Cost Analysis for a Dedicated Search and Rescue Capability for Commander Strike Fighter Wing U.S. Pacific Fleet EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Lemoore is a Master Jet Base, but is one of the few on the West Coast without an in-house, dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) capability. The lack of SAR at Lemoore is a growing concern due to the increase in the number of squadrons at Lemoore, the new Lemoore Military Operating Airspace (MOA), and the need to use the Offshore Warning Areas for more training due to increased congestion in other airspaces. As a result, Commander Naval Air Forces (CNAF) is examining the issue of returning a dedicated SAR capability to Naval Air Station Lemoore (NASL). The objective of this project is to provide a cost comparison and analysis of the pros and cons of different models for providing Lemoore with dedicated SAR. A key assumption is made that the Navy has a sufficient inventory of helicopters. Thus, the cost of procuring new helicopters is not considered. A second assumption is that due to high workload for Fleet Helicopter Wings, detachments from these Helicopter Wing squadrons in support of a full-time SAR detachment at NAS Lemoore are not feasible. Due to time constraints for this project, only the five most viable SAR models are considered. Data was gathered from multiple DoD, Federal Government, and civilian organizations. A spreadsheet analysis of the data was conducted, and then used to make meaningful, equivalen