This has become a basket case, reduced capability, it will be over 6 months before the west gets any SAR capability. Cairns 2 months late, Essendon who knows.
Todays Australian
Troubled Bombardier Challenger rescue jets ready to fly
The long-delayed launch of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s new $604 million rescue jets is set for take-off this month, with the troubled Cobham-operated Bombardier Challenger aircraft finally receiving regulatory approvals needed to fly.
But the approvals have come with significant changes to the 12-year contract awarded to Cob-ham, with sources saying that as many as a dozen amendments have been made that could potentially reduce the search-and-*rescue capabilities of the jets.
Sources say the contract amendments include changes to the minimum allowed weight of safety stores and devices, and reduced fuel capacity when on standby.
The reduction to the minimum drop weight was made after a test of the aircraft was abandoned when supplies dropped from the plane — including a 38kg plastic tub — struck the jet’s engine cowling. AMSA said it was aware of the incident, which was reported to CASA as required.
AMSA and Cobham declined to comment on the contract changes, saying its terms were commercial in confidence. But the maritime safety authority did say that Cobham had redesigned its stores delivery system to accommodate the different speed of the new aircraft to ensure stores did not hit the fuselage in the future.
A spokeswoman for Cobham said the company was “fully *focused” on the launch of the first aircraft into service and that they would meet “all of the capability requirements set out by AMSA”.
With the amendments and aircraft redesigns in place, Cobham was able to successfully complete a proving flight on Monday under supervision from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
“Cobham has received an air operator’s certificate to operate the CL604 aircraft. AMSA expects Cobham to commence service this month,” an AMSA spokesman said.
The commencement of the contract cannot come soon enough, with AMSA increasingly left without sufficient long-range search-and-rescue aircraft as its previous contract with Aero*Rescue and its fleet of Dornier aircraft comes to an end.
The Australian revealed last month that the four Cobham-*operated Challenger jets were supposed to be operating since August, when the first of four custom-fitted Challenger 604s was to begin flying out of Perth, but instead all of Western Australia has been without the long-range search-and-rescue aircraft since they ran into regulatory hurdles.
AMSA admitted that Cobham had experienced a number of delays in modification, integration and certification of the aircraft.
It said it would not make any payments to Cobham until the aircraft were fully operational.
The Cobham aircraft were to progressively replace the AeroRescue Dornier aircraft based in Perth, Cairns and Essendon.
While two of those Dorniers — one based in Brisbane and one based in Melbourne — are still in operation under the AeroRescue contract, they are some six hours away from Perth should an emergency situation unfold there.
A second Challenger aircraft to operate out of AMSA’s Cairns base was due to begin service in October but it too has been left without the jet. The third Challenger is scheduled to begin operations from Essendon this month and the fourth ancillary aircraft from March next year.
AMSA said Cobham was aiming to have all bases online by the end of February next year.