The front page of the Mail on Sunday (no link unfortunately) carries the story that the SAR force is to be privatised, with Bristow among the companies likely to be in the frame for the contract.
One of the reasons is the fact that Sea Kings are getting old and knackered, and that the Merlin is not up to the job.
Now I understood that SAR was established with the primary purpase of military search-and-rescue, and that civilian rescues provided both invaluable training and a humanitarian duty.
So, if this rationale is turned on its head, what about CSAR in future conflicts? Will this be written into the contract?
