Griffin

RAF aircrew selected for Search and Rescue duties on helicopters proceed to the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley alongside their colleagues from the Royal Navy and Army.

The aircraft itself is a modern version of the famous 'Huey' family of helicopters used by many armed forces around the world. The Griffins used by the UK forces entered service in 1995 at the newly-created Defence Helicopter School at RAF Shawbury replacing Gazelle and Wessex helicopters used in the flying training and search and rescue training roles.

Four aircraft are now in use with No 84 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, having replaced the squadron's Wessex helicopters in the search and rescue role during 2003.

Roles

• Advanced flying training (helicopter).

Armament

No weapons are carried.

Recognition

Readily identifiable as the development of the famous "Huey" series of helicopters, the cabin is wide and flat topped, with a bulky engine installation in the centre of the cabin roof. The large, four-bladed rotor sits prominently above this. The cockpit retains the large glazed panels of the original, with the panels at the pilots feet also glazed, another feature held over from the earlier aircraft. The tail boom is long and tapering, ending in a swept fin that carries the tail rotor at the tip.