Airwave is actually the way forward and SARH flts will need to accept that technology because it is common to ALL the other emergency services and allows you to talk to the POLsA for a search or the paramedic on scene for actual medical updates on the casualty.
Agree with you on that one. Airwave is defiantly the way forward and opens up a few possibilities for SAR.
Well having spoken to the ARCC, they themselves agree that HF is a "dying art". The coastguard no longer listen out on 2182 anymore.
As far as I am aware the only helos in the UK that receive tasking's over HF is the mil ones. Yes the Bond helos and foreign sar helos are equipped but they are not tasked over HF.
I have never know a problem tasking a MCA helo over vhf.