secure comms capability. The issue became academic when the numbers were slashed (from over 100). I think the radar was to be retained (the plan was conceived before anyone actually saw the avionics suite put together) as at the time the Mk4s were planned to be fitted with ex-Mk2 radars (very similar to Mk3s). This latter plan remained current for many years (well into the 90s), with the kit held in storage awaiting funding. In the end, DNO gave up on it for good reasons which I can’t mention.