I thought they were looking for a civil platform solution, isn’t the AW149 a militarized AW139?
It doesn't work like that, it is up to bidders to provide the solution, whatever that may be. A civil servant on the IPT even stated at one meeting that "the solution doesn't have to be a helicopter". Raised eyebrows everywhere! As Geoffers says there is no perfect SAR helicopter, adapt, adopt, improvise is the name of the game. What is really needed, I think, is a Sea King size replacement, High Cabin NH90 anyone?
