The writing is on the wall of Military SAR
It seems that the arguement of who should do SAR and who can do SAR in the UK is about to raise it's head again and no doubt however hard anybody tries on this thread to stop silly bickering, mindless chat will be posted. However, in a effort to make my opinion known whilst risking the senseless moaning and ill-informed 'chat' from both sides of the fence, I will put my tu'pence worth in now before it all goes mad.
The RAF have clearly stated that they must maintain a SAR capability, not for UK peacetime but for its deployed operations which are on the increase every year. Agreed that UK peacetime SAR is an ideal way to get 'experience' but is that experience really what is required for CSAR/TSAR operations? Well, 28 Sqn have just announced they have such a capability but when one examines what they can do, how much of it needs experience gained from the UK SAR arena? Not much I believe.
With that in mind, the RAF does not need 30 crews around the UK to support a small CSAR capability within 28 Sqn? The announcement in the aviation press this week states that the RAF and RN have successfully resisted plans for all peacetime SAR ops to be handed over to civilian operators. Surely the RAF is going to be hard pushed to maintain the justification now. This announceent is the clearest indication yet that things are going to change. The RAF and RN may still resist but if they give in to a civilian operation with some RAF and RN crews flying those civilian registered aircraft, they will still be able to maintain some of the required expertise and they will not have handed over [I]all[I] of the UK SAR.
Views that the system will probably go COMR I do not think will happen. The most important point of the article issued this week is the 'power by the hour' contract. I see this as the helicopters coming under the authority of an agency such as the MCA, but the MOD paying for the use of those helicopters when the military need arises. The aircraft would be civilian owned and operated but with RAF crews dotted around the bases - certainly not 30 crews however. The CAA believe military personnel flying G- aircraft is a feasible option. Likewise, if the equipment and training of the civilian crews matches that currently used by the RAF today, then the capabilities between now and then will not be any different.
The writing is on the wall. The AB twins who will be taking up the command of RAF Sqns within the next year will be the penultimate SAR Sqn Commanders I believe. A shame it will be, but the RAF and RN have done their job extremely well in a time when them military control of SAR was right. Times have changed and now so, I believe, will UK SAR.
There will be no drop in the service provided. I see many of the current crews moving across to civvy street, to pick up their pensions and a much bigger pay cheque. No detachments, no secondary duties. Just a different coloured flying suit.
CHC's 5 year contarct will be carried out using AB139s and S92s. This is the way SAR needs to go and unless the military divulge much of the control of SAR, then we are not going to see the much needed platform replacement so desperately needed now that the Sea Kings have been on their last legs for years now.
Now let the replies flow............