BRIAN DUNN / MONTREAL
Decision to split Sea King replacement between air vehicle and mission system will delay service entry further
Further delays in releasing the request for proposals (RFP) for Canada's Maritime Helicopter Programme (MHP) mean the Canadian Forces are no longer expected to replace ageing SikorskyCH-124/A Sea Kings by 2005.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that no decision will be made before prime minister Jean Chrétien retires in February 2004. He cancelled a 50-machine C$5.8 billion ($3.7 billion) EH Industries EH101 procurement when he entered office in 1993, saying it was too expensive.
An RFP for 28 machines to meet the C$2.9 billion MHP was due for release last month, but the programme office failed to issue the document, as the pre-qualification phase was not completed in time. The mission system is due to be subject to a separate RFP.
A Department of National Defence (DND) official says DND is in the "final dialogue stage with a number of aerospace companies". Following Eurocopter's decision not to bid, the remaining contenders are the EH Industries Cormorant, NH Industries NH90 and the Sikorsky S-92 (Flight International, 2-8 April).
An industry source says: "This programme was started in the mid-1980s and it's obvious the MHP project office has no control over it. The delay is coming from within the government, and it's not likely it will be wrapped up before Chrétien leaves office."
The CH-124 retirement deadline will be difficult to meet, says the Canadian Defence Industries Association. "DND has been working very hard to move this thing forward and their goal is to get an airframe RFP before year-end," says the association. "But there have been a number of deadlines missed in the past, and the delays are causing our members further expense."
One industry source says the postponements are a result of the decision to split the competition. "Even if they made a decision today on a split-system basis, I can't see the delivery of the first machine before the end of 2006 or 2007," adds the source.
DND says it is studying phasing-out its remaining 31 Sea Kings by 2010, but the source says 2013 is a more realistic date, which would require additional spending on spares, for which the DND has not budgeted. DND says it has spent C$50 million on spares and replacement engines to keep the machines flying, but the source says the figure is much higher.
Source: Flight International
