MCA will use only civilians
he RAF will no longer be scrambled to assist in the rescue of shipwrecked sailors, the Government have announced. The Ministry of Defence plans to take its Sea King helicopters out of service by March 2016 and SAR ops will cease at RAF Boulmer, at Alnwick in 2015 and at Portland in 2017.
At present Sea Kings, flying out of eight bases, work with crews from four civilian bases operating under contract to the MCA.
But in 2013 the Government plans to announce a new private contractor to take over the entire helicopter SAR operation.