- New 10-year contract combines existing rotary and fixed wing
services into fully integrated, innovative solution led by
Bristow
- Bristow-led consortium to begin transitioning to new
contract beginning September 30, 2024
through December 31, 2026, to ensure
a continuation of critical lifesaving search and rescue aviation
services across the whole of the U.K.
LONDON, July 21,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristow Helicopters Ltd (NYSE:
VTOL) ("Bristow"), the global leader in innovative and sustainable
vertical flight solutions, has been awarded a £1.6 billion 10-year
contract for the Second-Generation Search and Rescue Aviation
("UKSAR2G") program by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), an
executive agency of the Department for Transport.
Bristow will work in partnership with 2Excel Aviation, a leading
specialist in fixed wing aerospace services, and Nova Systems, the
consortium's innovation partner, to deliver the contract for the
MCA on behalf of Her Majesty's Coastguard. The new contract will
see the U.K. search and rescue region benefit from innovation and
advances in technology to save more lives, even more quickly.
The contract combines the existing two separate aviation
contracts for fixed wing aircraft and rotary aircraft and will
include the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Since 2013 and
2019, respectively, Bristow and 2Excel have operated search and
rescue services for the U.K. in the original SAR and Aerial
Surveillance contracts. During that time, the companies have
displayed exceptional quality, innovation, and skill in their work
rescuing over 4,500 people over the past seven years.
"We are very pleased with the MCA's trust in Bristow to continue
to provide safe and reliable search and rescue services with our
crews to help save lives throughout the United Kingdom," said Bristow President and CEO Chris Bradshaw. "Through this new, innovative
contract, Bristow and our partners will increase efficiencies and
innovations as well as establish additional seasonal bases to
further expand our service."
As part of the new contract, Bristow will continue to operate
from their current 10 bases and will launch two new seasonal bases
in Fort William and Carlisle, to
serve areas around two of the busiest locations for summer tourism.
The Fort William and Carlisle
bases will operate 12 hours a day from April to September. All
other helicopter bases will continue to be operational 24 hours a
day.
The partners will operate:
- 18 helicopters, including nine existing Leonardo AW189s and
three existing Sikorsky S-92s augmented by the introduction of six
new Leonardo AW139 helicopters;
- Six King Air fixed-wing airplanes, including the B350, B350ER
and the B200 at Doncaster,
Prestwick and Newquay; and
- One mobile deployable Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS.
"Since inception 2Excel has built a reputation for being highly
skilled at creating innovative solutions and quickly turning
complex aviation concepts into leading edge capabilities. The
UKSAR2G contract with the MCA exemplifies this fact," said
Andy Offer, Co-founder and Director
of 2Excel Aviation. "This contract builds on the existing
capabilities we have delivered to the MCA over the past few years
with our fixed-wing aircraft packed with state-of-the-art
integrated sensors; delivering services to a myriad of government
agencies including border security, fisheries patrol, as well
as life-saving search and rescue for HM Coastguard – working
collaboratively with our partner Bristow."
Through the new contract, Bristow and its partners 2Excel and
Nova Systems will work to deliver greater innovation in the
provision of search and rescue services across the U.K. region,
providing even greater levels of support to those at risk.
"Nova Systems is thrilled to be teamed with Bristow and 2Excel
for UKSAR2G in the role of Programme Innovation Partner. With our
experience working at the leading edge of aerospace technology and
mission system development, and with our unique mix of technical
and operational domain expertise, we look forward to enhancing the
U.K.'s SAR capability and delivering a world-class innovation
programme to the Bristow team and the MCA," said Gareth Dyer, Managing Director, International
for Nova Systems.
Bristow will provide a new state-of-the-art search and rescue
helicopter simulation training facility at Solent Airport next to
the Coastguard Training Facility, which will house a synthetic
rescue hoist and helicopter suspended over a large training pool.
Another innovation includes the use of sustainable aviation fuels,
reducing the carbon footprint in the delivery of these
services.
The companies will transition from the current contracts
starting from September 30, 2024
through to December 31, 2026, to
ensure a continuation of critical search and rescue aviation
services across the whole of the U.K.
Bristow is currently in a pre-earnings quiet period and will
provide further information following the release of its quarterly
financial results in early August.
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading global provider of innovative
and sustainable vertical flight solutions. Bristow primarily
provides aviation services to a broad base of major integrated,
national and independent offshore energy companies. Bristow
provides commercial search and rescue (SAR) services in several
countries and public sector SAR services in the United Kingdom (U.K.) on behalf of the
Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). Additionally, the Company
offers ad hoc helicopter and fixed wing transportation
services.
Bristow currently has customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, Guyana, India, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Nigeria,
Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad, the U.K. and the U.S. To learn more,
visit our website at www.bristowgroup.com.
About 2Excel Aviation
2Excel is an innovative aerospace services business working
across a range of industries including defence and security,
engineering, events and disaster response. Activity is organised
around two business lines: 2Excel Aviation, which comprises
Capability Development, Special Missions and Charter; and 2Excel
Engineering, which is a Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO)
for Boeing and Airbus narrow-bodied aircraft.
Founded in 2005 by two Royal Air Force pilots, 2Excel has grown
from five people and four aerobatic aircraft to over 400 people and
a fleet of 30. In 2018, 2Excel Aviation became 51 per cent employee
owned through the creation of an Employee Ownership Trust.
About Nova Systems
Nova Systems is a leading global engineering services and
technology solutions company with more than 850 employees working
from strategically located offices around the world including the
United Kingdom, Norway, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, and New
Zealand. We are a trusted partner to solve complex
challenges for clients across defence, parapublic, government,
special missions and commercial aerospace. Our company brings two
decades of aviation experience built on a foundation of operational
and technical expertise to deliver bespoke, low-risk solutions.
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SOURCE Bristow Group