Air Corps Roles -

Thanks Guiness,

I do hope we can keep some form of SAR support to the army. The equipment is there in the short term and with a little more personnel training we could still maintain a low level of service to our own training troops in Ireland. It will have to be considered as a role for the new utility helicopters for C-SAR and casevac, especially in the light of Sgt Mooney's (RIP) accident in Liberia. Potentially, any suitable utility replacement has the ability to carry out C-SAR as long as they drop the word 'light' from the competition.

[Silver]

Now that the AC have effective 'lost' their SAR role -

Will the organisation become more focussed on it's core military role(s) ?

[FiannaFail]

Hopefully Silver, hopefully!
FiannaFail

FF,
why such a clear "hopefully".
As I understand you well you don't see the SAR as a "military role"'>?

If you don't..... Where were you the last 60+ years???
Ever heard of e.g. WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Gulfwar, and a lot more terrible events.
Just ask 100's of downed aircrew if SAR is "a military role" and I'll bet you 1000 to 1 that they will say that this task IS (!!!!!) military.

I realy think you are very short-viewed ( please excuse my english) when you think that SAR is only about rescue-ing sailors etc.

This brave team of people have the oppertunity to not only serve the military but the public as well.
To my oppinion most of these aircrew are braver then most "jet-jockey's" who only deliver their payload and move out with mach 1+.

Guinness