Military Choppers over Gravesend?

[pistongone]

I saw a high amount of military and a few civvie choppers over Gravesend Kent tonight around 19.30hrs. There were a couple of Chinooks, 3 or 4 Merlins, a couple os sea kings and some civvie stuff. They were pootling along low (100'?) going west and it seemed high over the top (4-500')going east? Carried on like this for appx 30mins or so? Any one have any info what the occaision was please?
Safe Flying,
PG.

[tony 1969]

Dunno,
But there was also an apache circling low level around shears green school area last wednesday.
Lets face it Gravesend would benefit from some targetted bombing anyway...

[PPRuNeUser0211]

There's a notam out for an exercise in the Thames estuary. That help?

[DBChopper]

I quite like Tony 1969's Gravesend bombing idea

[IBatch]

Any more info?

Hi all - first post, be gentle

I just wondered if anybody had found out any more info on what the choppers may have been doing?

I live by the river and went and had a nose at what was going on around 7.30 ish and saw the chinook land very briefly (somewhere between Gravesend and Dartford) while the 3 smaller choppers hovered around it. They then all flew off back down-river. All the time the Sea King was patrolling the area much higher up.

Then at about 8.30 a customs boat came up the river with the Sea King hovering about 50 ft above it. A person was lowered down onto the boat, and then pretty much straight back up again.

And now at about 11.30pm tonight (June 23rd), a few small choppers were again over the river just outside my flat but it was too dark to see what they were up to.

I assume it must be just a training exercise or something, but I'd be really interested to find out what is going on!

[JimBall]

There's a load of cross-agency training happening this week. In London at 0115 t'other night the entire city was awakened by a Merlin batting down the river at about 500ft. Then going back the other way at about 2am.

We think he was looking for the 24hr Krispy Kreme drive-thru on the A10 that gets frequented by various uniformed and non-uniformed personnel! However, it's only open 7 days a week, 0630 to midnight.

[IBatch]

Thanks JimBall, that clears that up then. Shame though, I thought something really interesting was going on!