Leonardo lands major helicopter deal with Canadian government

The Canadian Department of National Defence has given Leonardo (through Leonardo U.K. Ltd. of Yeovil) a $1 billion CAN (€690 million) contract for the AW101/CH-149 “Cormorant” Mid-Life Upgrade (CMLU) Project. This contract covers 16 aircraft, including 13 Cormorant Search and Rescue Helicopters (CSH) that are currently in service and the addition of three more aircraft.

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By virtue of this agreement, the fleet’s life expectancy will be extended until 2042+, its systems and technologies will be improved, compliance with new airspace rules will be ensured, and Cormorant helicopters will be able to return to the Main Operating Base (MOB) Trenton.

In accordance with the suggestion made by Team Cormorant, the fleet of CH-149 Cormorants will now undergo a mid-life upgrade. The group is an alliance between Leonardo and is supported by its principal Canadian subcontractor IMP Aerospace and Defence, GE Canada, and Collins Aerospace Canada. The majority of the CMLU work will be done in Canada, principally at IMP’s Halifax, N.S. facilities.

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The CMLU Project will transition Canada’s AW101/CH-149 “Cormorant” SAR helicopter fleet to the latest standard currently being delivered for SAR in Norway and arguably the best search and rescue helicopter in the world. The CMLU Project will include; state-of-the-art avionics, a new glass cockpit, more powerful digitally-controlled engines, wireless in-cabin communications, the latest SAR sensors including Electro Optical Infra-Red device and Mobile Phone Detection Location System –enabling less search and more rescue.