Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter worked with HNLMS Groningen of the Royal Netherlands Navy to prepare for operations together in the war against the illegal drugs trade in the Caribbean.
The Wildcat of 815 Naval Air Squadron, from RFA Argus, carried out flying exercises with the Groningen, qualifying the navy fliers to use the Dutch patrol ship as a base for fuel and resupply during counter-narcotics operations.
This will allow the squadron to fly further from support ship Argus, extending their time on security patrols as they hunt for and monitor suspicious activity using their powerful array of sensors.
It means the Wildcat crew now have three ships – the Groningen, Argus and HMS Medway – to use as a lilypad to launch and sustain their operations from, giving an extra edge to their missions in the Caribbean.
The British and Dutch work together with allies to support the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South, which detects and monitors activity to support security operations from their base in Florida.