Lucifer: agree with your first post, well authored. You are wrong about the arrival date of the 412 though, it was March 03. The SKOCU covered, roughly Jan-March (maybe april?)
Saintsman: The whole NMH piece was seen in some circles as a ‘ffs give westlands some work’ agenda. Unfortunately, if NMH is going to be a REAL Puma replacement then a military helicopter should be purchased, not a Leonardo machine painted green.
SASLESS: More on my wavelength. It always gripped my sh1t that 84 did not have a proper capability for military tasks, being so close to the area of current interest. The UK has to deploy other assets on a regular basis, it should get a grip and buy a proper machine, rather than wait a week for odiham’s (now dilapidated and over committed) assets to rock up after strewing themselves across europe.
Myra- correct. March 03.