Followup
Toronto Star article
Debate swirls around choice of helicopter
Canada called `guinea pig' for new model
Decision ends years of political bickering
OTTAWA
—The federal government has flown into a whirlwind of debate with its choice of the Sikorsky H-92 helicopter to replace the obsolete fleet of Sea Kings.
The government rejected the only other competitor, the three-engine Cormorant, a British-Italian design similar to Cormorants already flying rescue missions for the Canadian military.
Canada is the first country to buy the Sikorsky design, which critics charge is a less capable, cheaper helicopter, the choice of which flies in the face of Prime Minister Paul Martin's promise to deliver quality equipment for Canada's armed forces.
While civilian versions of the helicopter are flying, the military model, the H-92, is still on the drawing board and is unproven in military service.
"It's a paper aircraft," said one long-time observer of the process. "Canada is going to be the guinea pig to see if this bird will fly."
The cost of the deal is estimated at $5 billion, including a 20-year support contract with Sikorsky to help maintain the choppers, meant for anti-submarine patrols, surveillance and ship-borne duties.
Defence Minister Bill Graham, announcing the decision to buy 28 of the U.S.-built choppers, said yesterday "(the Sikorsky) represents the right helicopter for the Canadian Forces at the best price for Canadians.
"The country will be getting a robust maritime helicopter that will meet our military needs for many years to come," Graham said at CFB Shearwater, near Halifax. He called it a "world-class helicopter that is at the forefront of modern technology" and called the selection process "fair, open and very rigorous."
There are concerns that the task of customizing the Sikorsky chopper for military use and the complex electronic hardware to go with it will delay deliveries and force Canada to keep its 40-year-old Sea Kings in the air for years.
Federal officials said there's little chance the helicopter maker will renege on the delivery deadlines.
"They've got a history of competence and capability and delivery that ranks with anybody," said Alan Williams, an assistant deputy minister in the defence department.
The company will build them in the United States while General Dynamics Canada will design the electronic hardware. The deal will mean $4.5 billion in investment and benefits to Canadian firms, government officials said.
The decision ends years of political bickering that dates back to the 1980s when defence officials embarked on a process to replace the 1960s-era Sea Kings.
Brian Mulroney's Conservative government ordered 50 EH-101 helicopters, a version of the Cormorant, as a replacement. But former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien denounced the pick as unaffordable and cancelled the contract in 1993, paying out close to $500 million in penalties.
Yesterday, military experts were at least cheering the fact that Ottawa had finally made a choice. "For the armed forces, it's good news," said Alain Pellerin, of the Conference of Defence Associations.
"(But) the fact it's been so poorly handled over the last 10 years makes you wonder whether the Sikorsky won because it's the best candidate or because they didn't want to pick the one they had cancelled before," he said.
Conservative MP and defence critic Gordon O'Connor, a former high-ranking officer, said Ottawa's foot-dragging has put the crews who fly the obsolete and unreliable Sea Kings at risk.
"We're not going to congratulate the government because they've delayed this project for 10 years," said O'Connor, questioning whether Chrétien's decision to cancel the original deal has saved taxpayers any money in the end.
Even if the choppers begin arriving on schedule starting in late 2008, the aging Sea Kings — infamous for their breakdowns and harrowing close calls — will be flying for at least four more years.
Cormorant officials weren't commenting yesterday. But behind the scenes, they were fuming at being shut out of what they've long considered an unfair selection process and weren't ruling out legal action against the federal government. The company has accused Ottawa of deliberately rewriting and "watering down" the specifications to favour of the Sikorsky design.
Williams denied the standards were changed to swing the competition. "We didn't in fact dumb things down or raise the bar, or lower the bar. We remained true to our principles," he said.
Cormorant's claims that the Sikorsky helicopter was inferior are "hogwash," said Lloyd Noseworthy, general manager of Sikorsky Canada, calling the H-92 the "best performer in its class."
And he dismissed concerns modification work will delay the project. "The chopper will be ready," he said.