LT Fulbar
I would love to give an answer to your question as I personally feel if a medium size aircraft is required it should at minimum have the cabin space of a the old Wessex. The AW 139’s cabin space is a challenge at best and if the auxiliary tank has to be in fitted, in my view completely unsuitable for UK SAR.
It would appear the MCA have been blinged by the shiny new aircraft and they are being put into service without adequate evaluation. The S92 may well prove a good choice; it is unlikely that the AW139 will.
Yes, this is an interim contract and it would have made more sense to have continued with upgraded S61’s, even if that was to be with a different operator, I believe both the main contenders offered that choice. This would have given the SAR H team and future bidders longer to source and evaluate the best aircraft to see us safely into the future.