The Sea King AEW was rapidly brought into service post the Falklands/Malvinas conflict when it became clear
that organic Airborne Early Warning was an essential part of air power at sea.
The platform offers tactical control to the Sea Harrier and other shore and carrier based aircraft.
It can detect low flying aircraft trying to attack surface ships under conventional shipborne radar cover. It can also be used for surface search again using the sophisticated,
computer controlled long range radar.
The AEW Mk2 variant is also used by the Spanish Navy.
The 13 Royal Navy AEW Mk2 helicopters are being upgraded to AEW.7 standard with the
Thales Defence Searchwater 2000 radar and Cerberus mission system and the helicopter designation has been
changed to Airborne Surveillance and Area Control (ASaC Mk 7).
The first two upgraded Sea Kings were delivered in May 2002 and the programme is scheduled for completion in 2005.
ASaC Mk 7 helicopters were deployed for the first time onboard HMS Ark Royal as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom
in March 2003 where two of them were lost in a mid-air collision
