A MERLIN Mk512 of the Flyvevabnet's (Royal Danish Air Force's) Eskadrille 722 at Flyvestation Karup has taken part in the French Navy's Task Force 473/Mission Clemenceau, involving the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and other warships in the Mediterranean. The helicopter was embarked on board the Danish Navy frigate Niels Juel and also completed a first carrier landing for the type in Danish service when it operated from the French flagship. The Merlin also provided search and rescue overwatch for French Navy Rafale operations in the 'Pedro' plane guard role. A first such mission was flown on March 26, using the callsign 'Merlin 33'. Other roles included maritime reconnaissance and logistics flights. In addition, prior to its deployment on Task Force 47, the squadron trained for transport of slung loads.
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