The Sea King Mk.50 replaced the Westland Wessex  HAS.31 as the RAN's ASW helicopter from 1974. A typical fit included Racal ARI 5955/2 lightweight radar, Racal Navigation System RNS252, Racal Doppler 91, ADF Bendix/King KDF 806A and Tacan AN/ARN 118. All serving Mk50 airframes were upgraded to Mk50A standard, through a mid-life extension. In 1995, the AQS-13B sonar was removed and since then, the Sea King's main role changed to maritime utility support. During the first five years of operation, a number of aircraft were lost due primarily to a loss of main gearbox oil.

The future of the Fleet Air Arm's Sea King fleet is in question after what is speculated to be mechanical failure caused a Sea King providing humanitarian aid in Indonesia in April 2005 to crash. The crash resulted in the deaths of nine Australian military personnel. Australian Sea Kings played an integral part in the relief effort for the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, particularly in Indonesia's Aceh province where they delivered medical teams and aid supplies from Royal Australian Navy ships.

Workhorse of the RAN's fleet the Sea King is a large and very versatile helicopter with the ability to pick up loads heavier than a Land Rover. The aircraft can operate day and night, in good weather and bad at low level over the sea and over land.

The roles of the Sea King are:

Delivery of people and provisions between ships and from ships to the shore.

Search and rescue missions.

Detection and reporting of hostile shipping.

Army support when the Army moves from ships to shore.

The Sea King can operate from the supply ship HMAS Success, the landing ship HMAS Tobruk and the amphibious transport ships HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla.

TECHNICAL DATA

Length 22.15 metres

Height 5.13 metres

Width 18.9 metres (rotors spread)

Weight 9525 kg

Speed 230 kph

Range 925 km

Crew 4 (2 Pilots, Tactical Coordinator, Air-crewman)

Engines Two Rolls Royce Gnome gas turbines

Weapon Systems One 7.62 machine gun

Link to SF Sea King:

Brought to you by me, capun, and wrench.

I recommended you copy over the Huey cockpit to your Sea King folder.