Wales' only commercial helicopter company has won a £3m defence contract to provide support for missile testing off the coast of Wales.
The helicopter uses an under slung recovery system
Veritair, which is based in Cardiff, will station a new helicopter at the former military base in Aberporth, west Wales, to carry out the work.
The company has been awarded the contract by QinetiQ - formerly the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency - to provide helicopter support at the range and a recovery system to fish out targets used in missile tests from Cardigan Bay.
Veritair currently carries out similar work at ranges at Benbecula in the Scottish Outer Hebrides.
Captain Julian Verity said the procedure involved demanding and exacting flying and had taken several years to perfect.
"We've been operating at Aberporth on an ad hoc basis for the last four years," he added.
"This contract could be the first step in the expansion of Aberporth for defence purposes."
Aberporth was hit hard in July 2002 when the Ministry of Defence announced that 147 jobs would be axed as part of a defence facility shake-up at the testing base there.
Part of the airfield has been turned into a base for a four-plane air charter service which was launched in May.
The helicopter will be based at Aberporth airfield
The first phase of a technology park there which could create 230 jobs is expected to be completed by next summer.
The air range facility used by the Ministry of Defence is also based near to the airfield.
Veritair was established in 1982 and its headquarters is at a heliport base in Cardiff.
The new twin-engine helicopter being bought for Aberporth will increase the company's fleet to three.