In the Fall of 2004 Ottawa inked a $5 billion dollar deal for 28 new marine helicopters to replace the Canadian military’s aging Sea King fleet – ending one of the most tumultuous and politically fraught tendering processes in Canadian history.

The Canadian military chose the Sikorsky H-92 (later dubbed the CH-148 Cyclone) -- a military variant of Sikorsky’s new state-of-the-art S92 helicopter which was being marketed primarily to the offshore oil industry – over the EH-101 Cormorant, built by AugustaWestland Inc.

The protracted competition to provide Canada with new marine-based helicopters heated up in 1993 when then Prime Minister Jean Chretien, after making it an election issue, killed the $5.8 billion dollar contract signed by the former Mulroney government to purchase a fleet of EH 101 helicopters.

As each company vied for the lucrative contract, a war of words between Sikorsky and AugustaWestland ensued in the intervening years over their helicopters’ capabilities.

Sikorsky was supposed to start delivering the Cyclone to the Canadian military in 2008. But, according to DND, they have not received a single Cyclone to date.

 Following the March 12, 2009 crash of the S92 helicopter that killed 15 offshore oil workers and two crew off the coast of Newfoundland, questions started to arise about the Cyclone’s capabilities – specifically about it’s ability to “run dry” for half-an-hour in the event of a massive oil loss in the main gearbox. The fact that the S92 could not fly for half-an-hour after massive oil loss in the main gear box became a key issue after the Newfoundland crash.

Defence Mninister Peter MacKay assured last April that the Cyclone will have so-called “run dry” capability.

“I assure you that there will be rigorous testing, there will be rigorous examination of that helicopter before we take possession of it and it will meet the specifications that we submit to them," he said. "We won't accept a helicopter that isn't safe to fly.”

DND has told the fifth estate that “the run-dry capability specified in the maritime helicopter contract requires the CH-148 Cyclone to be capable of flying for either 30 minutes or a minimum of 60 nautical miles and then conduct a normal landing on a Halifax Class ship, following a total loss of lubricating oil in any drive system component,” and that “The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF) have not yet taken delivery of this aircraft. The DND/CF will verify that the CH-148 complies with all performance requirements – including the run-dry capability – prior to Canada's acceptance and delivery of the helicopter.”

Canada's Air Force: CH-148 Cyclone