Know Your Airspace: How does a naval helicopter land on a naval ship? #thersaf

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]How does a naval helicopter stay in place after landing on board a moving ship? For the RSAF's S70B Seahawk Naval helicopters operating from RSN frig, landing is only half the challenge. Once the helicopter touches down, it has to be secured quickly and safely before the ship's movement. Sea conditions or strong winds can affect the aircraft.

[00:00:17]This process is known as chocks and chains. Flight deck crew place chocks against the helicopter's wheels before securing the aircraft to the deck using chains. This helps keep the helicopter stable even as the ship pitches and rolls out at sea. And timing matters.

[00:00:29]The flight deck is noisy, windy, and never stationary, which means the crew needs to work quickly and precisely. And as a team to prepare for this, RSAF and RSN personnel train together at Zumbawang Air Base on a custom helicopter pad designed to replicate the dimensions of an RSN frig flight deck, but in a safe and controlled environment. This allows RSN personnel to train realistically and maintain proficiency in flight deck marshalling and chuck and chain procedures without needing to sail out to sea for this portion of training. By conducting this training on land, valuable time at sea can instead be focused on higherend operational training. It's one example of how the RSAF and RSN work together to train smarter, operate effectively, and stay mission