Canadian Forces eye Obama’s chopper cast-offs
The Ottawa Citizen November 1, 2010
The Defence Department is looking at whether it should buy U.S. President Barack Obama’s helicopter cast-offs as spare parts for the Canadian air force’s Cormorant search-and-rescue choppers.
Preliminary discussions are underway on the possible sale of the US101 helicopters to Canada. The aircraft, which were to form the new fleet of “Marine One” presidential helicopters, are similar to Canada’s CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue choppers which, at times, have been grounded because of a lack of spare parts. There could be as many as eight of the helicopters available for sale.
The Obama administration pulled the plug on the US101, also known as the
VH-71, after the projected cost of the aircraft doubled from $6.5 billion to $13 billion U.S.. News reports indicate that the U.S. government invested $3 billion into the helicopters before the Pentagon decided to withdraw from the program. It’s expected if any deal is struck the amount Canada would pay would be significantly lower than $3 billion.
“Preliminary discussions are ongoing and DND is looking at the possible package composition, its value to the CF, and its impact on CH-149 operations,” Defence Department spokeswoman Lianne LeBel said.
The VH-71s and the Cormorants are similar variants of the Agusta-Westland EH-101 helicopter, she added. “Therefore, some VH-71 parts are common and compatible or can be modified to be compatible with the CH-149 Cormorant,” LeBel said. She did not have details on how long the discussions are expected to last.
The availability of spare parts for the CH-149 Cormorant fleet, delivered to units starting in 2001 and 2002, remains an ongoing problem, military officers acknowledge.
Canada originally bought 15 Cormorants but one has since crashed. The Cormorant helicopter fleet has faced a series of problems, including cracked windscreens and cracks in the tail rotor area. The aircraft have been hindered in their operations by the lack of spare parts.
Last week the government faced a scathing report from Auditor General Sheila Fraser as she criticized the Defence Department for how it purchased maritime and Chinook helicopters. In the case of the Chinook helicopter, Fraser said DND officials were aware that modifications needed for the aircraft would drive up costs but didn’t tell Treasury Board as it sought approval in 2006 for the purchase.
Defence analyst Martin Shadwick said the deciding factor for any Canadian purchase of the presidential helicopters will be price. “It could potentially be a good deal for the parts if the cost is low enough,” said Shadwick, a York University strategic studies professor.
When Obama came to presidency he balked at the high cost of the VH-71 helicopter program which had been started under former president George W. Bush. “The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,” Obama told a group of his supporters at the time. “I think it is an example of the procurement process gone amuck, and we’re going to have to fix it.” The president’s helicopter is known as Marine One when he is flying on it.
In May 2009, the U.S. Defense Department axed the helicopter contract after the program fell years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. Much of the blame for the problems was put on the U.S. government which continued to make changes in the program.
The Cormorant and its variant, the EH-101, have had a long history on Canada’s defence scene. In 1993, newly elected prime minister Jean Chrétien cancelled a $5-billion contract to purchase the EH-101. He said Canada couldn’t afford the helicopters ordered by the Conservatives and his government paid a $500 million penalty to get out of the contract.
Five years later, the air force selected the Cormorant, largely the same helicopter as the EH-101, as their choice for a new search-and-rescue helicopter.
But several years ago, a Canadian military team determined that because of limited availability of the Cormorants, 18 of the helicopters were needed for the air force to perform the search-and-rescue role once handled by a smaller number of 40-year-old Labrador choppers. The Labradors were phased out of service in 2004.