laststandonzombieisland

The Belgian Air Force’s Westland Mk.48, the country’s British-made search-and-rescue variant of the Sikorsky S-61 Sea King, has been hard at it for 43 years. Just five of the aircraft were acquired in the 1970s but combined they have tallied up 60.000 hours and responded to 3.309 emergency calls resulting in saving 1,757 people’s lives.

The last three flightworthy airframes, based at Koksijde, will conduct a final flyby of the Flanders coastline on 21 March before they ware retired in favor of NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopters.

Sikorsky-made Sea Kings are still in operation in seven countries– including by the U.S. Marines of VMX-1 as “Marine One”– while Westland Mk. 48s are still used by six other countries to include some 20 being flown by the Deutsche Marine. Either way, for an aircraft that first flew in 1959, it’s likely the old ‘King will still be in the air in one form or another for a decade or two more.