S92
EC175
and AW189
Let the games begin.
As a result of painful lessons learnt by both the MCA and SAR-H IPT during the early years’ of Interim SAR, I’d suggest the DfT will be very risk averse to new platforms and OEM promises, what with unproven capabilities, performance and availability, not to mention certification issues. As such, selection of a currently uncertified and unproven helicopter for UKSAR would require a huge leap of faith by the DfT and Ministers alike.
“Hope is a good breakfast, but a bad supper.” - Francis Bacon
For the follow on contracts to the DfT’s current UKSAR competition, I see credible options for both categories being vastly different, but for now, I personally don’t see any realistic competition to the current platforms. The question is who, not what?
But then again, what do I know?