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CH-148 Cyclone
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Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program has been a textbook military procurement program over its long history. Unfortunately, it has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s Sea King helicopter fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more.

The EH101 had been the Maritime Helicopter Program’s initial winner, and a civilian version currently serves in a search-and-rescue role as the CH-149 Cormorant. Canadian experiences with this type have been strained, however, due to reliability and readiness issues. Eventually, the Canadian military settled on Sikorsky’s H-92 Superhawk as the basis of its new CH-148 Cyclone, which will serve from the decks of Canada’s naval ships and bases. The H-92 is a larger derivative of the ubiquitous H-60 family that comprise most of the US Navy’s current fleet. it makes heavier use of rust-proof composite materials, and also sports uprated engines, a rear ramp, and other features that place it in a similar class to Europe’s NH90.

The civilian S-92 has gone on to some commercial success. To date, however, Canada has been the H-92’s only military customer – with all of the associated issues one might expect around systems integration and conversion for naval operations. In the wake of a very vague announcement of a contract renegotiation and further program delays, observers are questioning whether the program’s initial dates were ever realistic, and whether the current dates can be depended upon. There are also deeper questions being raised concerning both the machine’s fitness, and the Canadian DND’s conduct of the program as a whole…

• CH-148 MHP: Systems, Contract & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings [updated]

CH-148 MHP: Systems, Contract & Key Events

CH-148 first flight
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The CH-148 is based on the MH-92, with an Integrated Mission System and Sonobuoy Acoustic Processing System that is under development by General Dynamics Canada. The Cyclones’ chosen sensors will include a Telephonics APS-143B maritime radar, L-3’s HELRAS sonar, FLIR Systems’ Star SAFIRE-III surveillance and targeting turrets, and radar warning and defensive systems derived from Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210.

Initial delivery was originally scheduled for November 2008, but that was moved to January 2009, then pushed back again to November 2010. There is some question concerning the contractors’ ability to meet even this new date.

Nov 8/09: The Ottawa Citizen’s David Pugliese reports on the CH-148’s slow progress. While the first helicopter is scheduled to arrive at CFB Shearwater in December 2009, actual sea trials aren’t scheduled until February 2010 or later, and even when those are done, other steps are required before Canadian pilot training can begin:

Successful completion of the sea trials, followed by development and approval of the ship-helicopter operating limitations (SHOL) for the new helicopter, which will require several months at least, are a MHP contractual obligation that must be met long before Canada accepts delivery of the first aircraft and can begin training its own pilots on the Cyclone….”

Feb 20/09: The Ottawa Citizen’s David Pugliese continues to investigate the specifics behind the December 2008 announcement of a contract settlement with Sikorsky. In “New Engnes for the Troubled Cyclone Helicopter?” he quotes Canada’s DND:

“Sikorsky is making a number of improvements to the current design of the helicopter to meet the performance requirements specified in the current contract. An improvement being made that was not in the original contract will provide the helicopter with growth potential for the engine and main transmission.”

Pugliese points out that this is a problem, for 2 reasons:

“The weight growth requirement was actually stated in the MH Statement of Operational Requirement (SOR) and was initially included in the RFP Requirements Specification but was later removed at Sikorky’s request…. [however,] In order to use a [Lowest Cost Compliant ] selection methodology, PWGSC and DND both had to assure the Auditor General in 2003 that the MH performance and equipment requirements (as stated in the RFP) would be finite and that no extra funds would ever have to be allocated for additional capability over the entire life of the aircraft, otherwise a Best Value selection methodology whereby additional capability could be acquired at minimal additional cost was mandated.”

DND responses add that they are also looking at technological improvements that will become available as a spin-off from Sikorsky’s R&D. They include “an enhanced rotor blade design, larger tail rotor and a new 5-bladed rotor hub”, which could add another 500-600 pounds of payload capacity. Aerospace analysts contacted by Pugliese respond that:

“The new rotor design that the response refers to is the one being considered for Sikorsky’s bid for the USAF’s CSAR helicopter. It involves very significant structural changes to the aircraft including a substantial increase in the airctraft’s overall length both with rotors turning and when folded which would raise major issues for ship compatibility. Since DND and PWGSC are inexplicably avoiding the engine question, we suggest you dig further.”

Winter 2009: Plain Talk: The Process of (Not) Acquiring Maritime Helicopters [PDF format] is published in the Canadian Naval Review by Jane’s Canadian correspondent Sharon Hobson. Hobson reports that Sikorsky was exempted from key performance requirements during the bidding phase, unlike its competitors NIH Industries (NH90) and Lockheed Martin/ AgustaWestland (EH101). Additionally:

”....In order to speed things up during the bidding process, the project office only required that the bidders provide proof of compliance for 475 [mandatory technical requirements]. The bidders were allowed merely to state that they would comply with the other 1,000. When things started to go wrong – and they started to go wrong fairly quickly – the project office went into crisis management mode.

When I interviewed the project manager in February 2006, he told me that the preliminary design review (PDR) had been completed in January, and that the critical design review (CDR) would be completed by the first week of June. However, in September 2006, the same official conceded to another reporter that the PDR was not yet complete. The project office does not appear to have given a media interview since then. Moreover, it turns out that because Sikorsky was unable to complete fully each milestone within the PDR and CDR, the project office subdivided the milestones so that the payments would continue to flow….

Canadian Parliament
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Dec 23/08: Canada’s government announces that they have renegotiated the contract with Sikorsky. DND will now begin receiving helicopters by November 2010, allowing necessary operational testing and training to begin prior to the delivery of mission-ready helicopters beginning in 2012, and all helicopters by 2013.

The effect of these changes is to delay operational use of the helicopters for 2 years. The original contract had penalty clauses for late delivery, but those clauses appear to have been waived in exchange for these contract amendments. The government release also took pains to state that it ”...has determined that the delays experienced were largely outside the control of the Contractor.”

Most of the contract modifications appear to concern “upgrades.” These have not been specified, except to say that they have an estimated value of $77 million for the 28 helicopters, and $40 million for the 20 years of In-Service Support contract, based on the Canada/ US currency exchange rate of December 2008. The release adds that contract amendments will be funded from within the original project budget. Canadian government announcement | CBC report.

Nov 20/08: A CH-148 Cyclone makes its first flight at the Sikorsky Flight Development Center in Florida. Source.

Nov 5/08: The Ottawa Citizen’s defense reporter David Puglise publishes some comments from his sources, suggesting the program’s schedule was never realistic, that further delays to 2012 or even 2014 are possible, and that vague statements from Sikorsky and Canada’s DND are omitting important pieces of information. One key excerpt:

“Your blog notes that Sikorsky is now claiming the first article will fly “before the end of the year”. Rumors in the industry suggest that any such flight will be without the mission system, which is still not in formal lab testing. Compare this to Sikorsky’s original (public) promise to fly a fully equipped first article by September 2007.”

January 2008: Sikorsky formally advises the Canadian government of delays in the original schedule.

April 18/07: Lockheed Martin announces a $59.4 million U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sales contract to provide the helicopters with Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)/Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems derived from its AN/ALQ-210 system, which will also be deployed on the US Navy’s new MH-60R multi-mission naval helicopters.

The ALQ-210 passively detects, identifies and geo-locates hostile radar transmitters. The systems provided to Canada’s Department of National Defence will also feature new functionality designed to meet specific Canadian Forces requirements. Honorary Col. Rick Mercer of 423 Maritime Helicopter Sqn will be relieved, we’re sure.

Jan 23/07: The Globe and Mail reports that CH-148 delivery will be at least 5 1/2 weeks late because of a strike at Sikorsky’s factory. Canada’s federal government deems the delay to be reasonable, and they are reportedly foregoing the late penalty provisions in the contract. Those terms could allow Canada to charge up to $100,000 a day for late delivery, to a maximum of $36 million.

CH-148 concept
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Dec 6/05: Sikorsky Aircraft opens the company’s new MH-92 helicopter fly-by-wire system integration lab with a ribbon cutting ceremony n Stratford, CT. The new lab will develop, integrate and test the fly-by-wire and avionic systems for the MH-92, and the CH-148 Cyclone will be the system’s inaugural customer.

BAE Systems will be Sikorsky’s team-mate on this sub-project, which is expected to lead to companion fly-by-wire integration labs for Sikorsky’s H-60, CH-53K, and X2 aircraft.

Fly-by-wire differs from traditional helicopter flight control systems by replacing the mechanical linkages to the cockpit controllers with a redundant, purely electrical system that is more responsive, more survivable if hit, saves weight, and reduces maintenance costs. Europe’s competing NH90 already has fly-by-wire built in, so Sikorsky is playing catch-up in this area. Sikorsky release.

June 14/05: FLIR Systems, Inc. announces a “competitively awarded” subcontract from General Dynamics Canada of Ottawa, Ontario, for its popular Star SAFIRE III airborne multi-sensor imaging systems with multi-year in-service support. The total subcontract value, including potential option awards, is in excess of $20 million (USD). Deliveries will commence within 9 months of contract award, and continue until 2009.

FLIR’s Star SAFIRE III is used on a wide variety of systems, and has options to include laser rangefinding and targeting features.

June 5/05: Griffon Corp. subsidiary Telephonics announces a subcontract award from General Dynamics Canada. They will supply 31 ship sets of their APS-143Bv3 multi-mode imaging Maritime Surveillance Radar, fully integrated with their Mark XIIA Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator sub-system hardware. The contract also contains options for initial spares and 20 years of in-service support for the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP), and could exceed $50 million in value if all options are exercised.

The internal, fully integrated Mark XIIA IFF interrogator has been designed to be compatible with the IFF interrogators being supplied for the US Navy’s MH-60R LAMPS helicopter, the Canadian CP-140 Aurora upgrade program, and the US and International Air Force’s AWACS platforms.

This program will be managed from Telephonics’ facilities in Farmingdale, NY, with a portion of the work being performed in Canada as defined in the Industrial Regional Benefit plan included in Telephonics proposal. The first test aircraft system is scheduled for delivery in July 2007.

April 21/05: L-3 Communications MAS launches the construction of a new $45-million Maritime Helicopter Training Centre for the Canadian Forces in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. L-3 MAS has lead responsibility for the Cyclone’s in-service support, which includes provision of the training facility and training.

The actual construction is subcontracted to PCL Constructors Canada Inc., and the center is expected to be operational in April 2008. It is expected that over 160 new jobs will be created directly and indirectly during construction of the 3-storey facility, which will be LEED Silver Certificate certified. The building will include flight and mission simulators, and serve as the home for 406 Squadron. Sikorsky release.

April 12/05: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Canadian government officials today formally inaugurate a new Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP) office located here in the company’s main manufacturing facility in Stratford, CT.

The newly renovated 25,000 square-foot space includes a 5,000 square-foot secure area to accommodate a detachment of 17 Canadian government employees overseeing the project. The remainder of the space houses Sikorsky Aircraft, General Dynamics Canada and L-3 MAS Canada personnel assigned to the MHP. Sikorsky release.

Nov 23/04: The Government of Canada signed contracts with Sikorsky International Operations Inc. for the Maritime Helicopter Project, to provide 28 helicopters (C$ 1.8 billion), as well as 20 years of in-service support and a training facility (C$ 3.2 billion), including construction of a training facility and a simulation and training suite.

Sikorsky had joined with L-3 MAS (in-service support) and General Dynamics Canada (systems integration) to form The Maritime Helicopter Team. CBC report.

Additional Readings

• CASR – Politics, Procurement Practices, and Procrastination: the CH-124 Sea King Helicopter Replacement Saga

• Canadian Naval Review (Winter 2009, Vol.4 #4) – Plain Talk: The Process of (Not) Acquiring Maritime Helicopters [PDF format]. Characterizes much of the procurement process as dishonest in several respects.

• Canadian DND – CH-148 Cyclone

• Sikorsky – H-92™ SUPERHAWK™ Maritime Helicopter

• General Dynamics Canada – CH148 Cyclone – Maritime Helicopter Project

• Naval Technology – [EH101] Merlin – ASW / Transport Helicopter, United Kingdom. Also serves with or has been ordered in a naval role by Italy, Denmark, Japan, and Portugal.

• DID FOCUS – NH90: Europe’s Medium Helicopter Contender