CH-148 Cyclones: There are delays and then there are, er, delays

A "slight delay" in the process of making a less-than-fully capable helicopter operational. Whoopee!

From August 2009:

Cyclone still forming: Now we'll have "interim maritime helicopters"

And now:

SLIGHT DELAY IN CYCLONE MARITIME HELICOPTER SEA TRIALS BUT TESTS TO START IN JANUARY GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS

Sea trials for the new Cyclone helicopter will take place before the end of January on the east coast, Defence Watch has been told.

Sources originally said the first of the new maritime helicopters was supposed to arrive at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater in December but now that delivery has slipped slightly.

But Public Works and Government Services spokeswoman Tricia Van der Grient confirmed to Defence Watch the sea trials will be taking place in the new year.

“The first sea trials are expected to take place prior to the end of January 2010,” she said.

“After the sea trials and completion of other flight testing to verify compliance, Sikorsky is required to start the delivery of the Interim Maritime Helicopter (IMH) in November 2010 [emphasis added] as per the [revised] contract,” she added.

It was almost a year ago that the government announced that the $5 billion project was not going to make its original deadlines and that it would cost taxpayers more than originally expected...

Several months ago Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the first Cyclone maritime helicopter was expected to arrive “soon” at Shearwater but he did not give details.

The first helicopter was originally supposed to be delivered in November 2008 but that never happened [emphasis added].

Because of that delay, Sikorsky faced financial penalties of up to $89 million but that was set aside by the Harper government. Little explanation has been provided on why penalties that could have been imposed were not...

The helicopter arriving for the January sea trials is not being actually accepted by the Canadian Forces; it is still sometime away from being on the Canadian Air Force’s flight line...

Successful completion of the sea trials, followed by development and approval of the ship-helicopter operating limitations (SHOL) for the new helicopter, which will require several months at least, are a MHP contractual obligation that must be met long before Canada accepts delivery of the first aircraft and can begin training its own pilots on the Cyclone, according to sources.

The first 19 helicopters delivered to the Canadian Forces will be designated as Interim Maritime Helicopters (IMH). These IMH aircraft will be fully functional and able to conduct testing and evaluation and training for MH maintenance and air crews, yet will not be fully compliant with the delivery contract [emphasis added], according to DND. Delivery of the first fully capable MH aircraft that meets all contract specifications will be in June 2012, at which point the previous IMH aircraft will then be retrofitted [four flipping years late].