XV235 MAYDAY Call
Nigegilb,
Ref your 1791, regarding the 'utter silence' in response to XV235's MAYDAY call; from where the incident occurred, they were LOS to 2 TAC Air C2 units (at Kandahar and Camp Bastion) and to the KAF ATC, all of whom constantly monitor UHF/VHF GUARD.
Rudekid suggested that 'with all the box switching that occurs, I wouldn't rule out a switch pigs either...'. While I'm not at all familiar with an MR2's cockpit/radio layout, it does seem unusual that all three ground units would fail to respond if a MAYDAY was transmitted on GUARD. Additionally, other aircraft operating in the area could/should/would also have heard and been able to acknowledge/respond.
This is not an attempt to undermine your push for TCAS, but a possible clarification for one of the elements of the XV235 puzzle.
SkippedOnce