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Cracks within the tails of 19 Royal Canadian Air Pressure Cyclone helicopters are a trigger for concern, says an professional.
Michael Byers, a professor and defence coverage analyst on the College of British Columbia in Vancouver, mentioned the cracks may very well be indicative of a lot bigger issues with the plane.
“Every of those helicopters prices greater than $150 million, and the oldest helicopter within the fleet is barely 5 years previous,” he mentioned on Sunday. “So the truth that there may be this downside does elevate some very critical considerations as to the standard of the helicopters, the protection of the helicopters.”
Solely two of Canada’s 23 Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopters are at the moment match to fly. The remainder of the multibillion-dollar fleet is in want of restore.
On Nov. 26, cracks have been discovered within the tail of one of many helicopters at 12 Wing Shearwater in Dartmouth, N.S. Due to this, the remainder of the fleet was examined and a lot of the helicopters have been discovered to be compromised.
On Saturday, the Division of Nationwide Defence (DND) mentioned simply 4 of the Cyclones have been affected, however after additional questions from CBC Information, it was revealed there are truly 19 with cracks. Two helicopters have been out of service as a consequence of different issues.
“I am involved concerning the restricted information that we now have to date,” Byers mentioned. “This seems to be a fleet huge downside…. That is clearly a difficulty by way of Canada’s capabilities. These are the helicopters that go on our frigates and are an important a part of our maritime capacity.”
Within the early 2000s, the CH-148 Cyclone mannequin was chosen to switch the RCAF’s five-decade-old CH-124 Sea Kings. Thought of a “developmental” helicopter, Canada has the one Cyclones on the earth.
The procurement of the Cyclones has been closely criticized, with former Conservative defence minister Peter MacKay calling the Cyclone program the “worst procurement within the historical past of Canada.”
The unique 2004 price range for the Cyclone’s procurement was $3.2 billion, however the quantity grew to $5.7 billion by 2014.
In line with the DND, “the associated fee for main in-service help till 2038 is $5.8 billion.”
Canada continues to be ready for 5 Cyclones to be delivered.
“We’re spending upwards of $5 billion on this explicit small fleet of helicopters, so we have to get it proper. And to date, it is all going unsuitable,” Byers mentioned.
‘A bunch of lemons?’
Byers mentioned because the Cyclones are new, they shouldn’t be having such vital and widespread issues.
“Have we purchased a bunch of lemons? Is that this a flawed plane that may require billions and billions of {dollars} of extra taxpayer cash to maintain secure and to maintain operational?”
Byers mentioned it is a very good signal that the plane have been grounded, and the worst-case state of affairs could be if the air pressure tried to “muddle by means of” to keep away from additional criticism of the Cyclones.
“The Canadian navy must resolve this, it wants to repair the issue and it must be absolutely clear all through that course of as a result of these are the lives of younger males and younger girls which can be put in danger each time these plane fly,” he mentioned.
Fraught historical past
This is not the primary time there have been considerations concerning the tail part of the helicopter.
In 2017, the Canadian Forces grounded its Cyclones after Sikorsky issued a worldwide discover for security checks to be carried out.
Operators have been instructed to instantly examine the tail rotor part of the S-92 plane. Cyclones are a militarized variation of that plane.
In 2009, an S-92 helicopter crashed off the coast of Newfoundland as a consequence of an oil stress concern, killing 17.
Then in 2020, a Cyclone crashed within the waters off Greece due to a glitch with the autopilot operate, killing six members of the Canadian navy.
Influence on operations
Seventeen of the Cyclone plane are based mostly at Shearwater and 6 are in Patricia Bay, B.C.
A number of the fleet was supposed to participate in Operation LENTUS, to offer aid after the mass flooding in British Columbia, however it was unimaginable as a result of cracks. Older navy plane, search-and-rescue helicopters and non-military plane have been used as an alternative.
“12 Wing Shearwater, which encompasses all the fleet, is prioritizing the order of restore to maximise return to serviceability for every plane,” a DND spokesperson mentioned in a press release to CBC Information.
The division says it hopes to have a number of the helicopters again within the air inside the subsequent few days.
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