Crab, history is littered with doomsayers. There may be an element of cost saving involved but it is also another string to the bow. Don't be like those Whirlwind guys who said the Wessex was too big or the Wessex guys who said the Sea King wouldn't get into places they could in the mountains and the downwash was too severe. Give this a chance and you might be surprised. Many years ago I was involved in a search, at night, for a man and his son, missing in their very small fishing boat out of Sunderland. It was pre-FLIR and we, along with the RNLI, conducted the search and found nothing. The next morning a Nimrod was tasked and they found them 40nm off the coast. We were called from our beds and picked them up, safe and well. Different types of assets can work well together, give it a chance. Don't forget, people are still getting rescued despite the demise of military SAR.
RC