UK Search and Rescue 2nd Generation (UKSAR2G)

The UK Second-Generation Search and Rescue (UKSAR2G) programme will procure a successor service to both the UK Search and Rescue - Helicopters (UKSARH) and Aerial Surveillance and Verification (ASV) contracts when they expire between 2024 and 2026. These contracts provide Her Majesty's Coastguard with helicopter assets and operations to comply with international Search and Rescue (SAR) obligations, rescuing people in distress around the UK coast, and fixed-wing assets and operations to monitor polluting, illegal or anti-competitive activity. MCA has developed proposals for a successor service which:

1. moves away from the existing 'one-size-fits-all' approach, with market-led asset data;
2. recognises the collaborative nature of SAR and how it is utilised by other government agencies;
3. encourages maximum competition to drive value and innovation, for example use of unmanned (drone) assets during the lifetime of the contract; and
4. continues to provide a service that rescues thousands of people every year.