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.
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It is true that milSAR have set the bar very high but that is 30% capability and 70% ethos. 'Per ardua ad astra' and 'Si vis pacem, para bellum' writ large and bright in a way that puts defence of the people of the UK into its widest possible context.
Let's remember that none of the flights that were operating up to 31st March 2015 from any of the four providers had the capability to comply with the demanding technical specification of this new contract. Any delays and temporary short-comings should be viewed in that context.
We should also remember that the DBIS, DfT, AW and the CAA have a share of the responsibility for where we are now.
La oss gå flyr.
