Military's Wildcat helicopter fleet back in action after temporary grounding
The UK Armed Forces' Wildcat helicopter fleet is returning to the skies after being briefly grounded due to a safety issue.
A potential fault was found on one of the aircraft during a routine safety inspection, leading to the Royal Navy and Army Air Corps' Wildcat AW159 fleet being grounded.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confirmed an issue was discovered but said "flying operations have now safely resumed".
An MOD spokesperson said: "Following a routine safety inspection, an issue was identified with a Wildcat helicopter.
"Flying was paused while the matter was investigated, flying operations have now safely resumed."
A spokesperson for the helicopter's manufacturer Leonardo said: "We can confirm that there was a recent pause in flying of UK Wildcat fleets.
"This was due to the early detection of a potential issue in a single aircraft. Flying was paused while Leonardo engineers investigated the report. Essential operational flying is now being resumed."
The AW159 Wildcat is a multi-role naval helicopter with both ship and air interface characteristics and compact dimensions for small deck operations.
The Wildcat helicopter can carry-out shipborne operations with minimal impact to the host ship, in adverse sea conditions.
It can also be used in search and rescue operations, anti-submarine warfare and maritime interdiction roles.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
