Text and photo: Major Michael Christiansen, SPAO DATG

Sub Lieutenant Majchrzak is pilot on one of the two MI-14 helicopters from 29 SQN in Darlowo, Poland. Presently they participate in Exercise DANEX 07. During the first week, when the exercise was taking place in sea the around Bornholm, they were operating from their home base on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.

Now they’re flying from Air Transport Wing Aalborg. The unit’s task is to find and neutralize the submarine SOKÓL and so far with succes every time the squadron has been airborne.

– We have three ways to spot and localize a submarine. It is sonar, sonar buoys and MAD – a system that registers magnetic fields around a submarine, explains Majchrzak. During the last 25 years he has logged more than 2000 hours of experience in the cockpit of a MI-14.

The sonar is normally placed in the  back of the helicopter, under the tail.

– Thursday we found the submarine in Skagerrak with our sonar. A system that we lower into the water, where it then sends out sound waves.

If they hit a submarine, the sound waves are reflected, and in the helicopter we can register distance and bearing to the sub. We managed to sustain contact for more than 20 minuttes, explains Majchrzak.

MI-14 has a take-off weight of 12-14 tons depending on it’s configuration and a maximum flying time of four hours. The crew consists of two pilots, one or two navigators and a flight engineer. It is the navigators, who operate the sonar, MAD and sonar buoys, which can be dropped from the helicopters belly. It can carry more than 30 buoys, but normally only carries 18 during exercises.

MI-14 with tail number 1011 looks formidable.