Story ID: 
Babcock Awarded $192M Australian SAR Contract
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Babcock Leonardo AW139s will provide medevac and search and rescue services to Australia's Queensland area.
Word Count: 181
Babcock has won a $192.4 million, 12-year contract to provide a pair of medevac and search-and-rescue-provisioned Leonardo AW139 intermediate twin helicopters to Australia’s Queensland Government.
The helicopters will be based on Horn Island and provide 24/7 service to the Torres Strait and Northern Cape York peninsula. They will be equipped with the same roll-on-roll-off stretchers used by Queensland Ambulance Service, a winch, and a Wescam MX-15 Electro-Optic/Infra-Red Camera. 
“Introduction of the AW139 represents a step change in capability to Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Health’s service in the Torres Strait,” said Babcock managing director of aviation and critical services for Australia Peter Newington. “Babcock has operated in the remote Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula regions for more than 27 years, ensuring ongoing access to emergency medical services for some of the hardest-to-reach communities. Our experience in the region gives us a unique understanding of the tasks and their interaction with the challenging environment due to the cluster of small islands and ever-changing weather conditions.”