TeetHead,
A few thoughts;
I would have thought COMR is not that irksome if you get the contract right first off, especially if the Operator is the CAA Type Licenced Eng Authority, this can help smooth mil type mods ( guns, DAS et al) with the CAA. If the type, say 212 or 412 has a mil desiganted equiv..e.g. UH1N, mods could be incorporated through the design authority and the aircraft returned to the civil register with minor hassle. The amount of dosh required to re-civilianise said machine can be agreed by operator and MOD in the initial contract. The opo will of course sting you £££s if you want to add bits later!
On operations (ie NI), the market worth of the airframe, on a sliding depreciating scale, say monthly, is agreed with the MOD and should it deploy to war and get trashed during the term of the contract, MOD coughs up said wadge. From a mate in DHSA I believe this is how the AAC got their COMR 212s to East Timor etc, etc from Brunei.
As for thoughts on 412 to NI...got to be the way ahead. Wessi now in medium pres, Puma passed its sell by date years ago-cracks all over, next most expensive machine to operate next to the wokka, Merlin waiting for MARs and to big for most SF bases
A bit of a capability gap emerging I would say.
Wait for SABR? That could end up somewhere bewteen Chinny
and Merlin...still to big!
412 just about right size, speed, capability, in use type in Cyprus, SARTU, Shawbury. If NIPF come on board to offset costs for a couple and the Army purchase extra to offset BLUH in the
battlefield support role..could be a runner! Indeed, the AAC could take over our setup in the emerald toilet..presto, back to Benson, Odiham and Aiya napa!!! Get those Bell Textron shares brought NOW
