Fixed-wing SAR replacement: "we’re putting proposals in front of the government to that end"

But how soon will the government act? The headline is a bit misleading:

Ottawa to replace aircraft

The new commander of Canada’s air force says proposals to replace the country’s aging fleet of fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft will soon be put before the government.

The Conservatives have already spent nearly $13-billion on other new aircraft, notably the gigantic C-17 Globemaster heavy-lift transport.

But Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt, who took over air force command on Thursday, said replacing fixed-wing search and rescue planes is a priority.

"Right now for fixed-wing search and rescue we are relying on two of the oldest fleets, which are the Hercules and the Buffalo," he said following sweltering induction ceremony on the tarmac at Canadian Aviation Museum.

"We can continue to extend their lives and they can continue to fly safely, but at a certain point it becomes uneconomical to keep refurbishing."

The former Liberal government proposed to replace the aircraft, some of which are more than 40 years old, with 15 brand new planes.

But the $2.1-billion program has been stalled within the bureaucracy and sidelined by big-ticket purchases, such as the C-17s, the medium-lift C-130J, and the CH-47 Chinook battlefield transport helicopters, all of which are seen as essential for the war in Afghanistan [if the latter two get there before we pull out - MC]...

"It takes, from the time we sign the contract (to delivery), three years. The key problem is getting to the signature on the contract. It’s hard to predict how long that will take. The sooner the better."

When the project was first announced in the spring of 2004 [and the Liberals called it a priority then!], it was expected the last of the new planes would be on the tarmac by April 2009.

The EADS-CASA C-295 and the Alenia C-27J Spartan are believed to be the main contenders, but there has also been talk that Montreal-based Bombardier is interested in bidding [but Bombardier has no suitable plane, unless politics really intrude].

The US recently selected the C-27J for its new Joint (army, air force) Cargo Aircraft.