We have had reports that our target is somewhere to the north. It is dawn, there is thick cloud cover, fog and light rain so visibility will be extremely poor.

As discussed in Surface Tutorial 1.1, the average useful range of a surface-search radar set mounted on a ship is approximately 12 nautical miles. Due to this limitation, many ships carry helicopters which can improve situational awareness by climbing to high altitude to maximise the range of their radars, as well as using their speed to rapidly close with detected contacts and identify them using visual, electro-optical (EO) or infra-red (IR) sensors.

Your patrol boat carries an NH90 NFH: a modern, multi-role naval helicopter equipped with dipping sonar, sonobuoys, ESM equipment, electro-optical sensors, and a powerful long-range surface search radar. Let's set a course for our ship, and then launch the helicopter to get a better picture of our surroundings.

Plot a course to the north (F3) and set your speed to Cruise (F2).

Bring up the Air Ops Menu (F6), select the helicopter and click the 'Launch Individually' button.