davidbunin

Unless you have something like a PBY or Albatross, it seems like an aircraft can only accomplish half of a “search and rescue” mission on the ocean.

1 reply

davidbunin

Correction: I should have said ‘airplane’ and not ‘aircraft’ there.

keith

Well, it is a surveillance aircraft just like the P3 it replaces, with ability to drop weapons and sonobuoys plus fire missiles.

Want rescue capability:

• try a big SAR helo like the Canadian one based on the EH-101. BUT helos lack range (a commercial version of the Chinook did relatively well out of Alaska IIRC).
• so perhaps the tilt-rotor Osprey
• buy the Shin Meywa US-2 amphibious flying boat from Japan, designed for somewhat heavy seas
• buy the two remaining Martin Mars biggie flying boats
• equip P-8 to drop pumps and life rafts