The Department of Defence has released a Request for Tender (RFT) for the sale of the RAN’s remaining Sea King helicopters, as the type is retired in December.
For sale are five complete helicopters, three additional airframes, a simulator, and associated equipment and parts.
The Sea Kings, which have flown in eccess of 60,000 operational hours in RAN service, will be marketed to potential buyers across the world, including at two major Defence expos in the United Kingdom and Canada later this month.
“This is a really versatile helicopter and a proven capability. The Sea Kings could be used for a range of things like fire fighting, disaster relief, search and rescue, by another Navy or commercially,” Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said of the Sea King tender.
“The latest example of their work was the disaster relief and search and rescue missions they conducted during the Queensland floods,” he added.
The announcement follows the government’s June decision to preserve Sea King Shark 07 at Nowra’s Fleet Air Arm Museum once the helicopter is retired. RFT submissions close on November 1.
