Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, based in Mirabel, Que., is the only company left in the long-delayed competition to supply the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) with twin-engine helicopters to replace its current medium-lift fleet of five late 1970s Bell 212s and three late 1960s Bell 206Ls, all manufactured in the US.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation confirmed by email May 1 that it has opted out of the competition. The only other potential bidders, AgustaWestland and Airbus Helicopters, previously announced their withdrawal.
Sikorsky spokeswoman Callie Ferrari said the company had reviewed CCG specifications and evaluated two possible contenders – its proven S-76D and the newer US Coast Guard H-60 – and decided that the former “appeared to be the best fit.” However, she added, “after careful consideration, Sikorsky Aircraft decided not to bid.” Sikorsky declined to provide further details.
The lighter S-76D, understood to be the preferred platform, is the latest in a family of more than 800 S-76s delivered to customers globally since 1979, contributing daily to a growing 6.4-million-plus fleet flight hours. “The S-76D is a highly capable aircraft certified in various missions including . . . search and rescue and emergency medical services,” Ferrari pointed out.
The 11,000-pound (4,989 kilogram) weight limits set by the CCG has been a key determinant, ostensibly to meet helicopter landing deck specifications on new ships still in the design stage. That limit has prompted one industry source to describe the entire procurement process as a “sham” designed to favour Bell.
The 412 model being offered by Bell weighs 6,789lbs (3,079kg) empty with a maximum takeoff weight of 11,900 (5,397), suggesting that it would never be employed to full capacity.
CCG helicopters are tasked mainly with maintenance and construction of aids to navigation and telecommunications equipment, ice reconnaissance, and ship-to-shore personnel and cargo transfers, as well as search-and-rescue backup for the Department of National Defence, support for various departments’ research programs and enforcement of fisheries laws.
Meanwhile, the CCG’s plan to replace 14 MBB BO-105CBS helicopters – which were manufactured in Germany but assembled by Eurocopter Canada (now part of Airbus Helicopters) between 1983 and 1987 – is in legal limbo a year after Bell’s 429 was chosen.
That decision by the CCG and Public Works and Government Services Canada prompted complaints by AgustaWestland and Eurocopter about the fundamental legitimacy of the competition. The main allegation was that Transport Canada skewed the competition in favour of the 429 by easing operational weight limits. Eurocopter sued the government and until that is resolved, the project is stalled and informed sources have told InfoAero that a resolution is unlikely in the near future.
Diplômé universitaire en histoire, journalisme et relations publiques, en 1993, Philippe Cauchi amorce une carrière de journalisme, analyste et consultant en aérospatiale. En 2013, il fonde avec Daniel Bordeleau, le site d’information aérospatial Info Aéro Québec.
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