Berlin (Agencies): Germany has officially retired its Westland Sea King Mk 41 helicopters, marking the end of an era that spanned nearly five decades. The final Sea King was flown to the Bundeswehr’s Militärhistorisches Museum in Gatow, Berlin, on August 8, concluding a service history that began in 1975.
In a heartfelt message on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the Bundeswehr expressed gratitude: “We say thank you Sea King for around 50 years in the force. With the end of flight operations at the Luftwaffe, a chapter of helicopter history is over. Goodbye, King!”
The Sea King, operated by the German Navy, has been succeeded by the NHIndustries NH90 Sea Lion. At the time of its retirement, the Marineflieger aviation branch had 21 Sea Kings in its inventory.
This retirement announcement comes just weeks after Germany committed to sending six Sea King helicopters to Ukraine, where they will join three former UK Royal Navy Sea Kings already in operation.