Merlin Helicopters Pulled Out Of Afghanistan
By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent
After four years flying in Afghanistan the British fleet of Merlin helicopters has completed its final mission and is being readied to leave the country early.
The announcement is the latest development in the UK's phased withdrawal from Afghanistan.
During their time serving in the conflict the helicopters have flown in excess of 18,000 hours, moved more than 7,900 tons of kit and stores, and transported over 130,000 personnel.
Engineers will now clean and dismantle the helicopters so they can be flown back to their base at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire on C-17 transport planes.
Commenting on the announcement, Group Captain Frazer Nicholson, the Commander of the Joint Aviation Group, based in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, said: "In 2010, we required more than 2,300 helicopter hours a month and now that number has dropped by around 40%.
"We are now able to redeploy the Merlin from theatre as we simply do not need the helicopter capacity we currently have."