Defence

One of the teams bidding for the UK's SAR-H search and rescue competition has provided an outline of its final technical submission for the deal, with its offer based on Eurocopter's EC225.

"We are offering an aircraft with an outstanding operational experience and safety record," says Tom Gordon, bid director for the AirKnight consortium, which includes British International Helicopters, Lockheed Martin UK and VT. He also describes the team's submission, announced at the show, as a "bankable and deliverable solution", citing the "huge market capitalisation" of its partner companies. The offer is "fully banked by the financial community", he says, while declining to name specific partners.

"This is the safest solution, because the EC225 is performing SAR every day," claims Gerome Combe, Eurocopter SAR manager.

The AirKnight consortium faces competition from Team Soteria for an up to 30-year private finance initiative deal to serve the SAR needs of the UK military and Maritime and Coastguard Agency from 12 sites, and on the Falkland Islands. Including CHC, Thales and RBS, the rival submission is based on using the Sikorsky S-92.

A commercial derivative of the military EC725, the EC225 has so far secured orders for 86 aircraft, 49 of which have been delivered, says Combe. Gordon says the total operational fleet has now passed 30,000h, with the addition of 14 EC725s increasing this beyond 56,500h.

AirKnight says final financial and commercial proposals will be delivered for SAR-H later this year, with the selected type to enter operation from 2012.

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