I wonder if anyone in MoD intends clarifying this continual claim that the SAR fleet is “ageing”. All the press reports use this term and I’m sure the public (if they even care) swallow it. In fact, the Mk3A fleet comprises some of the newest aircraft in the inventory. The programme only started in 1994. What was the ISD – about 1997?
Perhaps there are wider issues here. Other SKs date back to the late 60s (testament to their enduring nature) and it could be that the decision to replace the ASW, and now retire the SH and AEW fleets early, made the support costs of the remaining Mk3As (and slightly older Mk3s) prohibitively expensive. There are many components of aircraft support that are not volume related (something, if better understood in MoD, would have prevented many of their current aviation problems). But I may be crediting MoD with too much there – and I completely disagree with the decision to slash the MoD’s in-house capability. Short sighted and absolutely barking.
MoD are very often ambushed on these issues. Many years ago in the mid-80s I was at the annual SAR policy meeting. Main topic – Combat SAR. Aircraft tail numbers for conversion allotted. Prime contractor selected. Place of conversion agreed. What cabs would be allotted to sustain capability during conversion , and so on. All good stuff.
Then a beancounter walked in and set up flipchart. The chair (an Air Cdre) was clearly taken by surprise. BC announced that the aircraft had enough fuel to fly 400 miles; 200 out, 200 back. (He didn’t know we had both Wessex and Sea King). He flipped over a map which had 200 mile circles around each SAR station in the UK. (It was clearly borrowed from the Met Office – the Orkney and Shetland Isles were in their box off the NE coast of England). He simply said – Where there is overlap, a station must close. To a man, all 20 or so present shouted “time on task”, but he was gone. Word came down that “higher ups” had been given the heads up, but hadn’t bothered making a counter argument; they thought the Treasury were flying a kite. You may recall subsequent closures. You allow them to slice away and eventually what remains is too thin, so they ditch the capability altogether.
I’m afraid that is the level of their thinking, although I may be crediting them with too much.