The future helicopter search and rescue service

The government is engaged in replacing the Sea King helicopters, which have seen almost forty years of service, and putting in place a speedier and more effective rescue helicopter service that is capable of assisting as many people in a difficult situation as possible. The government has now determined which  criteria will form the basis for the acquisition of new rescue helicopters. In recent media reports there are some misrepresentations and misunderstandings of the decision made by the government. I would therefore like to clarify the following:

The government has decided to acquire a uniform fleet which will consist of 15 to 20 large helicopters (10-20 tonnes), i.e. helicopters of the same type with the same equipment.  They will be stationed on the same bases that we currently have. The rescue ambition is to be able to rescue 20 people at a distance of 150 Nm from the straight baseline (“grunnlinjen”). The straight baseline along the Norwegian coastline is defined as straight lines drawn up between any two points (the shortest) of the outermost headlands and rocks that are uncovered by the sea at low tide. In practice, this means that the future helicopters must have the capacity to fly  between 220 Nm and 270 Nm in two hours and pick up 20 people.  This is due to the bases lying inside the straight baseline, by varying distances. As an example the Banak base is located around 70 Nm inside the straight baseline. The actual distances the helicopters will need to cover must therefore include that distance, in addition. I would also like to emphasise that in the case of fewer people needing to be rescued, the helicopters will be able to fly out even greater distances and return.  

The location of the base(s) also contributes to the robustness of the helicopter service, since - should a major accident occur - the neighbouring base will be able to provide assistance within three hours in most cases. It is also worth noting that the above has been expressed as a minimum ambition, and if the range of the relevant helicopter candidates is greater than the minimum requirement, this will be weighted accordingly in the further work.   

It is important to me to clarify that all of the oil fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf will be covered with good margin, and that the fishing fleet will also have a far better service than is the case today.   

Summing up, the governmental decision and rescue ambition will lead to a much improved rescue helicopter service. As a point of interest: today's Sea Kings are able to reach 53 Nm out from the straight baseline and pick up 20 persons in distress. 

The new helicopters will also be able to fly much faster and thus arrive more quickly at the scene of an incident than is the case today. They will have all-weather capabilities (including the ability to fly in icing conditions) and, with the latest systems and equipment for search and rescue on board, will be far better able to locate and reach those requiring assistance throughout the entire area of responsibility.   

To the best of our knowledge, there are no other countries that have equivalent or higher ambitions for their rescue helicopter service than the one currently presented by the government, especially taking into consideration the 24 hour on-site duty arrangement.   

The Ministry of Justice will continue the work with the acquisition process and does not have any preference for particular helicopter candidates. The acquisition process will be open to all prospective helicopter candidates that can fulfil our ambition. Until the winning helicopter candidate has been selected, following a comprehensive tendering round, all helicopter candidates will be treated equally and fairly. The Ministry of Justice is committed to procuring the best rescue helicopter for Norway.