The armed conflict in the South Atlantic, which erupted in the first half of 1982 between Great Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, is now a part of history. It was a small-scale but fierce war, which some Western analysts classify as a “medium intensity” conflict only because the use of nuclear weapons was not even planned.
Nevertheless, the influence it had on the development of modern military art is difficult to overestimate. Helicopters accounted for three-quarters of the British expeditionary force’s air group in the conflict zone, which consisted of 40 Sea Harrier FRS.1 and Harrier GR.3 STOVL (short or vertical take-off and landing) aircraft, and over 130 various helicopters.
The main attention of the conflict’s chroniclers was given to the actions of the “Harriers”, while the use of rotary-wing aircraft, with the exception of isolated episodes, did not receive adequate coverage. Yet, they played an enormous role then. It was precisely because of helicopters that the British and Argentinians fought, as it were, two different wars: the former – a maneuver war, with widespread use of “vertical envelopment”, and the latter – a positional war, largely reminiscent of the First World War.
It can be said that the saturation of combat formations with helicopters and their skillful use ensured the British a qualitative superiority over the Argentinians and ultimately a decisive victory.
Key Air Operations
Yeovilton, one of the largest Royal Naval Air Stations in Great Britain, dispatched the 815th (Lynx helicopters), 846th (Sea King Mk.4), 845th, 847th, and 848th (Wessex Mk.5) air squadrons to the conflict zone.
The multi-purpose ship-borne “Lynx” from the 815th NAS, based on most of the British Task Force warships, performed a wide array of missions. On April 25, during the landing operation on South Georgia Island, an Argentine submarine “Santa Fe” was attacked and severely damaged by Lynx helicopters and a Wasp, preventing its dive and forcing it aground.
Subsequently, on May 23, a Lynx helicopter from HMS Antelope, piloted by Lieutenant Timothy McMahon with observer Lieutenant Gary Hunt, attacked an Argentine transport vessel with two “Sea Skua” anti-ship missiles, causing serious damage. Although “Sea Skua” missiles were not officially in service, they proved highly effective, as demonstrated by the sinking of an Argentine patrol ship “Alferez Sobral” after a coordinated attack by two Lynx.
The Sea King’s Crucial Role
The 846th NAS, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Simon Tornewill, conducted 26 night combat sorties with its Sea Kings between May 1 and 19. These missions were crucial for landing, supplying, and evacuating reconnaissance and sabotage groups (SAS) on the Falkland Islands, notably the successful raid against the Argentine airfield on Pebble Island.
At RNAS Culdrose, over a thousand personnel and 50 Sea King helicopters were deployed during the crisis. The 820th NAS of anti-submarine Sea King helicopters, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Ralph Wykes-Sneyd, performed extensive anti-submarine patrols. Notably, one of its pilots was HRH Prince Andrew, who participated in these demanding missions.
The 825th transport squadron was rapidly formed to meet the acute need for transport helicopters, utilizing Sea Kings adapted for these tasks. From May 28, this squadron engaged in transporting troops, artillery, supplies, and evacuating the wounded, operating in extremely harsh conditions and with significant overloads. On June 8, in Fitzroy Bay, the 825th NAS, led by Lieutenant Commander Hugh Clarke, conducted a heroic rescue operation after the attack on the landing ships RFA Sir Tristram and RFA Sir Galahad, saving numerous Welsh Guards from the burning ships and icy waters.
Royal Marines Helicopter Operations
The 3rd Royal Marines Commando Brigade Air Squadron, operating Gazelle and Scout helicopters, logged over 2000 hours in the air during its 12 weeks in the Falklands. These aircraft were essential for reconnaissance, delivering ammunition to the front line, and evacuating the wounded, often operating directly at the contact line.
During the campaign, this squadron suffered the loss of three helicopters in combat. On May 21, a Gazelle was shot down by machine-gun fire, resulting in the death of its pilot, Sergeant Andrew Evans. Another Gazelle was shot down the same day, killing Lieutenant Kenneth Francis and Lance Corporal Griffin. On May 28, a Scout AH.1 helicopter, piloted by Lieutenant Richard Nunn, was shot down in aerial combat by two Argentine IA-58A Pucara attack aircraft, with the British pilot losing his life.
Despite the losses, the morale of the Marine helicopter pilots remained high. They continued to support offensives, evacuate the wounded, and conduct critical missions, including destroying Argentine artillery with SS-11 ATGMs in the final stages of the battle for Port Stanley.
It is quite obvious that a significant part of the overall British success in the Falklands War was the widespread and effective use of helicopters. The components of success for Her Majesty’s helicopter crews can be considered excellent professional training, selflessness, and team spirit, multiplied by highly reliable, quite modern combat equipment at their disposal. It was of great importance for the British that practically all types of helicopters in service were tested in extreme climatic and operational conditions. During a real war, tactical methods for performing all types of tasks assigned to helicopter squadrons were tested. And finally, the British gained their own, and therefore invaluable, experience in conducting large-scale airmobile operations, matching the US in this regard.