Sikorsky S92A are currently used by the Coastguard at Stornoway

A US-owned company has been confirmed as the winner in bids to operate the UK’s privatised search and rescue helicopters.

Bristow Helicopters, part of Houston-based group, will provide the aircraft and crews for the rescue service from 10 bases.

The company’s chief executive William E Chiles said some of the military staff currently employed by the RAF and Royal Navy on its ageing Sea Kings are likely to be offered jobs when the privatised service begins.

Crew men and women from the armed forces have provided search and rescue backup to the UK’s voluntary mountain rescue teams for decades. The military SAR service has been in operation for 70 years.

Under the plans announced by the Department for Transport today, Britain’s busiest rescue base at HMS Gannet in Ayrshire will be replaced by a new hangar at Prestwick Airport.

The £1.6bn contract will see 22 new helicopters operating from bases on call 24 hours a day, the Government said.

Ten Sikorsky S92s will be based, two per site, at Stornoway and Sumburgh, and at new bases at Newquay, Caernarfon and Humberside airports.

Ten AgustaWestland AW189s will operate, again two per site, from Lee on Solent and Prestwick Airport, and new bases which will be established at airports at St Athan in south Wales, Inverness and Manston, Kent.

The Department for Transport said helicopters will be able to reach a larger area of the UK search and rescue region within one hour of take-off than is currently possible. “Based on historic incident data it is estimated that there will be an overall improvement in flying times to incidents of around 20 per cent – from 23 to 19 minutes,” a spokesperson said.

“Presently, approximately 70 per cent of high and very high risk areas within the UK search and rescue region are reachable by helicopter within 30 minutes. Under the new contract, approximately 85 per cent of the same area would be reached within this timeframe.

“Today’s announcement represents a major investment by the government in providing a search and rescue helicopter service using the most up to date helicopters and meeting the highest professional standards.”

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Our search and rescue helicopter service plays a crucial role, saving lives and providing assistance to people in distress on both land and on sea.

“With 24 years of experience providing search and rescue helicopter services in the UK, the public can have great confidence in Bristow and their ability to deliver a first class service with state-of-the-art helicopters.

Bristow said the SAR contract will have a transition period beginning in April 2015 and continuing to July 2017 and a contract length of about 10 years.

Mr Chiles added: “This award will employ 22 of the world’s most technologically advanced and safest helicopters which will dramatically improve the capability to save lives and significantly reduce the UK Government’s costs for the next decade.

“It is planned that some of the military personnel currently involved in SAR in the UK will join Bristow Helicopters to work under this contract, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Bristow family.”

Last year, Bristow Helicopters was awarded an interim contract starting in July this year, to provide four Sikorsky S-92 helicopters based at Stornoway and Sumburgh. The ‘Gap SAR’ contract is expected to run for about four years until the two Coastguard bases’ operations are integrated into the main contract announced today.