I believe the SAR privatisation is known as the SAR(H) programme in procurement (or is it acquisition?) circles.
I am also fairly sure it is a PFI programme. The outcome of other PFI programmes, speaking from personal experience, does not bode well so I would put money on post SAR privatisation coverage being worse. Unfortunately, the holes in these projects only usually appear once it is too late.
Of course the establishment will have nothing but praise for privatisation and there will be no hint of it being anything other than a complete success. To paraphrase a young lady from the 60s, 'Well, they would say that wouldn't they.'.
I stand to be corrected on all the above as my involvement with military procurement, and it was definitely 'procurement' then, ended a few years ago. Also, I was not directly involved with SABR(SAR)/SAR(H) but close enough to pick up on the concerns of some of those involved.
HAL
