Hello SAR Blade,
the Merlins are working just fine now in Portugal, a/c available has gone way up, and we just participated in our first large scale international tactical exercise.
I understand we have a bit more range than you guys, although we don't have oil platforms to refuel.
Last year one of our Merlins flew non-stop from LPAZ (Azores) to our MOB (LPMT) non stop, roughly 770 miles, and we have had some rescues 350 miles offshore. We have also had some rescues in the Azores which sum up to a total of 1000 NM, with a mid-point refuel in a small island (LPFL).
Regarding SAR, we do all transitions to the hover with the AFCS, we take over just before entering the ship. Problems with the AFCS and flight controls have been sorted, although the a/c is very pitch sensitive.
The only thing I don't like is the winch position and the visibility from the front, in smaller vessels you have to descend to 40 ft or else you can't see the target (we hover at 60 ft as a rule).
It's a great SAR platform, and we are now discovering it is also a great tactical platform, I can only tell you good things about the Merlin in Portugal.
Best wishes!