British MoD refutes claim that Merlin not combat ready for Afghanistan

The British Ministry of Defense has refuted a report by the Daily Telegraph which claims that Merlin helicopters being transferred from Iraq to Afghanistan are inadequately armored.The report said the six Merlins will not be able to fly on combat operations in the Helmand province as they lacked Kevlar armour to protect the aircraft from smalls arms and RPGs."Our Merlin Mark 3 helicopters have ballistic protection as standard, and are being fitted with a range of modifications to make them fit for operational use," an MoD spokesman said.

Posted in: Afghanistan,Fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban,Helicopter