Helisniper - don't forget that the both the SH and SAR elements should be provided by the Falklands Govt rather than the British taxpayer - sending more mil assets down there achieves little and costs the MoD more since the FI Govt only pays about 10% of the cost of the military presence down there.

Let's also remember that the Support helicopter provision has already been provided, admirably, by civilian operators for the best part of 30 years!

Sub contracting out the crewing of the new SAR /SH may give one of the bidders the competitive edge. It's not a new concept .

http://www.helioperations.co.uk/pdf/...anyProfile.pdf

Awarded?
 

A little bird tells me that there is news on the FI contract. Any one else heard anything? I'm hearing the new colour will be red, white and blue.

Predominantly red or predominantly blue? ;-)

P1

Hard to say these days, more white and blue. The colours have changed from the old days.

SAR
 

Red white & blue perhaps using surplus 139's from Portland & Lee-on-Solent ? Or did somebody suggest it has to be S92 ?

I would think very unlikely to be 139. If it is to be a common airframe for SAR/SH, the 139 is far too small.

Also very unlikely to be S92. The tender specs were written around S61/Sea King performance so anybody bidding S92 would be way way overpriced compared to other contenders.

I'd put my money on an older model Super Puma, or the enduring S61 herself. It's pretty hard to beat the 61 for the type of SH done in the FIs. She's just getting a bit slow and lacking in payload for the longer range SAR role.

In March 2016, the last of almost 110 Sea Kings will be mothballed (stand fast Mk7 and some 4's).
You'd think the prospective contractors for this project (BiH) might consider buying these at £250,000 a pop???

TC

I don't think you'd ever get those airframes onto the civvy register.

Surely an ideal use for the COMR concept? Previously only used with Civilian Type Certified aircraft (B212/412, AW139, SA365 etc), but I'm sure the MAA would have a mechanism to use military types on a COMR contract (some rules here: http://www.maa.mod.uk/linkedfiles/re...ies/ra1123.pdf)

SAR equpment
 

Inputshaft,

ok if it's surplus 332's you're after how about Bond's two SAR 332L2's G-REDO/P ?

Because they are still being used on the Jigsaw contract?

Bigger and better things are planned for those SAR aircraft.

As stated they are not surplus yet as they are still being used for Jigsaw.

Like more of the same, so not bigger? In any case, plans are one thing, actual contracts are very different! Although I suspect you are correct for all the wrong reasons regarding these machines!

How about the two Bristow SAR S-61 that are sitting Norwich are they not an option for the Falklands if Bristow has won it...?

On a slight tangent, one has heard that Bristow have secured the O&G support contract from the FI to start next year. Any info?

LZ

Falklands
 

LZ,

Yes, first machine reportedly being prepared at Aberdeen & Inputshaft it's a S92.

1helicopterppl

Are you confusing contracts?

I said (always accepting that I could be wrong) that the S92 is probably an overkill for what the MOD is hoping to spend on the SH/SAR contract.

But LZ was talking about Bristow winning the O&G contract. For that the S92 would make a lot of sense and I was told that is what the customer wanted all along. That contract also had a AWSAR element in its original form.

(That isn't necessarily as ridiculous as might seem. The offshore SAR contract needs range, high capacity for 19+2 survivors, but maritime only. The BFFI SAR cab is for 2 stretchered survivors only, wouldn't have to be ultra long range, but would require overland and NVG training. So a big enough difference to result in different requirements for type, equipment and training and stop the cheque writers in Aberdeen and MOD from ever talking)

Two totally different contracts.
.......or maybe not. Maybe O&G and MOD ( and FI Gov) did do the sensible thing and talked

A combined bid for the two contracts would reduce the SAR element, support and service costs for the O&G customer and maybe lower the SH/SAR costs sufficiently for MOD to have the aircraft that they really need for the BFFI contract ( yes 1helicopterppl...S92:) )

Falklands SAR
 

Inputshaft

I have no knowledge of the contract details but you clearly do so tvm for the interesting post.

What I do know is that a S92 is being prepared for SAR role in the Falklands & there will also be a second machine idc.