Fifteen months after the Royal Navy presented the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 to the world at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose, Cornwall on July 23, 2013, the type has achieved its In-Service Date (ISD), enabling it to fulfil core operational roles (see Mark Two Merlin, November 2013, p88). These are two-fold: to ensure merchant and Royal Navy ships have global access to ply their trade (achieved by anti-piracy patrols, providing humanitarian aid, anti-submarine sweeps and fast-attack craft deterrence at sea), and to maintain high-readiness support for the UK's ballistic submarines. The HM2 is now the country's only dedicated antisubmarine warfare aircraft. Having passed the half-way mark in the HM2's delivery programme - the 16th aircraft was handed over to the Royal Navy by August, and there were four others on test - AIR International spoke with the programme's key participants to consider the achievements to date.
展开▼
机译：皇家海军于2013年7月23日在康沃尔郡皇家海军航空站（RNAS）柯德罗斯向世界展示了AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2十五个月后，该型号已达到其服役日期（ISD），使其能够履行核心任务运营角色（请参阅Mark Two Merlin，2013年11月，第88页）。这有两个方面：确保商船和皇家海军的船只能够在全球范围内使用其贸易（通过反海盗巡逻，提供人道主义援助，反潜扫荡和对海上快速攻击的威慑力实现），并保持较高水平为英国的弹道潜艇提供准备。 HM2现在是该国唯一的专用反潜战机。在通过HM2交付计划的一半时-第16架飞机已于8月移交给皇家海军，另外四架正在接受测试-AIR International与该计划的主要参与者进行了交谈，以考虑迄今为止的成就。
展开▼
