Viking operators return from Helmand

Personnel from the Armoured Support Group Royal Marines, who operate the Viking all-terrain vehicle, returned from their most recent six-month deployment to Afghanistan to RAF Brize Norton on Saturday 13 June 2009.

Based at Camp Bastion, the unit was responsible for operating the Royal Marines' Viking all-terrain armoured vehicle throughout Helmand province.

Vikings are amphibious, armoured vehicles, capable of operating anywhere in the world. In Afghanistan, they support troops involved in close combat, allowing them to manoeuvre swiftly and securely around the battlefield.

The 107 men of the Armoured Support Group were led by Major Richard Hopkins who described his men as having developed a 'formidable reputation' over their tour; he noted accolades his men received in the last few days from those that they supported, describing them as 'everything that epitomised the best of the British Armed Forces'.