Canada looks at Ex-US presidential helicopters for SAR Mission

Lost hikers or stranded fishermen could find themselves being rescued by helicopters once designed to transport U.S. presidents.
The Canada's Department of National Defence had been insistent that the presidential helicopters, purchased in 2011 for spare parts for Canada’s current search-and-rescue choppers, would never be used as actual aircraft.
But in an about-face, the military and DND now acknowledge they are looking at doing just that.
Defence sources say senior officers inside the Royal Canadian Air Force have successfully argued that since the $3-billion helicopters, known as the VH-71, were airworthy, it didn’t make sense to strip them down for parts. They are pushing for the aircraft to be added to the RCAF flight line.
When Barack Obama came to the presidency, he balked at the high cost of the VH-71 helicopter program, which had been started under former president George W. Bush. Around $3 billion had already been spent and the program was expected to more than double in price.
As a result, the U.S. government shut down the program.
The VH-71s are similar to the search-and-rescue Cormorant helicopters currently used by the RCAF.
The nine new helicopters, as well as more than 800,000 spare parts, were purchased by DND for about $164 million. Seven of the choppers are airworthy.
Defence sources say the RCAF is considering using the helicopters to bolster the search-and-rescue fleet in the coming years since it will have to remove some Cormorants from service as they go through what is known as a mid-life upgrade.
A fleet of 21 helicopters would allow for better coverage, particularly in the Arctic.
Canada embarked on the presidential helicopter deal with the aim of trying to cut down on the excessive amount of time the Cormorants spent on the ground because of a lack of parts.
calgaryherald

Peruvian Navy to acquire Super Seasprite helos from Canada

Peru has awarded General Dynamics Canada a contract to upgrade four Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters - formerly in service in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) - with integrated mission systems and to overhaul a fifth prior to delivery to the Peruvian Navy.
The upgrades will offer "enhanced surveillance and search-and-rescue capabilities" by leveraging technology developed by GD Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF's) Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surveillance, and search-and-rescue helicopter. The RCAF is replacing its ageing Sikorsky SH-3 Sea Kings with Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclones.
The contract was signed on 9 October.
The SH-2G acquisition marks an important boost for the Peruvian Navy's embarked ASW capabilities, which currently consists of only two Sikorsky SH-3D and two AB 212ASW helicopters, all four with more than 30 years in service.
These incoming SH-2Gs had been in service with the RNZAF since 2001 before being acquired by General Dynamics Air Canada.
Meanwhile, the RNZAF Super Seasprite fleet is being replaced by eight former Australian SH-2G(I), the first of which performed its maiden flight last April.
janes

Government of Canada Signs agreement with Sikorsky for CH-148

Canada announced that it has completed all required amendments to both the acquisition and long-term in-service support contracts with Sikorsky for the acquisition and maintenance of 28 CH-148 Cyclone helicopters for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). These contract amendments are further to the Principles of Agreement announced in January 2014.
The amended acquisition will ensure the delivery of helicopters with operational capability to begin retirement of the Sea Kings in 2015.
In its final configuration, the CH-148 Cyclone will be one of the most capable maritime helicopters in the world. The CH-148 Cyclone will also be fully interoperable in a modern battle space, and will be able to concurrently conduct a full spectrum of anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare in hostile, high-threat environments.
News Canada

Government of Canada to continue with Maritime Helicopter Project and begin retiring Sea Kings in 2015

Given ongoing challenges with the Maritime Helicopter Project, the Government of Canada commissioned an independent third party, Hitachi Consulting, to determine the viability of the program. The Government accepts the recommendations in the third-party report, which found that the program would be viable with a different project structure and governance model. Today, the Government of Canada and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation announced that a Principles of Agreement (POA), which will form the basis of formal contract negotiations to put those recommendations into place, was concluded on December 31, 2013.
Under the terms of the POA, Canada will see delivery of helicopters with operational capability sufficient to begin retirement of Sea Kings in 2015, and a program to enhance those capabilities culminating in a fully capable CH 148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter in 2018.
Government of Canada

Sea Kings could be retired sooner under proposal from US aircraft maker

Sikorsky has approached the Canadian government with a proposal to accept four CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopters in its current configuration and gradually make them fully operational with incremental software updates.
canadianmanufacturing

Canada and Sikorsky Still Circling on Cyclone

Canada and Sikorsky continue to work at the mess that is the CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter program. The Department of National Defence (DND) has posted an update on the much-delayed program, while procurement agency Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) says it will impose significant additional penalties on Sikorsky for late delivery.

Graham Warwick-aviationweek

Royal Canadian Air force chief stands by Sea Kings

The head of the Royal Canadian Air Force says he's confident the military's 50-year-old Sea King helicopters can stay in the air long enough for their troubled replacements to arrive.

leaderpost

Report urges Canada to get tough on helicopter deal

Ottawa needs to “get tough” with the American helicopter manufacturer that is more than four years late in delivering a replacement to the Canadian Forces’ nearly 50-year-old Sea Kings, say two military experts.
In a report scheduled for release on Monday, UBC professor Michael Byers and military analyst Stewart Webb argue that ongoing delays and cost increases raise the question “of whether Canada should simply cancel the contract and start the procurement process over again.”

theglobeandmail

El CH-148 propuesto como futuro helicóptero naval alemán/ CH-148 Cyclone proposed to German Navy

Rheinmetall y Sikorsky han propuesto al helicóptero naval Cyclone CH-148, versión del S-92, como futuro helicóptero para la Armada alemana, que ha lanzado un requerimiento por treinta unidades.
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Rheinmetall and Sikorsky recently proposed the Cyclone Naval CH-148 Helicopter for a German Navy’s requirement of thirty multi-role naval helicopters.
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