A capable maritime helicopter means that the vehicle and its mission systems must be able to fulfil the roles assigned it by the government. This further means that the helicopter must be able to operate from our Navy's eighteen aviation capable ships, that it must have the range and endurance to do its jobs at sea, and that it must have a cabin large enough to accommodate mis-sion systems and stores, the tactical crew, and other requirements such as search and rescue survivors or medical evacuation patients. So, basic requirements still call for a capable helicopter large enough to do the job, fitted with modern navigation and communica-tion systems, and probably a proper search radar. After those basic requirements are met, then other mission systems must be added to fulfil the assigned roles. Before looking at roles and mission systems, it is important to understand what is embraced in the government's other stated requirement - a robust maritime helicopter.
Reliability is crucial.
It should be clear that just any helicopter will not do, no matter how cheap to purchase. The Sea King was required to fulfil other roles such as surface surveillance, fleet utility tasks, and clandestine operations, but the greatest challenge and hence the need for greatest attention was on maintaining its ASW capability. And yes, since the end of the Cold War the emphasis on ASW has been re-duced because of the demands of other high priority missions. But, the need for a ship-borne helicopter to be involved in the defence of its own ship and those it is tasked to protect from a submarine threat is still very much a reality that must be faced. So, those who say that we should be able to get by with a less demanding helicopter program today than was required ten years ago may be in for a rude awakening.