YEOVILTON LIFE: Sting Ray away for the Wildcat

THE Royal Navy’s principal weapon in the fight against submarines – the Wildcat of 825 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton – has been practising torpedo attacks off the Cornish coast.

A Wildcat spent two days over Falmouth Bay and culminated in the launch of a dummy weapon.

In various forms, Sting Ray has been in service with the Royal Navy for more than 30 years. It is carried by frigates - thrust out of launchers by a high-pressure air - and Fleet Air Arm Merlin’s who carry four, with Lynx helicopters armed with two. The Royal Navy’s submarines kill their underwater prey with the much heavier Spearfish torpedo.

The Lynx’s successor Wildcat is beginning to enter front-line service – the first is currently on deployment with HMS Lancaster in the Atlantic – and although it has undergone extensive trials and testing over the past five years, until now it has not dropped a torpedo.

That was put right on the range off the Lizard Peninsula – brought back into use by RNAS Culdrose for torpedo tests only last year after a 15-year pause.

Normally, Sting Ray is packed with a 100lb explosive charge, racing through the water at speeds in excess of 50mph. For the dummy runs and firing off Falmouth, a TVT (Training Variant Torpedo – 100lb of concrete replaces the high explosive) was loaded aboard Wildcat ZZ378 at RNAS Culdrose in nearby Helston.

As with a live Sting Ray, a drogue parachute slows the weapon’s entry into the water but the torpedo is set to float when it has completed its run and is then recovered.

Lt Frank Suter, the Wildcat observer and aviation warfare officer conducting the trials, said:  “This marks another milestone in the introduction into Service for the Wildcat HMA Mk2 and proves our ability to contribute to the UK and Royal Navy’s Anti Submarine Warfare capability.”                                                                     

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