Not much I can add to the comprehensive review in PAN but to reiterate that the first P68R [presumably with its de-icing certified] is not due until the Spring so is expected to be the singleton at PAvCon in early June. There is plenty of spare hangar space at the airfield so pushing it into [say] the newly relocated Vulcan hangar for a month or two should not be a real problem.
I expect training to take up 1-2 months from [say] the April delivery so it will not be in real service until next summer.
Meanwhile the expected closures of Warton, Tesside and Wattisham will be in place by March..... Rumour has it that Warton and Teesside are already without aircraft and crews regularly anyway so its not exactly a trauma job.
The last two MD902 at Hurn and Carr Gate should be grounded before New Year dawns.
So I guess it is fair to say that one way and another there will be a massive unpoliced gap in aerial coverage along the eastern counties until at least next June.
Probably more important overall will be the results on this weeks meeting with the PCCs at which [unseen] plans have been put forward that might just see a modest expansion of NPAS into the future.
The fleet is gleamingly newly polished but beneath the paintwork of each 10,000 hour airframe is the base problem of the current fleet.
They were worth about £1M each .... half have had £1M spent on them in upgrades and each is now now still worth just about £1M...... [if you can get it] that sort of adds it all up really. They need an ongoing option to progressively acquire new airframes that will eventually give them a fleet that works as well as it might.
As someone who has delivered 24/7/365 policing on the ground over several years I think I might just add 'Since when has aerial policing DELIVERED 24/7/365 policing?'