By Skies Magazine | October 18, 2013 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 22 seconds.
The Government of Canada’s five-year long, $5-billion contract with Sikorsky for 28 CH-148 Cyclone helicopters may be close to termination. CBC has reported that the government is rethinking its contract with Sikorsky and is considering alternatives, including the purchase of “smaller, cheaper helicopters” – such as the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk and AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat – for its Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP).
An industry source has told Canadian Skies that, “The Cyclone is at the doorstep of contract termination. A decision on the way ahead should be made by ‘very early November.’”
The procurement of smaller helicopters would mean that Canada would need to rethink the way it uses them at sea. The Cyclones were meant to replace the military’s 50-year-old fleet of Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King helicopters, which currently perform a wide variety of missions. The CBC reports that “a smaller helicopter could work for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, cargo carrying, and transporting naval boarding parties […] but it couldn’t do all those things at the same time, like the much larger Sea King or Cyclone.”
The CBC’s James Cudmore said, “It’s a question of ‘do we want giant helicopters that can do everything, or smaller less costly ones we can have sooner.’”
Despite the recent controversy, Canadian Skies has learned that Canadian air crew and maintainers are now training on the Cyclone helicopters at CFB Shearwater, which remain the property of Sikorsky.
In response to a request for comment, communications director for Sikorsky, Paul Jackson said, “This marks another significant step in the CH-148 program. The feedback we’ve heard has been very positive. We continue to work closely with the government to advance the program, and we look forward to its completion and the Canadian Forces transition from Sea King to this state-of-the-art Cyclone helicopter as quickly as possible.”
The contract for the Cyclone helicopters, signed in 2004 by a Liberal government, was dubbed by former Defence Minister Peter MacKay as the “worst procurement in the history of Canada.” The contract was taken over by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in 2006.
Earlier this month, the government initiated a data-gathering project in which competing companies were asked to provide information on helicopters that could be used as alternatives to the Cyclones. The helicopters under consideration include Sikorsky’s MH-60 Seahawk, AgustaWestland’s AW159 Wildcat and AW101, and NH Industries’ NH-90.
Government officials met with executives from AgustaWestland, NH Industries, and Sikorsky last week in Ottawa and are asking for performance specs from the three companies by Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The Department of National Defence said the Cyclone met the performance specifications put forth by the government in 2003; but to date, Canada has deemed the helicopters to be non-compliant. Sources say that for the Cyclones to remain relevant, the government would need to significantly reduce key safety requirements related to high intensity radiated field (HIRF) vulnerability, one engine inoperative (OEI) performance, ship compatibility, mission endurance, whole body vibration, and noise requirements.
Canadian Skies’ industry source commented that, “Unless Canada significantly reduces its 2003 maritime helicopter performance and equipment requirements, the Seahawk, Wildcat, and NH-90 are non-starters. The only naval helicopter in existence that can meet the original requirements was and remains the AW101.”
