Portsmouth destroyer puts the Royal Navy’s newest helicopter through its paces

Punishing conditions were not a problem for the Royal Navy’s newest helicopter as it was tested for the first time in the searing heat of the Gulf by a naval team from Portsmouth.

Wildcat – which will provide the aerial eyes and punch of British destroyers and frigates for a generation – spent a fortnight flying in the Middle East during key trials with the Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Duncan.

It is the first time the new helicopter has experienced such extreme heat, with the mercury rising to 45 degrees C.

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