Army Air Corps demonstrate skills on Lynx Mark 9 Alpha 24.05.11

661 Squadron of 1 Army Air Corps are carrying out pre-deployment training in the ranges of California. As well as environmental and mission specific training, the 50 members of the squadron have been using their experience of the Lynx Mark 7 helicopter to prepare them for flying the most up-to-date model, the Lynx Mark 9 Alpha, which holds the record for the fastest in the world. Since 1979, the Army Air Corps has been using the Lynx helicopter for operations. It was built for the Cold War and the North-West Europe landscape, not hot environments like Afghanistan, which is why the new model will benefit the squadron when they deploy to theatre. The advantages of the upgraded Lynx Mark 9A is that the engine has 45% more power than the previous Mark 7 or Mark 9. It has the most up-to-date weapon, the M3M gun and there is a brand new surveillance system. With a highly capable aircraft, a fully trained crew and the most high-tech surveillance system the squadron is as ready as they will ever be to deploy.