Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/274231
www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 9 Recommitting to the Cyclone Perhaps Louis Chênevert knew more than he was letting on. During a con- ference call in early December, the chairman of United Technologies, parent I INSIDE INDUSTRY company of Sikorsky Aircraft, assured investors and analysts that Sikorsky was "continuing to have productive discussions with the Canadian govern- ment" on the future of the maritime helicopter replacement program despite rumours the government was courting other vendors. On January 3, the government announced that it had reached a "Principles of Agreement" (POA) with Sikorsky on December 31 and would continue negotiations to deliver 28 Cyclones as it begins to retire the venerable Sea Kings. The decision is based, in part, on a report from Hitachi Consulting, contract- ed in the fall to "determine the viability of the program." "The government accepts the recommendations in the third-party re- port, which found that the program would be viable with a different proj- ect structure and governance model," the government said in a press release. There had been speculation for much of the fall that the government would seek another supplier for the program after refusing to accept any of the four interim Cyclones that had been provided for training purposes to 12 Wing Shearwater. Under the terms of the POA, Canada will receive helicopters with operation- al capability "suffi cient to begin retirement of Sea Kings in 2015." Those ca- pabilities will be enhanced over the next four years to ensure "a fully capable CH 148 Cyclone" in 2018. Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, said the government would "only issue further payment to Sikorsky upon capability delivery," adding that Sikorsky had agreed to pay $88.6 million in liquidated damages for non-delivery. The restructured program will see the continuation of the initial training and testing of the Cyclone now underway in Shearwater. Hitachi Consulting will remain engaged in the project to ensure delivery of a fully capable mari- time helicopter. try benefi ts perspective is not linked solely to a single platform – it is really about the breadth of our partners." Boeing has already used previous IRB commitments – $4.5 billion on the clas- sic Hornet and modernization program alone – to build relationships with aca- demia and small and medium sized companies. But Beyrouty acknowledged a government emphasis on technology benefi ts and key industrial capabilities might drive greater activity with SMEs in the search for innovation. Boeing's Engi- neering Operations and Technology division scouts technology globally, and has one person dedicated to the Canadian market, he noted. "As we see the ITB and KICs more well defi ned, we'll be able to fi t those needs pretty well." OUR FOUNDATION IS OUR TECHNOLOGIES OUR MISSION IS EXPANDING YOUR CAPABILITIES © 2011 Scott Safety ® , ScottSafety.com ® . All Rights Reserved. To develop innovative solutions that provide the comfort, protection and performance you need, we work backwards. First, we consider the requirements of the end user. Then we assess every element of design and apply the latest technology to develop comfortable, low-burden equipment so wearers can focus on the task at hand. © Crown Copyright/MOD. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Europe: +44 (0) 1695 727171 scott.sales.uk@tycoint.com North America: +1 800.247.7257 sh-sale@tycoint.com