OTTAWA – Defence officials are still deciding if the helicopter selected to replace the aging Sea King will include the helicopter’s only source of lift.
“The CH-148 Cyclone has been chosen as a multi-role shipboard helicopter to give the Canadian Forces the advantage” said Defence Minister Rob Nicholson. “But we need to make several concessions with Sikorsky and we are re-evaluating whether the rotor add-in is necessary as it is very costly.”
This announcement comes after federal government made numerous concessions to the original bid including the ability to self start in very cold weather and a safety system that automatically deploys life rafts in emergency situations, all of which were deemed as luxuries.
“Global warming in Canada has made the ability to start in very cold weather completely unnecessary,” Nicholson added.
At press time, the Minister announced the delivery of the helicopters, worth $7.6 billion, will be delayed another 20 years after Sikorsky added a special feature for pilots called “seat belts”.
