What's the alternative - Round 2 - Put Your Money Where Your mouth is Time
Ok good contributions from those since I last posed the question.
Fair point Hilife and Tiger 16 Chinook is not medium so not in the arguement, but will have to be in the mix so 20 Chinooks it is then. Given to the RAF should they be marinised?
MDG I didn't mention NH90 because all I hear is bad press, performance specs not met deliveries late and customers not happy. Looks as if its not a runner from a timeline standpoint. Pity since it is new and presumably with many years till OOS if it could only meet performance requirements. Would like to hear more from any NH90 operators to balance this.
We have Merlin and although as I said before it seems to have a bad press (and I don't know why) except those who fly it, more than half the problem seems to be cost. Again comment from a user would be useful. So not wanting to waste an asset or spend funds on LEPs or mid life updates, here's the radical bit, give all the Merlins to the FAA as SK4 replacements making the FAA an All Merlin operator (less Lynx more on this later bear with me).
Now we have to find a Puma/Merlin replacement for the RAF in the Medium category. We have discounted Cougar and S-92, or rather no one has spoken up for them. This leaves Blackhawk, old but then so is Apache, Puma or SK. Given the latest glass cockpits etc and RTM 322s is it up for the job? Lets have somewhere between 40 and 60.
Lets bin Wildcat for the AAC and have A149 I think its worth the risk and will certainly cost less and prove more adaptable in the long run. This leaves a problem with SCMR. I thought the back end of all new ships were Merlin sized so why do we need SCMR when Merlin ASW could do the job. (We need some RN/FAA balance here to help with this bit)
Lets also develop some b***s and hold suppliers feet to the fire! In the SOR we state we want the heli to move this much stuff (men or materiel) to this height at this OAT and DA and have this much endurance. If your offering cannot meet this then either withdraw or promise a fix in a short time AND you pay for the short fall in lift (additional aircraft) to meet the requirement. Let's remember that when our shiny new product fails to meet the SOR that puff of dust on the horizon is the marketing man who made you a lot of promises.
So no prizes for guessing my background, Army pilot with expirience of Operational Requirements and operations including hot and sandy places, but now watching on the sidelines during interesting times and hoping you rotary guys get the tools to do the job.
Lets have your views and help to finnesse this new fleet.
LB