RNAS Culdrose 820 and 824 squadrons home after NATO exercise

Ten helicopters carrying around 300 men and women left the Helston air station at the beginning of March for the carrier strike group led by aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

They took part in the maritime phase of Exercise Steadfast Defender, which was held off the arctic coast of Norway and was designed to test the ability of NATO to defend the Nordic nations from ‘attack’.

Personnel from squadrons 820 and 824 took part in the exercise (Image: Royal Navy)

Captain Stuart Irwin, the commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, said: “We have played a central role in Exercise Steadfast Defender, the largest NATO exercise in decades, and have been heavily committed with aircraft and personnel from all three Merlin Force squadrons. We deployed ten aircraft across five ships.

“As the dedicated carrier protection force, most of 820 Naval Air Squadron deployed in HMS Prince of Wales with anti-submarine warfare and airborne surveillance and control helicopters embarked, while 814 Naval Air Squadron embarked its ASW helicopters in the carrier strike group’s support ships. 824 Naval Air Squadron also joined Steadfast Defender for trainee aircrew to take their qualifications in day and night deck landings.

A stunning image of one of the Merlin helicopters and the Northern Lights (Image: Royal Navy)

“The engineering and support elements of this deployment have been significant in terms of equipment and personnel.

“The preparation for this exercise has been a major undertaking, but the team responded brilliantly, and we collectively delivered immense NATO firepower to demonstrate the strength of the alliance.

“This exercise has proved yet again the agility and flexibility of aircraft carriers and their embarked air wing.”

Exercise Steadfast Defender is continuing and involves more than 20,000 UK military personnel alone deployed across Scandinavia and northern Europe.”