Much of the attention of the media has been directed towards the ships of the expanded Naval Task Group 2003 as they have left their home ports and headed south for amphibious exercises in the Mediterranean.

But the two major ships in the group – flagship HMS Ark Royal and HMS Ocean – are both sailing as helicopter carriers, and elements of their air groups have been joining the ships in the past few days.

Four Sea King Mk7 Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASAC) helicopters from 849 Naval Air Squadron A Flight left RN air station Culdrose on Friday to embark in HMS Ark Royal.

These aircraft were a part of the original deployment, plans for which would see the ships of NTG03 sail through the Middle East and into the Asia-Pacific region for a series of port visits and exercises.

The linch-pin of the planned deployment is Exercise Flying Fish, an annual event in which the Royal Navy works with the Australian, New Zealand, Malaysian and Singaporean navies under the auspices of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement.

But the helicopters will also be a vital part of the air group if the RN flotilla is required to move into the Gulf for operations against Iraq.

Also in the task group are five Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Sea King Mk6 helicopters of 820 Naval Air Squadron, which flew out of Culdrose last Wednesday to join RFA Argus in Southampton.

The departure of these squadrons brings the number of servicemen and women, aircrew and engineers deployed so far from the Cornish air station to more than 150.

Ships of the task group have already passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and RAF Chinooks are due to join HMS Ark Royal in the Western Mediterranean today.