I believe that only one force in southern Wales has not 'signed up' to NPAS.
I suspect that the Helicopter Life statement actually meant 'joined.'
There are several still outside NPAS - it has passed them by for a number of reasons - including complexity.
NPAS was pretty much invented in a northern office of an ACPO ranking person [who is unlikely therefore not to sign his current force to the club] without full appreciation of the complexities created by 30 odd police air units each with their own idea of how to run a police air unit, each with their own contracts and HR departments to sign up the aircraft, maintenance, crew provision and real estate.
Worst case there might have been 100 different models to squeeze into one common set up....... even so it was probably dozens of complex negotiations.
And of course the PLAN was announced from a southern office of a different ACPO ranking person who equally had no real appreciation of the many differences various ACPO ranks had created with their toys so what is emerging is a menu of things which fall outside the desk top plan. Basing at fogbound airfields went by the board for a start.....
Not a job I would relish.
And as for moving the base from Shoreham [to Dunsfold then Redhill] surely you cannot be serious that a 'good' base for any of these terrestrial resources should be on a beach where 50% of your radius of action is water! [buit I am not saying Redhill is good]