RAF Valley - Homepage RAF Valley Links Welcome to RAF Valley Welcome to the RAF Valley website. Whether you are just visiting or being posted-in, I hope this site will give you an understanding of the key contribution this very busy Station makes to UK Defence and our local community. The mission of RAF Valley is clear: Training aircrew and saving lives. All the RAF’s future fast jet combat pilots pass through RAF Valley where they are trained on the Hawk T Mk 2 operated by IV(R) Sqn. This is their first experience of operating a high performance aircraft and once qualified, they are trained to employ the weapons system simulation to deliver the desired effects. From here the pilots graduate to the Tornado, Typhoon and the F35 Lightning II. RAF Valley also supports 202(R) Sqn, flying the Griffin, training aircrew for mountainous and maritime operations worldwide. In addition to RAF regular personnel, reserves and civil servants, RAF Valley achieves its task thanks to close working partnerships with a number of key contractors who provide the trained ground crews to service the aircraft and other support staff to enable our operations to be conducted in a safe and controlled environment.

As a consequence, the Station is a significant employer within the local community and our links with the people of Anglesey and North Wales have grown stronger with each year. To demonstrate this RAF Valley is honoured to exercise its Freedoms of Anglesey, Bangor and Llandudno regularly, as well as participating in many local events and charity fund-raisers. We were especially fortunate in 1993 when His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales became Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley. For those moving to the area, if you like the outdoors, there are few places that can compete with RAF Valley for opportunities to explore and enjoy. With Snowdonia on the doorstep and the outstanding watersports facilities along the coasts, there is always something to do. The Station has many clubs to enable participation in these activities and advice and equipment are readily available from the PEd staff in our outstanding modern gym. The Mountain Rescue Team is actively recruiting for new members and this gives another opportunity to get involved, out-and-about, and help the local community. There are many world-class sites of historic interest within an easy drive of Valley and families have plenty of options to keep kids occupied during weekends and holidays.

The Station has an excellent HIVE, which acts as a focal point for charities and other support organisations. They can provide information on Station childcare facilities and the local education arrangements and opportunities: I encourage you to contact them as soon as possible to ease your move to the Station. Life at Valley is exciting, busy and can be very rewarding. I encourage you to take advantage of the outstanding opportunities and facilities we have available to us and explore the local area as much as possible. Please do not hesitate to get involved with running a club or starting one if your particular hobby is not already represented. Welcome once again, I hope you enjoy your time at RAF Valley. Group Captain N A Tucker-Lowe DSO MA MCMI RAF Total safety day at RAF Valley 14 December 2016 Flying ceased at Valley for a day recently as many of the station's personnel gathered for the last Total Safety Day of 2016. The RAF Valley Charities Committee present a cheque to Crohns and Colitis UK 11 November 2016 The cheque was presented by Wing Commander Dave Melmoth on behalf of the RAF Valley Charities Committee to Holyhead Charity Queen Zoe-May Owen during a recent visit to RAF Valley.

RAF Valley - About us RAF Valley About us In this section you can find useful information about our Station, Squadrons, People and Role. RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales. We provide advanced pilot training using BAE Hawk T2 aircraft. No. 4 Flying Training School takes RAF and Royal Navy pilots from 1FTS at RAF Linton-on-Ouse and trains them to fly fast jets, prior to training on an Operational Conversion Unit. RAF Valley is also home to two Search and Rescue lodger units. 202(R) Sqn trains military rotary crews in SAR and mountain and maritime skills. The RAF Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) has it's headquaters at RAF Valley, as well as a team, providing first response to military and some civilian aircraft incidents and emergencies. RAF Valley has been at the forefront of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS). Ascent Flight Training – a joint venture between Lockhead Martin and Babcock – delivers Advanced Fast Jet Training with BAE Systems Hawk TMk2, with IV(R) Sqn RAF. RAF Mona, also on Anglesey, acts as a relief landing ground.

After the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff gave permission to have commercial flights from Valley, two daily flights take place between Valley and Cardiff International Airport. This forms part of an initiative to boost the economy of North West Wales. The project received £800,000 from the government in Cardiff towards building the civilian enclave on the RAF Valley site. Anglesey aviation - spotting guide RAF Valley Spotters Guide RAF Valley spotters information such as air base information, best photographic locations for each runway and radio frequencies. Please respect the countryside by taking your litter home with you, close gates behind you and make sure you do not trespass on to private properties. RAF Valley Viewing Information RAF Valley is located on the west side of the island of Anglesey between Valley and Rhosneigr. The base is the home of the following Squadrons and Units. IV squadron - Flying the BAe Hawk T.2 208 Squadron Flying the BAe Hawk T.1 RAF Search and Rescue (SARF) Flying the Westland Sea King HAR3 Search and Rescue Training Unit (SARTU) Flying the Griffin HT1 / AW139 Agusta RAF Hawk Display Team.

Flying the BAe Hawk T.1 (BAe Hawk T.2 from 2014) RAF Valley (Anglesey Airport) also has two daily commercial flights to Cardiff which is operated by AC Aviation Wales Ltd using a Jetstream 31. There are three runways at RAF Valley, two are used, one is disused Runway 13-31 (7513 x 151 feet 2290 x 46 meters) Runway 01-19 (5377 x 151 feet 1639 x 46 meters) Runway 08-26 (4200 x 151 feet 1280 x 46 meters) disused! RAF Valley Radio Frequencies. 278.000 UK Low level ICF Photography Guide Location-1 (Runway 19) This place location is by runway 19 and close to the RAF Valley main gate on the right just after the railway bridge. This location is good for taxi shots as well as take off and landing shots with plenty of parking spaces.

Location-2 (Runway 19) This place is located just after crash gate 2. This location is only good for landing shots when RWY 19 is in use. Limited parking spaces. Location-3 (Runway 13) This place is located near crash gate 3 at the RWY 13 threshold. This location is good for head on taxi shots as well as side on, also good for take off and landing shots when RWY 13 is in use. Plenty of parking spaces available. Important Information Do not park your vehicle in front of the crash gate 3 or any other crash gates for that matter, as access required at all times. Location-4 This place is located on a sand dune 200 yards from spot-3. Ideal for landing shots with sun behind when RWY 13 is in use. Limited parking spaces. Location-5 This place is located on the perimeter fence line along the sand dunes near Cymyran beach. This location is good for helicopter take offs and landings. A long walk is necessary. Location-6 This place is located on the perimeter fence line along the sand dunes at Rhosneigr.

This location is good for landing shots when RWY 31 is in use. A long walk is necessary. Location-7 This place is located at the end of RWY 31. This location is good for landing shots when RWY 31 is in use. No parking available. Location-8 This place is located at the end of the taxi route to RWY 31 threshold. This location is good for head on taxi shots as well as landing shots. No parking available. Location-9 This place is located behind spot-8 giving an elevated view of the taxi route. This location is good for head on taxi shots as well as landing shots. No parking available. Location-10 This place is located on a rock along side the taxi route. This location is good for side on taxi shots as well as take off and landing shots when both RWY 31 & RWY 13 is in use. No parking available. © 2013 angleseyaviation.com All contents are copyrighted to above and cannot be used without a written permission from the owners of this site.

Anglesey Airport, air link to Anglesey, North Wales Go here to read articles and contributions from other visitors There are two daily flights between Cardiff, capital of Wales, and Valley. But with an eye to future growth, the local council have agreed for there to be up to ten daily flights. This means that other exciting destinations will not be too long before being included. Already there is mention of flights to Dublin , Ireland and to Manchester. Planners reckon that up to 12,500 passengers will use the airport in the first year. And as the planes to be used will have less than 18 seats, there will be no air passenger duty. So if you are an international visitor planning to stop off at Cardiff Wales International Airport to see the Millennium Centre and other sites, or on a business trip to North Wales, you'll find the information you need here. Book your Holyhead car hire from the airport: Remember, if you need to get about the island by car then be sure to book your Holyhead car rental in good time. And have you thought about the possibility of flying to Andalucia or the Costa Calida in Spain? Well, now that may be possible.

Ticket prices are in the range £15 to £50 for a one-way journey, depending on how far in advance you book your ticket. Monday-Friday No service weekends or bank holidays Luggage limits for passengers is 15kg With the future development of air travel in Wales, there may be moves to link up Anglesey with other parts of the UK using seaplanes run by a Canadian company. Preparation of the new airport at Valley When I was visiting the airfield recently contractors from Yorkon were already starting work on the state-of-the-art civilian terminal, a project, designed by MAP Architects, worth an investment of over £800,000 ($1.4m). Interestingly, the building was built off-site and then placed on location as 10 steel-framed units. And next to the future passenger terminal is the railway line linking Holyhead to Chester and the rest of Britain. So now with the improving travel communications international visitors will find it easier to make a stop here on Anglesey. Anglesey Airport is more commonly known as RAF Valley, and for good reason. It is the busiest RAF station in the UK, and home to a fighter pilot's training school.

Valley aims to train our future fast jet combat pilots using mainly the Hawk TMk1 trainer fighter. Also at the station there is a Search and Rescue service, and when you visit the island you're likely to see the resident Sea King Helicopters flying over the coast. Nearby you will find the beautiful sandy beach at Cymyran, it's great on a warm summer day though you have to watch out for the tidal current. For nature lovers, particularly bird watchers, the nearby RSPB Wetlands Nature Reserve is worth a visit. After driving or cycling south through the village of Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn you will see the airfield ahead of you. The wetlands are signposted and on your left. Just a little further you cross over the "hump-back" bridge, under which the railroad runs, and your at the entrance to the new airport. Among the facilities available will be a car park for 60 vehicles, a visitor information centre and a search and security zone. Have A Great Story About Your Anglesey Cardiff Flight? With the airlink between Anglesey and Cardiff now in full flight, with more destinations a possibility, do you have a great story about this?

Perhaps you have flown to Cardiff for a short break or taken the Highland Airways flight from Cardiff to visit our island. Share it here! Enter Your Title Privatisation of UK's search-and-rescue helicopters raises safety and job fears | Politics | The Guardian Privatisation of UK's search-and-rescue helicopters raises safety and job fears RAF, navy and coastguard's search and rescue operations will be privatised under Department for Transport's £3bn contract Warrant Officer aircrewman Ian 'Zippy' Thompson is winched out of a Sea King helicopter over the Cornish coast. Is it scary? 'It can be,' he says, 'but it’s fun.' Photograph: Jim Wileman Thursday 31 January 2013 11.58 EST First published on Thursday 31 January 2013 11.58 EST Close This article is 3 years old With a smile and a thumbs-up, Warrant Officer aircrewman Ian "Zippy" Thompson spins out of a Sea King helicopter hovering high above a cargo ship that is lurching in the choppy seas off Lizard, mainland Britain's most southerly point.

The winchman avoids a whipping aerial and lands with a bit of a thump on the stern of the vessel (his colleagues later tease him that he left a dent in it). This is a practice rather than a real "shout", and after a meet and greet with the crew, Thompson is hauled back up, his grin as wide as that of the children's television favourite he is nicknamed after. A wave to the cargo ship and the helicopter banks away to find an even trickier spot off the Cornish coast for Zippy to winch down to. Is it scary? "It can be but it's fun," says Thompson. Why do it? "Simple: job satisfaction." The Royal Navy is celebrating its 60th year of search and rescue operations in the UK (the RAF marked its 70th anniversary last year). Both services have fantastic histories and are packed with great characters. But the days of their distinctive, and much loved, grey and navy helicopters, and the yellow RAF ones, are numbered.This spring the Department for Transport is due to award a 10-year £3bn contract to a private company or companies to run SAR services in the UK.

There is sadness in the Navy and RAF that from 2016 a service they are hugely proud of will go private. Among other groups involved in search and rescue there are concerns that a commercial operation will be different to the tried and tested military one, and that fundamental changes are being rushed through without consultation. While Thompson and the crew had a debrief at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Lieutenant Commander Stu Cantellow led the way to a hangar where mechanics were working on some of 771 Squadron's eight Sea Kings. These machines are one of the main reasons the government gives for privatising the service. The Sea Kings came into service in the early 70s and are due to be retired in March 2016. Cantellow said it was increasingly difficult to keep them in operation; for every hour in the air they need 30 hours of maintenance, and spares, particularly for the tail rotors, are harder to come by. To extend the life of the 18 Sea Kings in the eight military search and rescue bases for two years would cost £300m.

Commander Graham "Sharky" Finn, national head of Royal Navy search and rescue, said the Sea Kings came into service in the year he was born. "I've been told I'm an old fart so that must make the aircraft an old fart," he said. The government also says, following its experiences in Afghanistan, that the Ministry of Defence no longer believes it gains "operational advantage" from military personnel doing search and rescue work in the UK. "The reality is the military moves on," said Finn. "We're in a period of redefining the military, not just through defence cuts but redefining what it is we are delivering." Finn said the service had provided great publicity for the armed services. "It's a bit like seeing guardsmen in London or the Red Arrows," he said. "In the past it's been very good PR for the Royal Navy and the RAF." It certainly has been. The military search and rescue teams respond to about 2,000 callouts a year. Last year Culdrose was scrambled 249 times and helped rescue 235 people.

Shouts included the disastrous Fastnet yacht race of 1979 when 21 people died but more than 100 were rescued, and the Boscastle floods in 2004 when about 150 people were saved. Tales abound of lesser-known acts of bravery, such as that of Chief Petty Officer Dave Rigg who, after being winched down on to a Spanish ship 150 nautical miles off Land's End, stemmed the blood gushing out of a sailor cut by a flying metal cable by binding his wound with kitchen cling film before winching him up to a Sea King. Finn said the new services would be just as good: the helicopters better, the crews as professional. "You'd be doing a disservice to civilian pilots to suggest they wouldn't go as far as military pilots. The ethos is saving life. It's highly likely people here will be serving in the future capability." Many military jobs will be affected. At Culdrose, 771 Squadron has about 50 crew, including pilots, observers and winch people, as well as more than 100 engineers, military and civilian. It employs civil servants, logisticians and survival equipment specialists.

Search and rescue bases Photograph: Graphic At its sister base, HMS Gannet near Glasgow, there are about 27 Navy personnel and Royal Marines and another 75 civilians. The RAF's 22 and 202 squadrons are bigger with about 200 crew plus engineers and support staff. The navy and the RAF know they will lose skilled staff to whoever wins the contract. But both are bullish, saying their people who stay will find other jobs within helicopter fleets. Navy personnel are likely to be least affected as, for them, SAR is used as a short-term "respite" tour to give frontline crew time in the UK. RAF search and rescue has been more of a long-term career choice. But aircrew may be able to sign on to the support helicopter fleet – the Chinooks, Pumas and Merlins. An RAF spokesman said: "Decisions will be made based on the manpower requirements of the RAF at that time." The move towards privatisation has been troubled. Under the last Labour government the plan was for a privately run SAR service involving military and civilian crews. The private finance initiative process collapsed in February 2011 because of irregularities in the procurement deal.

In November 2011 the government announced another solution – a shorter contract for a private firm, or several, to replace the service provided by the navy and the RAF at eight bases and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), which runs SAR from four bases. The government said two SAR bases – RAF Boulmer in Northumberland and MCA Portland in Dorset – would be cut. It said faster, more modern, helicopters would provide the same or an improved service from 10 rather than 12 bases. It divided the service. Lot one is to be delivered in or near Sumburgh in Shetland, Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Valley on Anglesey (where Prince William is based), Leconfield in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Culdrose in Cornwall. Lot two will be near Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland, Prestwick, near Glasgow, Wattisham in Suffolk, Chivenor in Devon and Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire. Companies were invited to bid for one or both lots.

The contract does not specify the number or type of helicopter that must be provided but sets "key user requirements" (KURs) such as taking off within 15 minutes of "shouts" between 8am and 10pm each day and 45 minutes during the night, being able to reach "very high" or "high-risk" areas within 60 minutes of takeoff, and having its "capability" available for at least 98% of the time. The contractors will be paid monthly in arrears and will incur financial penalties if they fail to meet their KURs. The contract includes clauses that would be foreign to experienced military personnel – all crews are to have criminal record checks, for example, and the companies will have to inform the government of impending industrial action. Modelling done for the government has concluded that helicopters reach 70% of very high, high and medium risk areas within 30 minutes but this would rise to 85% under the new system. It says average flying time would decrease from 23 minutes to 19. Critics are not so sure. Concerns about the future service include the size and range of the helicopters.

The RAF's Sea Kings carry up to 17 passengers, the navy ones 10. Under the new contract, lot-one helicopters have to be able to take a minimum of eight survivors, and for lot-two it would be four. There is anxiety within the rescue community that reduced capacity may make it more difficult to suddenly get lots of people out of perilous situations – for example if a large ship were to sink, or a community, such as Boscastle, were hit by flooding. Range could also be an issue. The Sea Kings can go between 200 and 250 nautical miles without refuelling (which includes the ability to hover for 30 minutes at the site of the rescue). Lot-two helicopters – including those that will replace the naval base HMS Gannet at Prestwick, near Glasgow, which also covers Northern Ireland – are only required to have a range of 170 nautical miles. It is not surprising that Scottish volunteer rescue teams have strong opinions on the changes. Recently the Guardian joined a group training in the Cairngorms, working in sub-zero temperatures, with blizzards pushed by winds gusting to 75mph.

At more than 900 metres (3,000ft) above sea level, the weather changes sharply and suddenly for the worst: in minutes, as the team practised evacuating a fallen climber by stretcher, bright sunshine morphed into blizzard conditions. A heavy bank of snow obliterated contours. Visibility was cut to just metres. Despite the weather, the rescue team was convinced military helicopters would have tried to land. In these conditions, a helicopter's ability to swiftly reach hospital could mean life or death for an injured climber. The alternative is a slow, painstaking, walk through arctic conditions to reach a road: it could take 24 people to do that job, three teams of eight taking it in turns to carry the casualty. The volunteers expect the first generation of crew for the privatised service will be former military, highly experienced and knowledgeable. But they are concerned about the financial and commercial interests of their employers and the skills of personnel hired later on. They ask if crews will be stopped from taking risks with expensive aircraft, or wonder if firms will balk at the time needed for complex operations. Missing climber searches in Scotland's mountain regions can take several days.

They believe the military crews are trained to take risks, committed to tackling weather conditions and the dangerous gullies and corries that few commercial pilots would. One member of the team said he and his colleagues were "very, very, apprehensive" about privatisation. Helicopters are crucial in inhospitable areas. In 2011 Scotland's mountain rescue teams recovered nearly 700 climbers and walkers, of whom 52 died. In 34% of the 573 incidents, military and coastguard helicopters were used. They reach a vast area, operating all over the Scottish mainland and islands such as Skye, Arran and Mull. The RAF and navy crews also rescue downed military jets. Jonathan Hart, chair of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland , which oversees Scotland's 30 or so mountain rescue teams, was largely positive. More agile helicopters would be used, he said. But he had concerns about the quality and amount of live training with rescue teams that the winning firms would offer. Hart said: "It's not without its challenges but I need to be positive.

There are areas we'd want further clarification on: commitment to training, as we move from an MoD service to utilising a privatised service." More generally, there is also concern that under the new scheme helicopters could be required to do less. At present they support local ambulance services, helping with hospital transfers and medical evacuations from land. Between 2009-2011 the Portland helicopter, for example, did 148 such evacuations. The DfT has said it does not want SAR helicopters to carry out the duties of air ambulances but this has caused some concern among doctors. Ian Mew, clinical director for major trauma at Dorset county hospital, said: "The distinction between air ambulance, and search and rescue flights, can't be made as simply as [the government] would like to make out because the SAR helicopters will 'rescue' injured casualties from areas that air ambulances are unable to reach.

"Because of the coastline, the fact that many casualties in inaccessible areas need to be winched into the helicopter (air ambulances do not have winch facilities) and because the air ambulance will not attempt rescue at sea, search and rescue helicopters are required to undertake medical evacuation of sick or injured casualties from inaccessible coastal areas, and from boats and in the water." On the south coast, there is a campaign to save the coastguard-run base at Portland, where the Tory MP and former army officer Richard Drax claims that its loss might mean not meeting the 60-minute KUR. He said that if the helicopter at Lee-on-the-Solent were just 30 minutes east of its base, it would not be able to get to some areas covered by Portland within the stipulated time. The other nearest bases, Chivenor and Culdrose, would also struggle, even if their helicopters were at their bases and not on other tasks. The government has confirmed that modelling shows that from 2009-11 the average flying time for the Portland helicopter to an incident was 13 minutes. The modelled average response time under the new arrangements would have been 21 minutes. That sort of delay matters.

The length of time a person can survive in the sea around Britain depends on factors including marine conditions, clothing and fitness. Figures used in the planning of the new SAR service show that in rough and cold water as many as 75% of people die in the first 15 minutes. Those who survive this first phase may have another 15 minutes before they become so hypothermic they then die. This is a worry for the millions of commercial and leisure sailors who use the busy waters around Portland, not to mention the divers for whom a delay in reaching a recompression chamber, after the bends, could be disastrous. And it is not far-fetched to imagine that the Lee-on-the-Solent helicopter might be busy when something happens in the Portland patch. In 2011 the Lee and Portland helicopters had tasks at the same time on 28 occasions. Another argument is that the English channel is becoming busier. Drax said he had been told by those working within SAR that an extra five to eight people could die every year when Portland goes. The government is confident the new SAR will be an improvement.

It says Portland's work will be taken up by Lee-on-the-Solent, and if its helicopter is busy, Chivenor or Culdrose. It accepts it cannot anticipate what could be needed in the future but is "confident, based on historic incident data, that the future service will provide a comprehensive level of SAR cover". On capacity the government says that of the 8,344 rescues between January 2008 and June 2011, only 130 rescued more than three people and 16 more than 10. "In the event of large-scale incidents, the contractor may field additional aircraft as required." And it points out that the lot-one service will still reach out to a maximum of 250 nautical miles. Two companies are competing for the contracts, Bristow and Bond . Bristow provided the UK coastguard's SAR service for 25 years, completing more than 11,500 missions and rescuing nearly 7,000 people. It lost the contract to another operator, CHC, but from July will take over coastguard SAR, again in the north of Scotland.

Bond has been providing SAR since 2006, flying more than 790 hours and completing almost 300 tasks. It operates the SAR service for BP in the North Sea. CHC, which has the civilian contract to provide SAR from the four coastguard bases, also tendered, but has been told its bid is not successful. It said it had been told that one rival bid was 20% lower than its offer. That may be worrying to sceptics about the commercialisation of the service but those within SAR point out that winning the contract will be great PR for the company and open the door for contracts around the world so the other two will be keen to put in the most competitive bids they can. It is not known exactly how much the service costs because it is hard to separate the Sea King's SAR duties from their other work. But in the last financial year the coastguard spent about £30m on SAR. There will be a handover period when the military and the new civilian service work together but by 1 January 2016 all the military SAR services will have ended. Ian "Zippy" Thompson is retiring from the navy after 33 years (31 of them flying).

771 Squadron is to be decommissioned. The Sea Kings will be sold off. Some may be bought by governments who think there may yet be a bit of life in them; some may be snapped up by private companies; others may be stripped down and used as attractions. And the comforting clatter of the Sea King's blades, so familiar to British seaside visitors for 40 years, will be heard no more.

Charity admits total bill has soared to £8.1m from initial £3.5m estimate, as local people criticise decision to remove Poole all-weather lifeboat Published: 12 Jan 2017 Capt Liz Forsyth insists private company Bristow will carry on ethos of RAF and Royal Navy service being phased out across the UK Published: 30 Mar 2015 Bristow Group to take over UK search and rescue from RAF - BBC News BBC News Bristow Group to take over UK search and rescue from RAF 26 March 2013 Close share panel Image caption Bristow has been awarded a contract to operate helicopters in Shetland and the Western Isles A private company will take over the UK's helicopter search and rescue operations, the Department for Transport has announced. The Bristow Group has won a 10-year contract to run the service from 2015. The £1.6bn deal ends 70 years of search and rescue from the RAF and Royal Navy. Bristow will replace ageing RAF and Royal Navy Sea King helicopters with modern Sikorsky S-92s and AgustaWestland 189s.

Under the new contract, 22 helicopters will operate from 10 locations around the UK. Ten S-92s will be based, two per site, at Stornoway and Sumburgh, and at new bases at Newquay, Caernarfon and Humberside airports. Ten AW189s will operate, two per site, from Lee-on-the-Solent and a new hangar at Prestwick airport, and new bases which will be established at St Athan, Inverness and Manston airports. All bases will be operational 24 hours a day, and half of the new fleet will be built in Yeovil, Somerset. The new deal will also see Bristow take over some of the civilian search and rescue (SAR) bases currently run by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. SAR base changes Manston The new service run by Bristow will be fully rolled out by summer 2017. RAF and Royal Navy Personnel currently involved in search and rescue could be transferred to other jobs in the military when Bristow take over, said BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale.

However, under a programme of "managed transition" military pilots and crew will be able to apply to leave their service and take a job, if offered, with the private contractor. The changes are not expected to directly impact the Duke of Cambridge who is due to come to the end of his tour as a search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley later this spring. The MOD would not comment on how specific individuals will be redeployed. 'Great confidence' The Department for Transport began the procurement process in November 2011 for providing SAR helicopter services on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. A previous plan to privatise the service, originally launched by the previous Labour government, had stalled earlier that year . It wanted an all-weather SAR helicopter service able to operate throughout the UK, including mountainous terrain and at sea. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "Our search and rescue helicopter service plays a crucial role, saving lives and providing assistance to people in distress on both land and on sea.

Media captionAnalyst Howard Wheeldon: A lot of people's lives are at risk here "With 24 years of experience providing search and rescue helicopter services in the UK, the public can have great confidence in Bristow and their ability to deliver a first class service with state-of-the-art helicopters." The government says the new deal means helicopters "will be able reach a larger area of the UK search and rescue region within one hour of take off than is currently possible". It also estimates, based on historic data, that there will be an overall improvement in flying times to incidents of around 20% - from 23 to 19 minutes. Doubts expressed But defence analyst Howard Wheeldon said the RAF and Navy had provided a fantastic service over so many years and most search and rescue services around the world remain in the hands of government or military. He said: "Going to a PFI, which this essentially is, brings a lot of dangers. Callouts have gone up 40% since 2005, this is a big operation, a lot of people's lives are at risk here.

"Will the private sector operation take on the same sort of risks that the RAF, the Royal Navy and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency do, on the same scale? I rather doubt that they will. "We've got to look at this in a wider context, are we doing the right thing in putting this in private hands, where there's a profit motive as opposed to 'let's get on and do the job' - and the military have been absolutely fantastic." And Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said he was "deeply concerned" that the privatisation may cost lives and risk workers' lives. Bristow's says its helicopters and pilots have already rescued more than 7,000 people in the UK. It also operates in the Netherlands, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Russia, Brazil and Canada. It said its "technologically advanced" helicopters would be operated by experienced crews with "world-class" skills. It expects to create about 350 jobs to support the contract.

Gwynedd sea and air rescue operation launched - for a beach party - Daily Post Gwynedd sea and air rescue operation launched - for a beach party Reports of screaming people stranded in the sea turned out to a rowdy party on the waterfront Share The RAF Valley Sea King helicopter was called out to the Menai Strait over reports of screaming people stranded in the sea (Photo: Sian Gwenllian) Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email A sea and air rescue operation was launched last night following reports of screaming people stranded in the sea – only for it to turn out to be a rowdy beach party. The RAF Valley Sea King helicopter, Beaumaris inshore lifeboat and Bangor coastguard were all sent out to the Menai Strait near Felinheli at 7.34pm. What were thought to be cries for help turned out to be screams from a group of young people partying on the beach front. Holyhead Coastguard, who were alerted to the incident by a member of the public, did not believe the call was made with “malicious intent” but a genuine fear that there were people stranded in the water.

The RAF Valley Sea King helicopter was called out to the Menai Strait over reports of screaming people stranded in the sea (Photo: Sian Gwenllian) A spokesman said: “We received a report of a possible child or people in the water. The Beaumaris inshore lifeboat, Bangor coastguard and Sea King from Valley were tasked but they found nothing untoward. “There was a big party on the beach front and the screaming is probably what was believed to be a call for help. The party was moved away from the beach front. area. “It turned out to be a false call but is not considered to be malicious intent. The Sea King was sent out because it was getting dark and they have a thermal imaging camera.” Like us on Facebook Keep reading for the whole story with recent events put in context UK Sea King SAR (click to view full) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) provide a 24-hour military and civil helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) service for the UK and local regions from 12 bases, typically at 15 minutes notice.

A wide range of air and naval assets could be pressed into use in emergencies, but the core of Britain’s SAR services are provided by a combination of about 40 Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Mk.5 Sea Kings, and by a handful of civilian helicopters under contract to the MCA. These machines must cover 11,000 km of coastline, and 3.6 million square km of ocean. There has been a global trend toward public-private partnerships to perform some Coast Guard and SAR functions, including Australia’s billion-dollar Coastwatch program . Now Great Britain is jumping into the fray with a related approach. Advertisement Britain’s Helicopter Search and Rescue: SAR-H and Beyond The Current Fleet UKMCA/CHC S-92 (click to view full) Britain’s Mk 5 Sea Kings are 40-50 years old. They’ve been upgraded several times, and the Sea King is renowned for its extreme stability and precision. To demonstrate, a TV show once had a SAR rescuer lowered down to a man holding a champagne glass in place, whereupon the rescuer successfully poured a glass of champagne while the Sea King hovered.

Nothing lasts forever, though, and Britain’s entire Sea King fleet is set to retire by 2016. The Royal Air Force currently operates 6 of Britain’s 12 search and rescue bases (Chivenor, Wattisham, Valley, Boulmer, Leconfield and Lossiemouth), and the Royal Navy operates 2 more (771 Sqn at Culdrose and HMS Gannet at Prestwick). All use Sea Kings. The year 2005 saw 441 callouts, and 370 people rescued via the Royal Navy’s SAR groups alone . Those figures aren’t unusual. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) runs the remaining 4 bases (Lee-on Solent and Portland in the south, Sumburgh and Stornoway in the north), where Canadian-based CHC Helicopters began operating in July 2007 under a 5-year contract worth GBP 20 million per year. CHC’s AW139s will continue operating in the south until SAR-H is fielded, but CHC’s S-92s in the north will be replaced by Bristow Helicopter Ltd.

S-92s as of mid-2013. SAR-H UKMCA/CHC AW139 (click to view full) In line with its extensive public/private partnering background and penchant for long term deals, The UK’s Ministry of Defence and Department for Transport initially envisioned the Joint Search and Rescue – Helicopter (SAR-H) Project as a GBP 1 billion ($1.89 billion at current conversion) joint MOD/MCA Private Finance Initiative competition in cooperation with the MCA, though some reports placed its value as high as GBP 6 billion. Faced with these recapitalization costs, the decision to examine a public/ private partnership approach is understandable. A joint MCA and MOD Integrated Project Team (SAR-H IPT) based at DPA Abbey Wood, was charged with implementing it, even as the UK government began a debate about the proper role of the rescue services. Including the hot topic of whether they should be given a direct role to help deal with inland emergencies, when rescue workers need rapid access. Issues were sorted, and by February 2009, the UK MoD had a preferred bidder, with a preferred helicopter.

Before Sikorsky’s S-92 could become Britain’s future SAR mainstay out to 2037, however, the incoming coalition government suspended the program in June 2010, pending review. Then, a bombshell struck, as the winning bidder reported that it had discovered a conflict of interest within its team. SAR-H was canceled in February 2011. The idea was reborn at the end of November 2011, as a 10-year service contract open to competition from across Europe, and beyond. This would be a fully privatized service, similar to that run by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), who will now run SAR-H. SAR-H: The Solution SAR Map (click to view full) Under the winning bid, a fleet of 4 Bristow S-92 helicopters will continue to fly from existing MCA bases at Stornoway and Sumburgh in northern Scotland, where they’re already serving as the gap-filler service. Bristow will round out coverage by adding 6 new S-92 helicopters at facilities around the UK: Newquay, Caernarfon and Humberside airports.

The S-92 can carry its crew of 4, plus 3 stretchers and up to 10 passengers, to an operational radius beyond 250 nautical miles. A fleet of 10 smaller AgustaWestland AW189 twin-engine helicopters will operate from Lee on Solent and Prestwick airport, and from new bases at St Athan, Inverness and Manston airports. The AW189 can carry its crew of 4, plus 2 stretchers and up to 6 passengers, to an operational radius beyond 200 nautical miles. It’s a new type, and will be assembled for the global market at AgustaWestland’s factory in Yeovil, Somerset. Each base will host 2 SAR helicopters, which will be on-call at all times, and are expected to be fully serviceable. No machine has a 100% readiness record, but Bristow will manage those details per the contract. The fleets described above seem to presume 1 spare helicopter of each type as the gap-filler, given a declared Bristow fleet of 22. These base locations are strategically placed near areas with high SAR incident rates.

Based on historic incident patterns, the government estimates an average flight time of 19 minutes instead of the previous 23, and believes that the new service will raise the percentage of high-risk areas reachable within 30 minutes from 70% to 85%. SAR-H: RFP Structure The total value was estimated at GBP 2.0 – 3.1 billion, and there would be 2 coverage zones to bid on, singly or together – so a firm or consortium could offer a combined bid, plus 2 individual bids for evaluation. The Lot 1 area will include the vicinity of MCA Sumburgh, MCA Stornoway, RN Culdrose, RAF Leconfield and RAF Valley. Minimum rescue capacity per aircraft is 8 casualties/survivors (2 of which could be stretchered) and minimum radius of action is 200 nm/ 370 km, and 250 nm/ 463 km at MCA Stornoway.

The Lot 1 contract would run for up to 13 years, including including an implementation phase of up to 2 years, a 10-year operational delivery phase, plus an additional 24-month option at each base [DID: we know, that doesn’t necessarily add]. Estimated value range is GBP 1.2 – 1.8 billion. The Lot 2 area will include the vicinity of MCA Lee-on-Solent, RAF Chivenor, RN Prestwick, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Wattisham. Minimum rescue capacity per aircraft is just 4 casualties/survivors (2 of which could be stretchered), and minimum radius of action is just 170 nm/ 315 km. The Lot 2 contract would run for up to 11 years, including an implementation phase of up to 2 years, an 8-year operational delivery phase, plus an additional 24-month option at each base [DID: we know, that doesn’t necessarily add]. Estimated value range is GBP 800 million – 1.3 billion.

The MCA’s original information page regarding the initial SAR-H solicitation noted that Falkland Islands SAR capability remained a potential option for inclusion within the harmonized program. As one might expect, the Falklands are not mentioned at all in the new civilian framework. Contracts & Key Events Bristow wins SAR-H v2.0; Interim northern SAR contract shifts to Bristow. AW189 SAR concept (click to view full) October 16/15: The Royal Air Force has ceased providing Search and Rescue (SAR) services for the United Kingdom mainland, with the Royal Navy scheduled to follow suit next year, with the responsibility then falling to a civilian government agency and private contractors through a GBP1.6 billion contract awarded in March 2013 . The RAF’s H3 Sea King helicopters used to conduct SAR operations are being retired as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and private company Bristow Helicopters Ltd are phased-in to replace them. The latter will eventually become wholly responsible for the mainland UK’s SAR coverage. July 18/13: Sub-contractors. Bristow signs a contract with AgustaWestland, to provide 11 AW189 helicopters.

The firm places their share of the SAR-H contract at over EUR 275 million. The 11 AW189s will be built at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in Britain, with a phased introduction to service with Bristow between 2015 – 2017. AgustaWestland . July 1/13: Gap SAR. Bristow Helicopters S-92s officially take control of the Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter service from Stornoway airport in Scotland’s Hebrides to the west, as part of the UK Gap SAR contract (q.v. Feb 8/12). That places full implementation precisely on schedule. Bristow reports that their crews have been carrying out mission training across northern Scotland for the past 4 months from both Inverness airport and Sumburgh airport, adding that Sumburgh crews have completed more than 10 successful Search and Rescue missions since they took over from CHC on June 1/13. Bristow . June 1/13: Gap SAR.

Bristow Helicopters S-92s officially takes control of the Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter service from Sumburgh airport in Scotland’s Orkney Islands to the North-East, as part of the UK Gap SAR contract (q.v. Feb 8/12). The handover marks a return to delivering SAR helicopter services in the north of Scotland, as Bristow had run the MCA service from 1983 – 2007. Each station will have 2 S-92 helicopters. Bristow . March 26/13: SAR-H winner. The UK’s Department for Transport awards Bristow Helicopters Ltd. the SAR-H contract, giving them a GBP 1.6 billion contract to operate 22 SAR helicopters from April 2015 – 2026. The service won’t become fully operational until summer 2017. Bristow Group Inc. in Houston, TX has a long history of SAR services through its UK subsidiary, beginning in 1971 and extending to 2007, when CHC took the Coast Guard’s contract away from them.

Over that history, their helicopters have flown more than 44,000 SAR operational hours in the UK, and conducted over 15,000 SAR missions. Bristow will continue to operate S-92 helicopters as their long-range fleet, but their other fleet will eventually replace CHC’s existing 7-tonne AW139s with 8-tonne AW189 machines. The AW189 is a new type, launched in June 2011 as a bigger and more robust offering for the oil and gas industry, SAR roles, etc. The AW189’s assembly center will be at Yeovil in Somerset facility, and Bristow expects to have 350 jobs in its SAR-H team. UK Government | UK Dept. for Transport | AgustaWestland | Bristow , incl. Press Pack [PDF]. Bristow wins SAR-H with S-92s, AW189s March 7/13: MCA Northern Gap.

Two Bristow S-92 helicopters have begun training flights from Inverness airport, as they prepare to take over from CMC under the 2013 – 2017 MCA bridging contract for northern Search And Rescue. A pair of S-92s will now begin SAR operations from Sumburgh on June 1/13, and another 2 machines will begin operations from Stornoway on July 1/13. Bristow is touting their helicopters’ technology, “some of which has never before been used in commercial search and rescue aircraft”. Their S-92s are touted as the 1st European (civil) SAR aircraft certified for Night Vision Goggle operations, and the NVGs they bought were advanced enough to need a US military technology export license.

The firm also touts “improved” day/night surveillance turrets, a ‘much improved” external loudspeaker system, 230 volt interior electrical fittings for advanced medical equipment, interior lighting that will allow medical procedures to be carried out onboard, a medical zone intercom so the team can work without interrupting the aircrew, and a Trulink wireless system that lets winchman rescuers communicate with the helicopter and with nearby ships. Bristow . Jan 3/13: CHC out. Aviation Week cites a leaked email by CHC’s COO, which says that the firm’s Soteria consortium is no longer a finalist for SAR-H. CHC S-92s will continue to operate from Scotland until their existing MCA contract expires in July 2013, and their AW139s will continue to patrol the southern coasts until SAR-H is fielded. “In the email, Bartolotta also reveals that one of the other bidders has tendered a bid some 20% lower than that of CHC’s, adding: “We don’t have insight to the financial or other motivations of competitors.

But we know that the economics at a price 20 percent lower than our interim bid simply aren’t right for CHC.” June 12/12: New direction confirmed. Minister for the Armed Forces Nick Harvey enters the following statement into the UK House of Commons Hansard : “The Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study… is now complete… the findings include no major changes to our previously announced plans… The study confirmed the following plans: …to move the MOD’s rotary wing capability to four core fleets, the [CH-47] Chinook, [AW159] Wildcat, [AW101] Merlin and [WAH-64D] Apache helicopters… confirmed the end of MOD provision of Rotary Wing Search and Rescue at the remaining eight military bases upon withdrawal of the Sea King in April 2016. This will then be performed by a contractor through the Department for Transport, as the Secretary of State for Transport announced to Parliament on 28 November 2011, Official Report, columns 52-53WS.” Feb 8/12: MCA Northern Gap.

The UK MCA issues a 4-year contract for northern SAR services, as a follow-on to the July 2007 deal with CHC. Bristow Helicopters Ltd.’s fleet of 4 S-92s will begin operating from Stornoway and Sumburgh in July 2013. CHC retains its AW139s in the south. Bristow | BBC . UKMCA SAR from Scotland 2010 – 2011 CHC consortium picked as preferred bidder, but their honesty cancels the competition; Sikorsky announces S-92 SAR upgrades; Long S-92 rescue; 2nd SAR-H RFP released. S-92, UKMCA (click to view full) Nov 28/11: Son of SAR-H.

Britain’s Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, announces a new competition, for a fully-civilian service: “The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will continue to provide search and rescue coverage until the replacement for this capability is in place… [but they will still] retire [all] Sea King helicopters by March 2016… Bidders for the future service will be able to put forward options which will utilise a mixed fleet of modern helicopters… capable of delivery by different contractors providing complementary services…I intend that this procurement will be undertaken using the competitive dialogue procedure… [and] run the competition using lean procurement principles during some stages… I expect to award a contract in early 2013…” The actual mechanisms are interesting. The total contract set is estimated at GBP 2.0 – 3.1 billion including VAT taxes, with a 2-year implementation phase, an operational delivery phase lasting 8-10 years depending on the area, and a 24 month option. There will be 2 zones to bid on, singly or together – so a firm or consortium could offer a combined bid, plus 2 individual bids for evaluation.

The ability to use mixed helicopter fleets mirrors CHC’s existing contracted services, which use long-range S-92 helicopters in the north, and smaller AW139s in the south. The proposed contract involves 10 bases, not 12. The interim arrangements with CHC at MCA Portland will be allowed to expire entirely as they finish, and in 2015, SAR operations will cease at RAF Boulmer. Other operations at RAF Boulmer will be unaffected, but the area’s MP is predictably unhappy with the decision. UK DfT statement | UK MoD release | Berwick Advertiser || EU Solicitation .

Do-over RFP July 12/11: Waypoint AirMed and Rescue reports that the UK aims to maintain coverage from its 4 existing SAR bases for up to 5 more years as a stopgap, after the 2007 contract expires in 2012: “The existing MCA helicopter fleet, operated by CHC, is set to transfer to the Republic of Ireland in 2012… Philip Hammond, UK secretary of state for transport, announced to parliament on 11 July that to ensure the continuity of services from Portland, Lee on Solent, Shetland and the Isle of Lewis, the Department for Transport will run a competition to procure an interim service for a period of up to five years.” May 4/11: Long rescue. A CHC S-92 based at Stornoway flies a 9:21 SAR mission with 2 refuelings, covering a total distance of 971.6 nautical miles. The SAR crew were sent to a medical incident on board MV Stena Perros, and evacuated the patient to medical care in Sligo, Ireland. CHC . Feb 8/11: SAR-H Canceled. The cause?

Not budgets, but misconduct during the bidding. From the UK MoD : “In mid-December, the preferred bidder in the SAR-H competition, Soteria, voluntarily came forward to inform the Government of irregularities regarding the conduct of their bid team which had only then recently come to light. The irregularities included access by one of the consortium members, CHC Helicopter, to commercially sensitive information regarding the joint MOD/DfT project team’s evaluations of industry bids and evidence that a former member of that project team had assisted the consortium in its bid preparation, contrary to explicit assurances given to the project team at the time. …It would be inappropriate to comment further on the details of the investigation until it has finished. However, even without the outcome of that investigation, the Government has sufficient information to enable it to conclude that the irregularities that have been identified were such that it would not be appropriate to proceed with either the preferred bid or with the current procurement process.” See also The Telegraph’s expose | Think Defence . Canceled. Jan 13/11: Lobbying. Turns out that Prime Minister Cameron has been lobbied by an unusual source, who wants to keep the search and rescue services within the military.

That would be Prince William, who is currently flying as a SAR pilot from RAF Valley, on Anglesey, north Wales. The Telegraph . June 17/10: Suspended. The SAR-H initiative is suspended by Britain’s incoming coalition government, following a review into spending decisions made by the previous Labour administration. UK Treasury Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander makes the announcement in Parliament. Shephard Group . Feb 22/10: Sikorsky announces a new set of upgrades for the S-92, including a Search and Rescue Automatic Flight Control System, and a load-sensing cargo hook that automatically updates aircraft weight and balance readings. Beginning in October, Sikorsky plans to introduce a strengthened main transmission housing developed for the military H-92, after it clears the certification process. The new housing is designed for longer life, and is intended to “reduce unscheduled maintenance by eliminating such possibilities as the foot-mount cracks recently experienced by some operators.” Not picked: EC225 (click to view full) Feb 9/10: Preferred bidder. Britain picks a preferred bidder to provide helicopter search-and-rescue (SAR) services.

The Soteria Consortium of helicopter operator CHC, helicopter maker Sikorsky, sensor manufacturer Thales, and the Royal Bank of Scotland, will use S-92A Superhawk helicopters to replace the existing RAF and Navy Sea Kings. This maintains CHC of Vancouver, Canada’s place as the largest supplier of civilian SAR services in the world. The team beats a group led by VT Group, which planned to use Eurocopter EC225 helicopters, a civil version of the EC725 Cougar. The EC725 does have a combat search and rescue version, which is deployed by France. The S-92A SAR-H has a fully equipped purpose-built paramedic station, including piped oxygen and an electrical power circuit within the cabin. A larger derivative of the popular H-60 helicopter series that uses more corrosion resistant composites and features a rear ramp, the S-92 is well known in the offshore oil and gas sector, and is already providing MCA SAR services around the difficult areas of Shetland and the Isle of Lewis in northern Scotland. It is 30% faster than the Sea Kings, and has 130 km more range.

A pair of side-by-side high speed winches are used by its 4 aircrew to assist in rapid rescues, and the 1.7m high cabin can carry 6-10 seated persons and 1-2 stretchers. The SAR service contract is expected to run for 25 years, and will be phased in over the next decade through a single contract placed with the Soteria consortium. The Telegraph places its eventual total value at around GBP 6 billion. If implemented, some military aircrew will work alongside civilian aircrew as part of the new service, which is expected to begin in 2012. SAR efforts will continue to be managed jointly by the UK Ministry of Defence and the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The 4 MCA bases will transition first, to be followed by the 8 MOD bases. The detailed timetable will be finalized as part of concluding the contract, which the UK MoD and Department for Transport expect will happen later in 2010. UK MoD | CHC | The Telegraph . Preferred bidder. SAR-H announced; Interim contract to CHC; S-92 accident in Canada highlights defect.

Cougar Helis S-92 (click to view full) March 23/09: S-92. Sikorsky announces that it had furnished replacement studs and tools to all S-92 operators, and that 50 of 91 aircraft had been reworked already. March 20/09: S-92. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board identifies a broken titanium stud as part of the downed S-92 helicopter’s gearbox oil filter assembly. Sikorsky had previously recommended that this stud be replaced with a steel stud in all serving S-92s, within one year or 1,250 flight hours. CBC News . March 11/09: S-92 crash. An S-92 operated by Cougar Helicopters goes down in the sea with 18 people aboard, while ferrying workers to one of the offshore oil rigs off of Newfoundland, Canada. In the end, only 1 of the 18 passengers survives. Standard procedures give all passengers immersion suits, but winds were running between 25-35 knots, with a 3m/ 9-10 foot swell, and water temperatures near freezing.

The Globe and Mail | See also CBC and Flight International report & photos . re: later Canadian TSB findings. Nov 29/07: SKIOS & SAR. Another public-private partnership reaches into the SAR sphere, as the SKIOS through-life maintenance contract for the UK’s Sea Kings extends to search and rescue helicopters in Phase 2. See: “ SKIOS for Sea Kings: Availability Contract Covers Through-Life Maintenance .” Oct 14/07: UKMCA Bridging. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency announces that the first of 4 brand-new Sikorsky S-92 helicopters (a civilian version of the H-92), configured entirely for search and rescue (SAR), completed its maiden mission today for Stornoway Coastguard. The new helicopter is being operated on behalf of the Agency by CHC Scotia, who won a July 2007 deal for commercial search and rescue helicopter services from 4 civilian-operated bases – Sumburgh, Stornoway, Lee-on-Solent and Portland – for a 5-year period from July 1/07 – July 1/12.

The service provides a 24 hour coverage at Stornoway, where the S-92 is based, and also bases the S-92s from Sumburgh. In the south, CHC will use 3 AW139s. CHC Scotia’s S-92 helicopters are fitted with 2 internal auxiliary fuel tanks of 210 gallons each, improved AFCS with auto-hover capability, Forward looking infra red (FLIR), dual rescue hoist, bubble window, cargo hook, search-light and loud hailer. The cabin can be arranged for installing triple medical litter kits, 1-2 extra fuel tanks, folding utility seats, and/or storage. The designated operator console provides search data including FLIR. CHC’s 3 AW139s are fitted with high-speed dual hoists, a day/night surveillance turret, a search-light, a Maritime Automated Identification System (AIS), direction finding equipment, satellite communications, and Paramedic advanced medical equipment. UK MCA release . UKMCA contract May 9/06: The UK MoD and UK MCA make the initial announcement concerning the SAR-H project. UK MoD | UK MCA .

Additional Readings: UK Department for Transport – UK Search & Rescue Helicopter Service . New solicitation, posted in in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Question: What is the name of the RAF air rescue station on Anglesey?
Answer: Valley