Team Cormorant to upgrade Canada’s search and rescue fleet

Team Cormorant is made up of Leonardo, IMP Aerospace and Defence, CAE, GE Canada, Collins Aerospace and many Canadian suppliers. And the purpose of the team’s CMLU programme is to upgrade the Cormorant aircraft to the latest AW101-612 standard, including state-of-the-art avionics, a new ‘glass cockpit’, the addition of the latest sensors, radar and search enhancement technology, more powerful digitally-controlled engines, wireless in-cabin communications, LED lighting, rescue hoist upgrades, synthetic training solutions and more – enabling the Cormorants to ‘spend less time searching and more time rescuing stranded Canadians’, as Leonardo put it.

Leonardo, as the Team Cormorant prime contractor, will work closely with IMP Aerospace and Defence to deliver the CMLU program in Canada, with the work undertaken by Canadians. CAE will deliver Canada’s first AW101 full-motion simulator and other synthetic training capabilities. GE Canada will provide the new engines, and Collins Aerospace will provide the new cockpit displays and avionics. Other Canadian suppliers will be engaged through a robust Industrial Technological Benefits (ITB) and Value Proposition program which will deliver the maximum value of the CMLU and fleet expansion to Canada.