Soteria announces S92 solution for SAR-H
Soteria, the team bidding for the harmonised UK search and rescue helicopter (SAR-H) contract, has announced the Sikorsky S92 as its preferred choice of aircraft for the new service.
The Soteria Consortium – comprising CHC Helicopter Corporation, Thales UK and the Royal Bank of Scotland – says the aircraft is already proven in the SAR environment and represents an effective, reliable, value-for-money proposition.
Soteria is taking part in the competitive process led by the Ministry of Defence and Department of Transport to create a single SAR helicopter entity to succeed the existing service, provided across a number of organisations.
David Rae, Soteria Bid Director, says: “We are absolutely confident that the S92 is the right aircraft for this new era in UK SAR services. Specifically configured for SAR operations, it has already established an excellent track record and possesses the power, speed and technological capabilities to deliver SAR services in the most testing of conditions.
“As a platform it is safe, robust and dependable. It is versatile and well suited to performing tasks across the full spectrum of SAR activity.
“The Soteria team brings together partners who offer diverse yet complementary skills and experience to deliver an innovative, value-for-money solution, and we believe the S92 is the right choice of airframe to meet the demands of SAR-H in the long term.
“We have been determined throughout to create an offering that meets the very specific challenges of a service to be provided from multiple bases for the 25-year plus lifespan of the contract, and the S92 is absolutely pivotal to that offering.”
CHC already has significant direct experience of operating SAR S92s in the UK, deploying them from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) bases at Stornoway and Shetland as part of its interim contract with the agency. The S92 has proved extremely successful in the most challenging environment that the UK has to offer and it has been repeatedly tested in response to a diverse range of operational SAR missions – totalling over 300 to date - while maintaining impressive aircraft availability levels in excess of 98%.
The S92 is a technology-led aircraft that represents the long-term future of UK SAR and Soteria is proud to have the aircraft at the heart of its bid.
AIRKNIGHT ADVANCES SAR-H SOLUTION BY SELECTING EUROCOPTER’S EC225
AirKnight, the teaming of Lockheed Martin UK, VT Group and British International Helicopters, is advancing its solution for the UK’s Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) programme through selection of one of the world’s most advanced and versatile helicopters, the Eurocopter EC225.
SAR-H is a joint Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) Private Finance Initiative project for the provision of a harmonised SAR helicopter service around the UK, and the Falkland Islands. Starting in 2012, SAR-H will see a new fleet of dedicated rescue helicopters that will provide a harmonised service for the UK for up to 30 years.
“The new SAR-H service must continue the legacy and outstanding reputation the current service has established. AirKnight will offer a low risk, responsive SAR service that the UK public can depend on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Tom Gordon, AirKnight bid director. “Lockheed Martin and VT is a proven partnership with the right combination of skills and experience to deliver a comprehensive SAR service and the financial stability to deliver this PFI programme.”
Lockheed Martin and VT are recognised as leading providers of critical services to Government customers ranging from emergency services to air traffic control, and have a proven track record of successfully managing risk and delivering high availability on capability -based contracts in demanding environments. Through the Ascent joint venture, Lockheed Martin and VT are working together to deliver the UK’s Military Flying Training System programme. British International Helicopters has extensive helicopter experience in the challenging Falkland Islands environment.
“To complement our robust service offering, AirKnight has selected the EC225 helicopter, which is performing SAR operations today in some of the harshest maritime environments with unmatched mission and cost effectiveness,” adds Tom Gordon. “It has an outstanding safety and service record, was initially designed for the demands of search and rescue missions, and is extremely reliable.”
The EC225 is the latest member in the long-serving Super Puma family of helicopters which have flown in excess of 4,000,000+ operational hours. Well suited for SAR, the EC225 can carry 12 or more casualties, fly for more than 500 miles unrefuelled and has a door each side to ease casualty recovery. Coupled with a unique 4-axis automatic flight control system specifically designed for helicopters and SAR, the EC225 has been selected for SAR and Coastguard applications in countries including Japan, China, South Korea and Norway.
“AirKnight’s heritage, coupled with the EC225’s performance, is an incredibly strong base for SAR-H,” said Tom Gordon. “The strength of this team will guarantee the successful delivery over the full life of the programme.”