Canada has launched studies into phased upgrades of its Boeing F-18 Hornet and Lockheed CP-140s. The work is aimed at keeping them operationally effective while staying within the country's limited defence budget.
"It's important that these aircraft maintain their operational relevance, and their credibility with our allies," says Lt Gen David Kinsman, commander of the Canadian Forces' Air Command.
"We bought these aircraft knowing that the airframes would last, but that the avionics would need replacing. It is now time to focus on a mid-life upgrade," he says.
Maintaining Canada's ability to participate in allied operations is high on Kinsman's priorities. Referring to NATO operations over Bosnia, he says: "We wanted to see the F-18 deployed, but we did not have precision-guided munitions [PGMs]. The allied planning people would not accept our dumb bombs, so we could not be part of their force. Then we got PGMs."
Kinsman says the F-18s and CP-140 maritime patrol aircraft will have to be upgraded in a phased way that avoids each effort becoming a capital project, which would require the Canadian Government to seek parliamentary approval in advance for the entire programme. The Canadian Forces plans to upgrade the aircraft gradually under the guise of a continuing sustainment effort. The "end state" of each upgrade, its projected cost and timescale will be defined in advance, he says,.
Work has already begun on the CP-140, Canada's version of the P-3 Orion, he says, with a couple of minor upgrades under way. He plans to run the CP-140 and F-18 upgrade efforts in parallel, to gain the flexibility to use the sustainment money to fund both programmes. The F-18 upgrade will include the Raytheon APG-73 radar, already fitted to US Navy F-18s. The radar cost will make that part of the programme a capital project requiring parliamentary approval, he admits.
Source: Flight International
