Fifteen-Month Contract To Operate Out Of Nowra Navy Base

CHC Group announced it has begun operating a 15 month contract to provide Aviation Emergency Response services out of the Australian Navy base at Nowra, on the south coast of New South Wales. Provision of the interim search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation (AME) and crash response services will be delivered at HMAS Albatross until the proposed commencement of an ADF wide contract in 2018. 

CHC now provides search and rescue, AME and crash response services to all three of the Australian Defence Force services in Australia, covering the Royal Australian Air Force, the Army and Navy base beginning this month.

An auto-hover capable AW139 has been delivered from CHC’s global pool of SAR assets and is compliant and certified to the latest standards for crash resistance. The machine has been used to successfully operate similar SAR services in the United Kingdom.

The AW139 aircraft at the Nowra base will provide search and rescue coverage for all naval helicopter operations in support of aircrew training and Royal Australian Navy Fleet exercises in the local sea training areas.

“CHC is very proud to be awarded this interim contract with the Australian Navy and to be able stand service up quickly for them,” said Vince D’Rozario, Regional Director, CHC Asia Pacific. “I would like to thank Navy for the opportunity to serve them and recognise our experienced team at CHC who put this service together with speed and professionalism.”

(Source: CHC Helicopter news release)

FMI: www.chcheli.com