Canada has outlined plans to boost defence spending by nearly C$13 billion ($10.6 billion) over five years, continuing a rare two-year up-tick for the national security budget but obscuring priorities for aerospace acquisition programmes.
Budget documents released on 23 February appear to launch acquisition programmes for a medium capacity helicopter and a utility aircraft fleet to service Arctic missions. The programmes are among a shortlist of acquisition programmes started with a C$2.5 billion share of the overall five-year increase.
However, there is no mention in the budget documents of a requirement stated a year ago for a new search and rescue (SAR) fleet to replace ageing de Havilland C-8A Buffalos or of a new transport fleet to replace Canada's Lockheed MartinC-130 Hercules.
An expected tender for the SAR fleet, which was set to attract bids from the Alenia/Lockheed C-27J Spartan and the EADS Casa C-295 last October, never materialised. An industry source says a C$1.3billion fund to launch the programme was withdrawn.
Source: Flight International
