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25
Mar
Convoy of iconic Puma helicopters to fly over Harrogate district on final farewell flight
A historic farewell flight of RAF Puma helicopters will pass over the Harrogate district on Thursday to mark their withdrawal from service after 54 years.
The air convoy will set off tomorrow (Wednesday) from the Pumas’ home at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire and take two days to make a giant loop around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, before heading back to base for the final time on Thursday.
The Puma HC Mk 2 helicopter was designed in 1963 as a fast and agile troop-carrier and light cargo transporter.
It entered service with the RAF in 1971 and has since taken on ‘icon’ status, playing crucial roles in British operations in Northern Ireland, Belize, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Supporting critical operations on the frontlines, performing life-saving rescues, firefighting, and delivering humanitarian aid are all in a day’s work for the RAF Puma Force, who have maintained a constant presence when duty calls.
With unmatched versatility and reliability, the Puma has been a true symbol of strength and dedication in the sky.
The Puma flight will first head south from RAF Benson, before swinging westward, passing Andover and Boscombe Down, then veering north to Hereford – the home of the SAS – and north-west over North Wales to make a loop over Northern Ireland, where the Puma played a vital role in military operations in the 1970s and ’80s.
After a night at RAF Valley in Anglesey, the flight will head east to Manchester, north over the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales, and then pay a flying visit to Catterick – the British Army’s largest garrison – and RAF Leeming before heading south across our district.
The flight will pass over our district from north to south on Thursday.
After it crosses the River Wharfe, it will speed to the Midlands and make a left turn towards East Anglia, taking in such historic RAF airfields as Cranwell and Marham, as well as Newark Air Museum, the National Memorial Arboretum and RAF Duxford – one of the homes of the Imperial War Museum – and the RAF Museum in London.
An RAF Benson Instagram post urges member of the public to take an active part in the farewell event, saying:
Join us in celebrating their incredible legacy and the countless missions they’ve accomplished!
Snap a photo as they fly past and share it with the #54AndOut.
The Puma HC Mk2 helicopters will be officially retired from service on Monday (March 31). The Ministry of Defence has told the Stray Ferret that they will “go to defence sales”, but no decisions have yet been about their ultimate destination.
A long-term replacement for the Puma will be chosen by the New Medium Helicopter programme, and a decision is expected by the end of the year. But uncertainty surrounds the issue, as two of the major contractors, French-headquartered Airbus and US firm Lockheed Martin – the maker of the Black Hawk – have withdrawn from the tender process, leaving just Italian firm Leonardo in the field.
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