Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/304887
F FWSAR www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2014 25 NARROWING THE SEARCH Airbus Defense and Space C-295 The C-295 is a smaller and lighter airframe with better low-and-slow operating ability, though with less over- all speed, that might handle so er airfi elds better but requires a longer take-off and landing runway. It features Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G twin turboprop engines and includes among its team of Canadian partners, CAE (fl ight simulators and training) and Discovery Air (in- service support). Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Once considered a long shot due to its he y ticket price, the tilt-rotor vertical take-off and landing Osprey has overcome its early operating issues and is now in its sixth year of multi-year production. Bob Carrese, vice president of business development for the V-22, has reminded Canadian audiences repeatedly that although it off ers a smaller cabin for secondary cargo-carrying, the Osprey is the only solution that can perform both the search and the rescue and recovery functions with one aircra . embraer KC-390 A newly introduced wild card in the competition, the KC-390 is only on the verge of its fi rst fl ight, likely in late 2014, accord- ing to Embraer offi cials at FIDAE in Chile in March. But the company expects to begin delivering its fi rst production aircra for the Brazilian Air Force by 2016. The twin-jet, medium-li transport is probably more aircra than the RCAF require for search and rescue, and it will likely be hampered by its current stage of development and higher operating costs. But it is an intriguing option. Lockheed Martin C-130J hercules The four-engine aircra might be more expensive to operate than any of its smaller competitors, but the C-130 is a trusted SAR aircra in Canada, especially for longer operations over the North Atlantic and into the Arctic; of note, the U.S. Air Force has tailored the HC-130J for combat SAR. Lockheed Martin has part- nered with Abbotsford-based Cascade Aerospace for the FWSAR project, part of a larger partnership under which Cascade serves as a heavy maintenance centre of excellence for the C-130s.