Sea King - Flares

A Sea King MK4 helicopter of the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) fires a spread of decoy flares while on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. An Army Air Corps Lynx AH9A can be seen in the3 background.

CHF Sea Kings are fitted with a defensive aid suite (DAS) that includes a Sky Guardian 2000 radar warning system and M147 chaff/flare dispensors. The flares are designed to confuse heat-seeking missiles while the chaff spoofs radar-guided missiles. The threat of man-portable surface-to-air missiles getting into the hands of Taliban insurgents are of huge concern for NATO helicopter crews.
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