Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre

The United Kingdom's Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) is based at RAF Kinloss, near Forres in Moray.

Structure

The centre is responsible for coordinating all RAF, Royal Navy and Maritime and Coastguard Agency Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters, and also the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service. It monitors rescues in the United Kingdom Search and Rescue Region (UK SRR), which extends to 30 degrees west in longitude, and from 45 to 61 degrees north latitude (as far north as just south of the Danish Faroe Islands), excluding the Republic of Ireland (Ireland SRR).

RAF Sea King helicopters can operate up to 250 miles from their base, with an endurance of six hours; for those in the Fleet Air Arm, this is reduced to 4 hours and 200 miles.

Kinloss has no helicopter squadrons, but three Nimrod squadrons. However it controls rescue helicopter at:

RAF

• RM Chivenor, just east of Barnstaple in Devon
• RAF Wattisham Airfield, just south of Stowmarket in Suffolk
• RAF Valley, about six miles east of Holyhead in Anglesey
• RAF Boulmer, about three miles east of Alnwick, on the Northumberland coast
• RAF Lossiemouth, about seven miles east of Kinloss, just north of Elgin,...... ...
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