An Army Lynx helicopter leaves Lashkar Gah after picking up passengers, Afghanistan, 2006

Digital photograph taken by Corporal Mike Fletcher, Royal Logistic Corps, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, November 2006.

First introduced into British Army service in the late 1970s the Lynx saw intensive service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. In Iraq and Afghanistan the performance of helicopters, even with modifications, was affected detrimentally by intense heat and dusty conditions. 657 Squadron continued to fly the Lynx until January 2018. After nearly forty years service the Lynx was replaced by the AW159 Wildcat.