RCAF increased spending, new tactical helicopters and AEW

[chopper2004]

It appears Ottawa wants to spend more money on tactical helos to replace the CH-146 Griffons and an AEW platfrom

https://skiesmag.com/news/aew-next-gen-helicopters-among-defence-policy-commitments-for-the-rcaf/?fbclid=IwAR1OQWjYiFNrWwt9-t4TITghpyq67xSJEZp7dJ8Zlg5LfDFcS1Vzes36QNk_aem_AZ69067McKJ23 E3OFl147IQcMqHuVwc9LkzSGlksaX-bHumMHvZMyGSy3RcTYKDpLjwNrOfaOfVrBEl2ARuhrKTc

At a large shot in the dark, I wonder if Airbus Helicopters H145M could fit the role and perhaps E-7 Wedgetail. Believe NAEWF will be getting some Wedgetail in the future to replace the legacy Sentry...and RCAF does provide some aircrew to them anyhow,.

Any thoughts please?

cheers

[rattman]

It appears Ottawa wants to spend more money on tactical helos to replace the CH-146 Griffons and an AEW platfrom

https://skiesmag.com/news/aew-next-gen-helicopters-among-defence-policy-commitments-for-the-rcaf/?fbclid=IwAR1OQWjYiFNrWwt9-t4TITghpyq67xSJEZp7dJ8Zlg5LfDFcS1Vzes36QNk_aem_AZ69067McKJ23 E3OFl147IQcMqHuVwc9LkzSGlksaX-bHumMHvZMyGSy3RcTYKDpLjwNrOfaOfVrBEl2ARuhrKTc

At a large shot in the dark, I wonder if Airbus Helicopters H145M could fit the role and perhaps E-7 Wedgetail. Believe NAEWF will be getting some Wedgetail in the future to replace the legacy Sentry...and RCAF does provide some aircrew to them anyhow,.

Any thoughts please?

cheers

Whole thing is a joke, 1.76% from 1.29% by 2030. If they were serious should be 2% in the next budget
300 million for awacs. Only real option would be the turbo prop saab. Cant buy a global eye for that and no chance of an E-7. Maybe they throw 300 million into the nato squadron and buy 1/3 of E-7

[Davef68]

The RAF have some spare E-7 radars they could sell you......

[Biggus]

The military procurement equivalent of "virtue signalling"?

Or maybe "future faking".

Still, the Germans have/had been doing it successfully for years.

[Copter Appreciator00]

The Canadian Army has been flying the CH-118 (B205), then the CH-135 (B212), then around 1995 the CH-146 aka Bell 412. In the last 3-4 years there was talk about upgrading them, and i have a couple of articles here.

FlightGlobal (make sure you havent exhausted your free views): takes about an earlier 590 mil deal, then the deal from a year ago 2023 which is a 800 mil which was going be a more thorough upgrade it seems:
from Jan 2024.. Bell secures $1.6bn contract for Canadian CH-146 sustainment | News | Flight Global (https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/bell-secures-16bn-contract-for-canadian-ch-146-sustainment/156527.article)
Bell counts down to upgraded CH-146 Griffon first flight in 2023 | Shephard (shephardmedia.com) (https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/bell-counts-down-to-upgraded-ch-146-griffon-first-flight-in-2023/) from May 2022
also may 2022 Bell Textron to Modernize Canadian CH-146 Griffon Helicopters (thedefensepost.com) (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/bell-canada-griffon-helicopters/?expand_article=1)

So it looks like the idea since 2022 or so was to upgrade the CH-146s until into the 2030s.. or 2040s.. and the cost was 591 mil or 800 mil or 1.6 Billion, depending which article, and what year as the program progressed. So Bell and other companion firms were going to upfit the Griffon (not like the Griffone, which is the Bell 412 in Italian service) with radios and engines to maybe put it on par with the UH-60 in terms of speed and surviviabilty. Since these contracts were drawn up, FLRAA happened, and then the Ukranian war, creating new dialogue about copters on the battlefield.
With the article for this forum, I have 3 questions for you:
1) now is this 146- upgrade plan on the chopping block, so funds can be diverted to a FLRAA like program for Canada?
2) Or will the upgrade still take place as planned? Or will it be reduced in scope.
3) What are your thoughts on an upgraded CH-146? Seems cool to me, higher top speed, rockets...

[RODF3]

146 GLLE project still going ahead. The GLLE is to remove obsolescence that is limiting the 146 operations in domestic and international airspace. No increase major in capability (speed, payload or survivability)

[chopper2004]

The Canadian Army has been flying the CH-118 (B205), then the CH-135 (B212), then around 1995 the CH-146 aka Bell 412. In the last 3-4 years there was talk about upgrading them, and i have a couple of articles here.

FlightGlobal (make sure you havent exhausted your free views): takes about an earlier 590 mil deal, then the deal from a year ago 2023 which is a 800 mil which was going be a more thorough upgrade it seems:
from Jan 2024.. Bell secures $1.6bn contract for Canadian CH-146 sustainment | News | Flight Global (https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/bell-secures-16bn-contract-for-canadian-ch-146-sustainment/156527.article)
Bell counts down to upgraded CH-146 Griffon first flight in 2023 | Shephard (shephardmedia.com) (https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/bell-counts-down-to-upgraded-ch-146-griffon-first-flight-in-2023/) from May 2022
also may 2022 Bell Textron to Modernize Canadian CH-146 Griffon Helicopters (thedefensepost.com) (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/bell-canada-griffon-helicopters/?expand_article=1)

So it looks like the idea since 2022 or so was to upgrade the CH-146s until into the 2030s.. or 2040s.. and the cost was 591 mil or 800 mil or 1.6 Billion, depending which article, and what year as the program progressed. So Bell and other companion firms were going to upfit the Griffon (not like the Griffone, which is the Bell 412 in Italian service) with radios and engines to maybe put it on par with the UH-60 in terms of speed and surviviabilty. Since these contracts were drawn up, FLRAA happened, and then the Ukranian war, creating new dialogue about copters on the battlefield.
With the article for this forum, I have 3 questions for you:
1) now is this 146- upgrade plan on the chopping block, so funds can be diverted to a FLRAA like program for Canada?
2) Or will the upgrade still take place as planned? Or will it be reduced in scope.
3) What are your thoughts on an upgraded CH-146? Seems cool to me, higher top speed, rockets...


also don’t forget the CH-136 Kiowa that time plus CH-147 Chinooks were also replaced by the Griffon here’s my photo from attending my very first Farnborough Air Show 1996 ,

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x628/img_1578_cfca82e00ecd87090257a4de361198af37269c55.jpeg


in a lot of peeps eyes especially those servicing thought it was a silly idea for one airframe to replace all especially getting rid of heavy lift cap. The heavy lift cap on returned with lease of US Army CH-47D in Afghanistan as well as leased MI26. Then few years later …actually brand new factory fresh CH-147F Chinook AND RCAF being the First with conformal tanks built in. Thankfully managed to see them at RIAT 2017 (my photos below)


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/img_1579_5f752f1ccf8490ac8dfe1ab9356e41c7867b582d.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/684x912/img_1580_37e3ad416fae13cef75ebda838b6302993f227fe.jpeg

So now back full time in the heavylift business for nearly a decade ..

The upgrade for the 146, is interesting but like you guys mentioned, limited in still range and payload… mind you how the RCAF coped with it as a work horse on its own for 2 decades and of course. Also when they had bases in then West Germany at Lahr , that 444 Sqn only equipped with the CH-136 Kiowa only as observation platform but would have expected likes of CH-118 or CH-135 based to support their troops.

cheers

[rigpiggy]

The monkeys at DND should out 50K per ship into the fastfin mod....... Won't happen the liberals only spend millions of dollars if they get kickbacks.

[RODF3]

Fast Fin is included in GLLE

[rigpiggy]

Fast Fin is included in GLLE

I have been agitating for this since Afghanistan started. The monkeys at DND sent them over kitted out to the Ritz unable to hover OGE. Look at our latest MoD