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Over the next six years, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleet of CH-149 Cormorants will receive what is being called a “mid-life upgrade.” In reality, the overhaul program will deliver an almost brand-new search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter.
In December, the federal government awarded contracts to Leonardo U.K. and Montreal-based CAE to upgrade systems, sensors, engines, and the airframe of the 20-year-old Cormorants to the latest standard of the AW101 helicopter, and deliver a flight simulator to a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) training center.
The two contracts, valued at up to C$1.24 billion, cap a lengthy and, at times, difficult negotiation with Leonardo to find a solution within the government’s budget that also met RCAF requirements.

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