Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/533940
a aIr FORCE www.vanguardcanada.com JUNE/JULY 2015 21 helicopter to be kept on standby and loaded onto a C-17 for lengthier SAR missions, especially to the Arctic. "We have always sensed that in order to provide a fully robust SAR service, especially in the Great Lakes and the North, Canada needs to get back into Trenton," he said in reference to a deci- sion to withdraw the Cormorants from 8 Wing in order to have sufficient numbers in 9 Wing Gander, 14 Wing Greenwood, and 19 Wing Comox. While the air force has relied on a mix of Bell CH-146 Griffons and older Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules to cover central and northern Canada, officials admit the Griffon was never designed for a SAR role and more capability is needed to meet the demand. "Our sense is that conversion of seven of the VH-71s is a way in which we could afford to almost immediately get back into Trenton, and once back into Trenton provide another batch of aircraft to give [the air force] the leeway to withdraw those air- craft for a midlife upgrade without disturbing SAR," he said. The Cormorant fleet has long struggled with the availability of spare parts, though in recent years National Defence, Agus- taWestland and IMP Aerospace and Defence, the in-service sup- port maintenance contractor, have introduced initiatives which have increased the annual flying rates from 5,034 hours in 2010/11 to almost 5,800 hours in 2013/14. So although analysis has shown that a number of VH-71s could be converted "to improve fleet capacity if deemed necessary," and the option remains part of deliberations, the RCAF stressed that the acquisition was not about helicopters but rather about a pack- age of spare parts and airframes to support the CH-149 fleet. "Specifically, DND received five uncertified production air- frames and four prototype/test airframes, two of which are non- recoverable as flying assets," the air force said in a statement. "All assets, including the airframes, were purchased to provide serviceable spares by disassembling the package of spare parts and airframes. The VH-71 airframes are not in a flyable condi- tion; they neither have valid airworthiness certificates, nor do they meet the minimum configuration or equipment required to be used as a SAR helicopter. The parts have been incorporated into the Cormorant supply system and are used when required to sup- port the operational fleet either out of the received spare parts inventory or by taking components off the airframes." Tracy acknowledges the purpose of the VH-71 purchase but contends "those aircraft are flyable if they get updated." He notes that 830,000 spares were acquired with the airframes and to date have comprised most of the spares pool. "There is no doubt that if they expand the fleet, those 21 air- craft will need to be maintained through to 2040, so there will be an additional cost. But this is a huge country and to provide the level of service they do today through to 2040, they need a more robust fleet." He also notes the value of being able to send a SAR helicopter in response to humanitarian disasters. The RCAF demonstrated its ability to deploy a CH-149 last April during a SAR exercise in Peru and Tracy believes it might have dispatched one to Nepal in response to the April earthquake had it had an aircraft available. "Canada has time and again shown itself to be responsive to these events, so having an aircraft that can fit into the back of a C-17 does give the air force an option to have something readily avail- able for international assistance." The Cormorant midlife upgrade project is valued at between $500 million and $1.5 billion, according to the Defence Acqui- sition Guide, and a request for proposals is expected by 2017. All options might be on the table, but Tracy believes an upgrade makes far more sense than leasing or purchasing new aircraft to expand the fleet. "No matter how you look at it, that upgrade is very much worthwhile and would provide more assets by [con- verting the VH-71s]." Photo: Capt Trevor Reid, 19 Wing Public Affairs