ISTAR Crowsnest – Tucked away under the Planning Round 12 under the heading ISTAR is the funding for “CROWSNEST” – the future Airborne Early Warning capability for the Aircraft Carriers.    Project Crowsnest will form part of the 'core equipment programme' and is intended to deliver the future carrier-borne airborne early warning capability probably using modified versions of the EH101 MERLIN, particularly now that the Government has decided on the F-35B STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter to provide carrier strike capability.

CROWSNEST is a MoD Category A programme that means that the customer (the MoD) has directed that this capability will be provided as a role-fit solution augmenting the MERLIN HM2 being delivered under the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme.  The CROWSNEST programme is about to enter Assessment Phase 3, which will converge the capability requirement, system requirements, system design, programme for Demonstration and Manufacture and downstream in service support.    Lockheed Martin has been appointed the Prime Contractor.

As a side issue this seems to settle another matter and there will be a number of unmodernised MERLIN HM1 airframes that will not be used if CROWSNEST goes ahead, as they presumably become candidates to re-equip 771 Squadron when its future is clarified following the decision on the (National) Search and Rescue capability.