Nah... they will let it go on for much longer before they drop it - they've not wasted nearly enough money and effort on it yet!

Just another clear episode where everyone knew the solution - which would have meant genuine long-term UK jobs but hey ho!

I’m sorry Julie, but the first and foremost consideration should be capability. All other bidders have ways and means of providing long term British jobs. One of the competitors was offering British input into a 5000 strong fleet, oh and it was a battlefield helicopter not an oil rig helicopter painted black. Once again the user will ended up with less than he/she deserves.

My point exactly

They are advertising for Civi B1 and B2 engineers to support the replacements H145 in Brunei and Cyprus with periods in the U.K.
Call me old fashioned, but with dwindling RAF personnel, this is another slice of the pie disappearing at a time when we need to increase manning. You would think the current Puma manpower would be trained to do this.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/inte...e-been-chosen/

Training the current military Puma workforce up to civ licensing standards such that they could maintain the new 145s (to civilian regs) would be a big job and then they would all take their shiny new civvy licences and bu££er off.

I was looking to see if they are COMR aircraft but it’s not clear?

The simple answer is do what they do in the real world, bond them financially for the cost of the courses plus, and make it subject to extra time in service.
That way you are incentivising the position with a licence at the end of it, something that will reap rewards for them in their future careers and get a warm oversees tour to boot.

At over 14 times the "list price" for an EC-145, I hope the £122 million includes the aircraft as well as the contractor maintenance and profit margin.:)

Who maintained the 212s when they were around..?

LZ

Cobham

and before that, FBH. But I know at one point Bristow (the B in FBH) actually trained REME technicians to license and type rating level. Not sure how long that lasted.

My point being, it’s not a slice of the pie disappearing. It’s what was happening when FBH/Cobham looked after the 212s. Very much Status quo.

LZ

I believe the army 365N3's were similar. They were imported as civil aircraft and transferred to the military. I know one ex military engineer who came out with licence qualifications.

The bottom dollar for MOD is: If you buy and fly a Civvy aircraft then Civvy experience on that type “MAY” be useful in applying for a Civvy Licence - the same applies for a pilots’ FCL and an engineers’ Part 66. The same happens for people leaving the RAF’s big stuff like A330, C17 and A400. Until a year or so ago I was a B1.3 EC145 T/R engineer (though not through MOD). The thing about Cyprus & Brunei is that those and any foreign contracts can end tomorrow with the introduction of a new policy or type, so not as appealing as you think.

Excellent thread on the shambolic NMH program in 25 parts:

Talk to the Poles to learn how their aw149 project is going.
Firing rockets from 'toy town' launcher damaged the airframe,
Numerous 'non-conformities'/non-compliances
Costs escalating already and naff-all capability.
Polish colleague says that UK missed a bullet with the demise of NMH (gifted to AW).

No surprises in anything mentioned

I see Spain has just ordered H175

A bit surprised as it was stated here all was finished and successfull:
https://armyrecognition.com/news/aer...guided-rockets