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Background
— CF Helicopter – CH-124 Upgrades / Defensive Aids |
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‘Gulf Mods’ – Need Aid? Don’t Be So Defensive!
A defensive aids suite planned during the 1991 Gulf War were late in coming – eight CH-124s were fitted for
the suite in 1991, a further 12 in 2002. Sea Kings deployed to the Arabian Gulf in 2002 were equipped with
the infrared imagers, night-vision goggles, and door-mounted C6 machineguns only. The defensive aids suite will add
protection from infrared missiles through jamming and flare decoys as well as
chaff.
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[1] Original Sea King engines were twin 1000kW (1350shp) General Electric T58-8F turboshafts. A fleet-wide
upgrade (completed in 2002 ) transformed these powerplants into T58-100s. This brought the engines up to current
commercial standards (civil CT58-140 as used in the CCG’s S-61N) while also increasing available power to
1120kW (1500shp). The CH-113 Labrador SAR helicopters had also used T58-100s.
[2] In 1997 a program was begun to replace the obsolete AN/ANS-501 Tactical Navigation System with the newer
AN/ASN-123 computer.
[3] The CH-148 Cyclones are to have AN/ALR-47 laser warning, ALQ-210 ESM radar warning, AAR-47
missile-approach warning, ALE-47 chaff/decoy flare launchers, while retaining the ALQ-144 IR jammer. Like
Sea Kings, armament will be C6 GPMGs and two Mk46 torpedos.
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Photo Credits –
side views: Stephen Priestley, other images: CF/DND, except
M130: Chemring, and ALQ-144 Mac’s Naval Photography.
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Sea King Upgrades – Tinkering and Patching
fleet aloft. The changes include improvements to the ‘hot’ section of the engines[1] and lubrication
of the main gearbox – part of a $80M attempt to keep the Sea Kings flying. Maintenance
hour reports may be exaggerated but the CH-124s well past its prime.
Sea Kings avionics upgrades have been modest – new tactical navigation computers
were installed, and the CH-124B was distinguished by its new
sonar processing system. A more outwardly- obvious change were the handful of infrared imaging turrets shared
among the Sea Kings. (All CH-124s have fittings for the Model 2000 imager but the CF has only 14 of the
cameras.)
The Sea Kings will be fitted with BAE Systems AN/ALQ-144 infrared jammers to thwart heat-seeking missile
threats, as well as the Tracor (now also BAE Systems) M130 chaff/flare launcher (left), or AN/ALE-37 expanded
chaff dispenser. There is
no warning system for lasers – this will be rectified with