What about C17?
I've heard that a C17 costs roughly 3 times as much as a C130J but has roughly 5 times the payload on a strategic (3-4K nm) lift. Anyone know if this is true. If the numbers are anywhere in that ballpark, I cannot see why we would buy C130J when our residual fleet of C130H and C27 would provide plenty of tactical/theatre airlift capability. In case no one noticed, Canada is a long way from the trouble spots. If we want to keep things that way, a much heavier emphasis on strategic lift (air and sea) is needed.
As for the ch47; seems to me we need an ability to move an M777 in an Afghan summer. Cormorant can do that as well (just), but MHP cannot. Flagrant politics and some really poor staff work means that the MHP has not been specified to fully support land operations, so we're destined to buy ANOTHER helicopter (version or type) with the ensuing logistic and training costs, not to mention loss of flexibility (2 small fleets instead of one larger fleet). All of this was predictable, but the glacial workings of DND (and flagrant manipulation to protect the Lieberals) mean that we will be buying the kit too late to get the job done. If you want to see how Canada buys military equipment, just look at the non-competitive award of $750m to Oerlikon to rehouse ADATS and add some gucci comms. For which we'll get a top heavy, vulnerable vehicle that is a second rate AD, DFS and intelligence platform. But Oerlikon is in Quebec, and the Lieberals need to get some hero points here fast.