Story ID: 
Milestone Leases Back Bristow Search-and-rescue Deal
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Milestone will lease six helicopters to Bristow in support of a search and rescue contract with the Netherlands Coast Guard.
Word Count: 194
AerCap unit Milestone Aviation Group has agreed to lease six helicopters to Bristow Group for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions for the Netherlands Coast Guard. The agreement covers two Leonardo AW189s and four Sikorsky S-92s.
Terms of the deal provide for Milestone to complete a purchase-leaseback of a new SAR-equipped AW189 helicopter from Bristow and extend an existing lease on a second AW189 that will be converted for SAR missions. Milestone also is placing three S-92s with Bristow and will add a fourth later this year in support of the deal. 
“As part of this deal, we are delighted to add the first SAR-enabled AW189 to the Milestone portfolio and to bring the advanced capabilities of this aircraft to a wider variety of customers operating mission-critical responses,” said Milestone CEO Pat Sheedy. 
Bristow won the ten-year SAR contract with the Netherlands Coast Guard last year. The helicopters are tasked to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Den Helder and provide additional services such as post-disaster and incident operations, as well as transportation of the maritime incident response group.