NATO – Exercise Proud Manta -Two MERLIN HM1 from 820 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose flew a 2,800 mile round trip to take part in the world’s biggest anti-submarine exercise, conducted from the US Navy Air Station Sigonella airbase (Sicily) near Mount Etna. The two week war games, played out in the Ionian Sea (off the east coast of the Italian island), saw naval air and surface forces gather to track down submarines from France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey. The two helicopters notched up 66 hours during the exercise – flying more airborne time and more missions than any other nation participating… and, more importantly, they managed to detect – and carry out simulated attacks against – the boats they found beneath the sea.