Originally Posted by heli1
So what's the word on the Canadian Navy S92/CH148 delays ??
I see the rumour is the programme has slipped from late 2008 to late 2010...keep those Sea Kings going boys !!!
The Globe & Mail article:
Sea King replacements on hold
STEVE RENNIE
Canadian Press
January 9, 2008 at 8:56 PM EST
OTTAWA — The delivery of new military helicopters to replace Canada's aging fleet of Sea Kings will likely be delayed by 30 months and Ottawa is threatening to deeply penalize the U.S. contractor “thousands of dollars” for each day the choppers are late, The Canadian Press has learned.
A senior government source, speaking on background, said late Wednesday that department officials told Public Works Minister Michael Fortier on Monday that Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. would be late with the long-awaited delivery of new CH-148 Cyclones.
Sikorsky will be penalized thousands of dollars each day the Cyclones are delayed, the source said.
Calls to Sikorsky were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
The Defence Department referred all calls Wednesday night about the delay to Public Works.
“We are assessing the implications of what a delay on the delivery of the maritime helicopters will have on the operational requirements of DND and PWGSC is considering all possible options with respect to Sikorski's default on the timely delivery of the Maritime Helicopters,” wrote Jacques Gagnon, Mr. Fortier's communications director, in an e-mail to The Canadian Press.
Ottawa signed the contract in November 2004 to replace the 40-year-old Sea King fleet. The deal required Connecticut-based Sikorsky to build 28 helicopters and begin delivering one per month starting in November 2008.
The Defence Department first set out to replace the Sea Kings in the 1980s, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney's Conservative government decided in 1992 to buy 50 EH-101 helicopters in a $5.8-billion deal.
But Jean Chrétien's Liberals tore up the deal when they came to power, paying $500-million in penalties for backing out of the contract.
Retired air force colonel Lee Myrhaugen, a former deputy commander of the military's maritime air group and a veteran Sea King pilot, said the military made every effort to extend the Sea Kings' life cycle and the delay could put further strain on the aging choppers.
“If it's going to be extended some 30-odd months, that's just going to stretch that rubber band that much further,” Mr. Myrhaugen said.
“The bottom line is, you can only stretch that rubber band so far. The calculations for the delivery date of the Cyclone were based on the fact that they had extended the life of the Sea King to its maximum.”
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Don't let HC find out...... 