RAF Workhorse to bow out in 2016
26 February 2010
BRITAIN’S Search and Rescue (SAR) is to have a radical overhaul – a private consortium has been chosen to run the service under a Private Finance Inititiative (PFI), the MOD has announced.
In a £6bn contract over 25 years, the Soteria Consortium will provide a harmonised Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) service for the UK and replace the distinctive yet ageing Sea Kings with modern Sikorsky S92A helicopters.
Presently the RAF, Royal Navy and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) provide SAR from 12 stations around the country. From 2012 the Soteria Consortium, made up of CHC, Thales, Sikorsky and the Royal Bank of Scotland, will start to take over those operations beginning with the MCA stations. The full transition is planned for completion in 2016.
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said: “The new service will bring together the current Search and Rescue helicopter provision into one highly effective and harmonised service under a single contract providing the British taxpayer with an excellent service for many years to come.
“The future service will benefit from modern, fast, reliable helicopters and will continue to operate from 12 bases in order to ensure that it provides a fully effective SAR service.”
The SAR-H project was establised to identify the best solution for a single harmonised service to ensure that the UK has a first-class SAR helicopter to save lives well into the future.
A proportion of military aircrew will continue to fly the Sikorsky S92 aircraft alongside civilian aircrew trained to the same high standards.
Current planning is that 66 RAF/RN personnel will be required as aircrew in the new service.
The Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) and RAF Mountain Rescue Service will remain under RAF control.
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