Cormorant mid-life upgrade

Stay up to date on the CH-149 Cormorant mid-life upgrade project.

Project at a glance

Overview

The Government of Canada is upgrading its CH-149 Cormorant helicopters to extend their service life until at least 2042.

Procuring

Replacement avionics, communication system components, engines, airframes, necessary equipment, mission equipment sensors, 3 additional aircraft and a flight simulator and training aids.

Status

A contract valued at $1.168 billion was awarded to Leonardo UK Ltd. on December 22, 2022. A second contract valued at $78 million was awarded to CAE Inc. on December 22, 2022.

Next steps

Implementation of the mid-life upgrade.

Project description

The mid-life upgrade of the CH-149 Cormorant helicopters will improve the Government of Canada’s ability to respond to search and rescue (SAR) incidents and keep Canadians safe. The increased fleet size will support a return of the CH-149 Cormorant to 8 Wing Trenton and replace the CH-146 Griffon in the SAR role, providing a more capable helicopter in Canada’s central SAR region.

The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, including Value Proposition, will apply to this procurement.

Procurement progress and engagement

The project is being conducted through a non-competitive process with the original equipment manufacturer of the helicopters, Leonardo S.p.A. This project also includes acquiring a Cormorant-specific full-motion flight simulator, updated training devices, publications, and training for air and maintenance crews from CAE Inc., of Montréal, Quebec.

1998 to 2000

The original contract was awarded to EH Industries (a joint venture between Westland Helicopters and Agusta) in 1998
The 2 companies merged to form AgustaWestland in 2000, which was later renamed Leonardo S.p.A.
An in-service support contract was awarded to IMP Aerospace in August 2020 for a period of 7 years, with extension options until 2025
- The extensions have since been exercised up to 2023

2018

A letter of notification was issued in May to inform industry of the government’s proposed non-competitive approach to awarding the definition work for the mid-life upgrade to Leonardo S.p.A.

2019 and beyond

The definition work required to upgrade and optimize the Cormorant fleet was completed
In May 2020, Leonardo UK Ltd. (a subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A) submitted a proposal for:
- the provision of all upgrades for the helicopters and, via a sub-contract to CAE Inc.:
  - a flight simulator
  - training devices maintenance and support services
In February 2022, in response to 2 updated requests for proposals :
- Leonardo UK Ltd. submitted an updated proposal for CH-149-related goods and services
- CAE Inc. submitted a proposal for a flight simulator and training aids
In December 2022, a contract valued at $1.168 billion (including taxes) was awarded to Leonardo UK Ltd.
Also in December 2022, a contract valued at $78 million (including taxes) was awarded to CAE Inc.

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