In answer to my critics today I thought I would spell it out what is covering the loss of Nimrod:
Civvy Assets
AgustaWestland AW 139 x3 Search & Rescue CHC
Britten-Norman BN-2A-26 Islander x1 Surveillance AAT
Cessna 404 Titan II x1 Pollution Patrol AAT
Cessna F406 Caravan II x1/1 Pollution Patrol/Spraying AAT
Lockheed L-188 Electra x2 Pollution Spraying AAT
Sikorsky S-92 x4 Search & Rescue CHC
Dornier 228 x2 DEFRA/Cobham :speed ~170kts and ~800nm range
BN Islander x2 DEFRA/Cobham :speed ~140kts and ~600nm range
Cessna F406 x2 DEFRA/Direct Flight :speed ~200kts and ~800nm range
RNLI various
Mil Assets
Royal Navy
Lynx HMA8 flies from Type 23, 42 and 45 :speed ~160kts and ~320nm range (no SONAR capability)
Merlin HM1 flies from Type 23 and Type 45:speed ~150kts and ~450nm range
Sea King HAS6 flies from the Assault Ships ILLUSTRIOUS, OCEAN, ALBION and BULWARK :speed ~120kts and ~400nm range
Type 23 speed ~28kts and ~7,000nm range
Type 42 speed ~30kts and ~4,000nm range
Type 45 speed ~30kts and ~7,000nm range
Assault Ships speed ~25kts and ~5,000nm range
Royal Air Force
C-130 Hercules with a 12-man dinghy :speed ~300kts TAS and ~2,200nm range
Chinook HC2 :speed ~150kts and range ~320nm range
Sea King HAR3 :speed ~120kts and ~320nm range
So now that the Maritime "Top Trumps" lesson is over, there are lots of possibilities. Firstly, inside territorial waters the survivors would probably be swamped with assets! However, I agree that at 300nm range it might be a bit more tricky, but the following could work:
1. ARCC get a SARSAT hit from ship/survivors in distress (a few minutes).
2. Direct any air asset to search area (DEFRA/Coastguard, QRA/TANSOR or others).
2. Launch National Standby Herc with a 12-man dinghy (would take an hour to arrive on scene plus standby time).
3. Direct DD/FF or helo-capable RFA to area and when in range launch Merlin HM1 (or Lynx?) to scene (3hrs steaming time is 90nm, then helo goes to area at 150kts and arrives 1hr 20mins later - don't forget that ship is steaming to area at 30kts so that increases the endurance of the helo on task).
4. Send the shore based helos to the DD/FF to pick up survivors when in range.
Yes, it's untidy, but at least we have some options. Furthermore, most vessels these days have decent liferafts and SARSAT capable beacons which makes the job easier.
For the other tasks that Nimrod recently undertook:
Overland Surveillance is covered with better assets (no need to use a noisy jet with a crew of 12 to support an unarmed MX-15 for less than 4 hours these days!).
FJ Trails are covered by other nations that have MPA, using Southern routes that are more survivable in a 1-man dinghy with decent SAR beacon (I wasn't ever that convinced what the Nimrod would do for me if I went for a swim mid-Atlantic anyway!).
Protecting the sub fleet. Well, I can remember countless days that there were no Nimrods available for this task when we had them in service. The Senior Service coped and I guess they are now. There are also other means at their disposal to help.
All said, I agree we should have a UK LRMPA, but we squandered our cash on a "white elephant" that never should have been ever considered; we, the military and the company that was trying to produce it only have ourselves to blame for that. Will their be a LRMPA in the future? I hope so, IF we can afford it without loss of capability elsewhere.
LJ