MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bristow Helicopters takes over UK search and rescue service from RAF and RN

The Sea Kings used for multiple search and rescue operations have saved hundreds of lives

Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the signing of a £1.6 billion contract to provide the UK's search and rescue helicopter services. UK SAR is currently provided by RAF and Royal Navy personnel using Sea King helicopters from eight bases across the UK and through a civilian helicopter service under contract to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) from four bases.

The new service procured by the Department for Transport (DfT) will operate in a similar manner to the existing MCA contract and will run for 7-10 years. The contract will be managed by the MCA.

The service will operate a mixed fleet of 22 state-of-the-art helicopters from ten locations around the UK. Sikorsky S92 helicopters will continue to be based at the existing MCA bases at Stornoway and Sumburgh, and at new bases at Newquay, Caernarfon and Humberside airports and AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters will operate from Lee on Solent, Prestwick airport, and new bases at St Athan, Inverness and Manston airports.

All bases will be operational 24 hours a day. These base locations are strategically placed near areas with high SAR incident rates and will help ensure maximum operational coverage across the UK while reducing transit times to incidents.

Bristow Helicopters Ltd and the MOD have agreed to a ‘managed transition’ to enable Service Personnel who wish to continue to work in UK SAR to do so without risking the current military service provision. This process is entirely voluntary and available to all ranks of military personnel in SAR roles. Civilian personnel currently working for UK SAR will have the opportunity to work with Bristow Helicopters Ltd under the rules of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment).

The new UK SAR service will become operational during a phased transition in which the military SAR service will be drawn down. This will take place between spring 2015 and early 2016, and will enable current SAR Sea Kings to be retired from service. The MCA’s 4 bases will transition to the new service in 2017. By summer 2017 the new contractor will be fully operational at all 10 bases.

The bases from which the RAF and RN currently provide SAR are: RAF Boulmer; RAF Valley; RAF Lossiemouth; Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose and HMS Gannet at Prestwick. SAR also operates from Wattisham, Chivenor and Leconfield. All these bases have a wider military role and their future is not linked to this UK SAR announcement.