Towards the end of the 1960s DCA looked to replace or supplement its fleet of twin piston-engined communications aircraft which comprised four Aero Commanders. In order to keep abreast of industry developments, DCA looked to operate a number of light turbo-prop aircraft and at that time among the few such small turbo-prop designs available was the Swearingen Merlin.

The original production Merlin II design was based on Beech Queen Air wings with Twin Bonanza undercarriage and a new, Swearingen-designed, pressurised fuselage. The Merlin III combined a slightly stretched Merlin II fuselage with new wings, tail and undercarriage. The IIB and III models, ordered by DCA, were powered by two Garrett TPE-331s.

The Department's six Merlins entered service between 1969 and 1971. They were generally based in each Region for use by Regional personnel. From 1983 they were replaced with turbo-prop Gulfstream 1000s.

Click on the images below to see photos of the Department's Merlins:

 

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