Dropping key standards for the Cyclones
July 27, 2010 · By Mark Peters
Perhaps military personnel can set me straight on how leaving out key standards is a good thing, but right now this decision seems remarkably short-sighted.
OTTAWA is dropping key performance standards for navy helicopters due this fall in return for the manufacturer’s promise to guarantee another $80 million in work for Canadian aerospace companies over the next two decades.
The revised deal… means the first six Cyclone choppers that fly from frigates in November won’t be required to have a system allowing some encrypted tactical information to be exchanged between ships and helicopters. [...]
The helicopters will also no longer have to pass an endurance test for flying in warmer temperatures nor a test that requires one engine to keep going if a second engine fails in higher temperatures.
Another example of how expediency wins out over the needs of our troops.
Relax. Doing this will allow the CF to start training on time. The finer points of datalink integration will not be used while the aircraft is being used to develop pilot skills, crew SOPs, etc. By the time the fully compliant aicraft turn up, the CF will be better prepared to use those refinements that come with them. The first 6 aircraft get retrofitted and everyone is happy.
Of course buying an orphan fleet and doing all this development was an unnecessary expense and complication foisted on the CF by;
1. A Liberal government desperate to buy anything except EH101
and
2. Dreamers in NDHQ who think a buy of 28 aircraft justifies inventing requirements that NO other navy has.
Is this Harper sucking up to Queerbec again. Putting Canadian troops at risk, now I know why he chickened out on defending them against those commies Rae and Dosanji
Dave, thank you. That halfway makes sense.
“Queerbec”
So…which do you hate more? Gay people or Quebecers?
This site usually does a good job of carrying on a discussion without trashy comments…
Hey Mark,
The link to the article appears to be dead.
I am a tad concerned that these standards were dropped in exchange for 80 million dollars. It’s as though the risks to the lives of the operators have been mitigated by this influx of business. (evidently I’m not talking about the encryption issue)
Dave makes valid points and appears to know a hell of a lot more than me on the subject but how do you retrofit a warm weather stress test if the unit is already being used?
Do they end up being performed at a later date?
Thanks, RD. Link is fixed.