Let's remember that nobody has done this before. Not the customer, not the contractor and not the regulator. This is helicopter SAR in hostile terrain with a full and challenging specification which as you well know is not simple, not cheap and not easy.
Jim, let's check the veracity of that statement - the milsar HAS been doing this for many, many years and set the bar very high in terms of capability - this is what the process of contractorisation had to emulate or exceed, it was quite clear what needed to be achieved and when, all parties signed up to it and a lot of money is involved.
As to the service up North so far - as you have said several times - it doesn't really get dark in Scotland in summer so it is not really a fair comparison.