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Danes retire the Sea King
On June 16 the Royal Danish Air Force formally retired its last S-61 Sea King helicopters.
Gary Parsons - 30-Jun-2010
Last three S-61s in formation. RDAF image
June 30: On June 16 the Royal Danish Air Force formally retired its last S-61 Sea King helicopters at a small ceremony at Karup Air Base.
In service since 1965, the S-61s of 722 Squadron are being replaced by the AW101 Merlin for the Search and Rescue role. Built by Sikorsky, the original batch of eight S-61s was delivered between May and October 1965.
Following a loss on February 10, 1968 a replacement was ordered and delivery followed in August 1971. The type has been progressively withdrawn from service in recent years, with three remaining in service by June 16.
An order for 14 AgustaWestland AW101 Mk 512 Merlins was placed in December 2001 following selection of the type in September.
From the 14 original deliveries, four SAR-configured and two Tactical Transport Helicopter versions were transferred to the UK Royal Air Force in mid-2007 and have subsequently been replaced with newer examples, the first of these being delivered on June 5, 2009, whilst the final example was handed-over on January 20.
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