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Canadian Defence Procurement — updated and revised January 2004
Politics, Procurement Practices, and Procrastination:
the Quarter-Century Sea King Helicopter
Replacement Saga
Part 9 — Widening the ‘New
Shipboard Aircraft Project’ Requirement
Mulroney’s fourth defence minister, Bill McKnight, had a reputation as a ‘doer’. Great things
were expected of him by pundits and insiders but little was actually achieved. The NSA Project jugged
along at a leisurely pace but, trouble loomed.
By the end of the ’80s, the Sea King was becoming more
of a liability than an asset to DND. The aging ASW helicopters had also become something of an
embarrassment to the Canadian government. But the CF had another problem on its hands. Their equally old
CH-113 Labrador search-and-rescue helicopters –
purchased in 1963, like the Sea Kings – were now faultering badly. Bad enough that their
maintenance hours were skyrocketing, but the SAR Labradors were starting to fall out of the sky at an
alarming rate. Canadian Forces SAR techs – personnel who risk their lives as a matter of
routine – began to fear the very aircraft they flew in. A rash of fatal accidents
involving SAR Labradors finally brought things to a head.
1991 — Adding a New SAR Helicopter Requirement to the NSA Project
Belatedly tacking on a search-and-rescue aircraft to the New Shipboard Aircraft requirement also had economic
benefits including the lower unit price per aircraft (and for spare parts) which accompany larger orders. The
training of maintenance personnel and flight crews is simplified, and staffing headaches reduced. But, this
added SAR requirement would also encourage the ratcheting up of airframe size already seen in the Sea
King Replacement Project. More gear means bigger size.
Merger — the New Shipboard Aircraft Project/New SAR Helicopter Project
There was another ratcheting effect. Adding an SAR requirement also pushed up the total bill for the New
Shipboard Aircraft order dramatically. DND’s joint ‘New Shipboard Aircraft Project /New SAR Helicopter
Project’ called for 50 helicopters – 35 ASW Sea King replacements and 15 SAR types – at a
total cost of $5.8B.
< Part 8 — NSA and “...‘The Effects
of a Permanent Income On Thought’...”
> Part 10 — Contracts for the NSA ...
‘Buy Now! Do Not Pay Until 1995!’
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