Chinese warships have escorted many merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since they arrived there in early January. And shipborne helicopters are playing an important role in their the mission and handling emergencies.
he missile destroyer "Wuhan" was escorting three merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday. At the same time, its shipborne helicopter was patrolling the surrounding area.
Helicopter captain Sun Ziwu said, "Our main task is to patrol the air, and send prompt messages back to the control center. We are also in charge of air search and rescue operations, and cooperate with the ship to deal with any emergencies."
They also need to carry out special training, including take off and landing at night, to shorten their reaction times.
Last month, the helicopter from the destroyer "Wuhan" rescued a Greek ship from pirates, arriving at the scene within 18 minutes.To ensure safety, the aircrew also need to take good care of the craft. That includes cleaning off corrosive salt with scarce fresh water after every task.
This helicopter has taken off and landed safely 13 times, accomplishing all of its missions.
Editor:Zhang Ning
www.doolc.com