Skip to main content

Prince William search and rescue helicopter teams privatised as contract is handed to U.S. in £1.6bn deal


Rescue helicopter services such as those flown by Prince William, will now be operated by a private AMerican company
Sell-off: Rescue helicopter services, such as those
flown by Prince William, will now be operated by a
private American company
By BEN SPENCER and HUGO GYE

A U.S. firm was today handed the contract for Britain’s helicopter search and rescue operations.
The award of the £1.6billion contract to Texas-based Bristow Group marks the end of 70 years of search and rescue operations by the Royal Navy, the RAF and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

Armed forces pilots such as Prince William, who works at the RAF search and rescue base on Anglesey, will be replaced by civilian contractors over the next few years.

The deal, which runs from 2015 to 2026, will also mean the end of the much-loved Sea King helicopter, famous for its yellow RAF or red Navy coat.

As well as its emergency role, the Sea King was used in a combat capacity during the Falklands conflict. Bristow is planning to replace it with the faster Sikorsky S-92 and Somerset-built AgustaWestland 189.

The Government has been trying to offload the rescue operation in a time of cost-cutting at home and extensive military operations abroad.

The deal means a reduction from 12 to ten search and rescue bases, with an end to operations at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland and Portland coastguard centre in Dorset. The Government believes the ten surviving bases will be able to cover much larger areas with faster helicopters.

Mercy mission: Prince William leaves a Sea King helicopter, which will be replaced as part of the plans
Mercy mission: Prince William leaves a Sea King helicopter, which will be replaced as part of the plans

Bristow, the Texan firm that won the contract, will use the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, which it already uses to transport offshore oil workers
Bristow, the Texan firm that won the contract, will use the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, which it already uses to transport offshore oil workers in the UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MBINU ZA KUMFIKISHA MWANAMKE MWENYE MAKALIO MAKUBWA KILELENI KWA HARAKA

Kwa kawaida wanawake wanafikia kilele (mwisho wa utamu wa ngono) kati ya dakika ishirini na saa moja, yaani kwa kifupi inawachukua muda mrefu sana hali inayopelekea mpenzi mvivu kuchoka na ufanyaji wake utakuwa wa “ovyo” hali itakayo kufanya wewe kuishiwa na hamu ya kuendelea. Pamoja na kuchelewa huko ambako kunatokana na utofauti wetu kati ya mwanaume na mwanamke lakini nakumbuka hapo nyuma nilikutana na wanawake 2 waliokuwa ndani ya ndoa na wamezaa lakini hawajawahi kabisa kujua utamu wa tendo hilo alimaharufu kama “kufanya mapenzi”. Natambua kuwa ni ngumu au niseme si wanawake wote ambao wamejaaliwa kimaumbile kwamba wanafanikiwa kufika kileleni zaidi ya mara mbili kila wanapofanya mapenzi/ngono (kumbuka ni kati ya dakika 15 na saa moja hivyo Jibaba hapa awe na uwezo wa kujizuia kwa zaidi ya dk 45) na ikiwa jamaa ni “mzamiaji” basi unaweza ukaondoka na goli 3 ktk mzunguuko mmoja. Lakini kwa nini basi baadhi yao tu ndio wafike kileleni na wengine was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Uganda Police issue fresh terror alert

  By Chris Kiwawulo, The Police have issued a fresh terror alert against a possible attack on Uganda by four terrorists from Kazakhstan. Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba “We have received a security notification in form of an orange notice of four terrorists originating from Kazakhstan who are planning to travel to foreign countries in order to commit attacks and participate in hostile acts,” Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said in a statement on Monday. Nabakooba named the four active members of radical organizations as; Nassiruauly Kairat, Umurzakov Marat Eskendirovich, Kovtun Denis Valerevich and Mazhibayen Alimzhan Akhlazhanovich. By press time, a search on the international web has not yielded anything on the named persons.Last evening, police said that in collaboration with other security agencies vigilance has been stepped up to avert the terrorists’ evil plans. Police have in the past issu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mushikiwabo to UN: Enhance civilian protection

By Eugene Kwibuka Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to invest more energy in the prevention of conflicts for better protection of civilians living in conflict-torn areas. Rwanda’s Foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo Louise Mushikiwabo made the call during an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict which the UNSC held in New York on Tuesday. “Rwanda’s core message today is that enhancing the protection of civilians in armed conflict requires action before a conflict starts. The proliferation of non-state armed groups makes civilian protection both more urgent, and harder to achieve,” she said. For better protection of civilians in armed-conflict areas, the minister emphasised the need to increase investments in professionalising the military and police forces through adequate training. “Only when the leadership of armed forces shares the international...
Post a Comment
Read more