Team re-established for Cormorant upgrade and fleet expansion
Team Cormorant will support modernisation of the Royal Canadian Air Force EH101/CH-149 helicopters and convert AW101-519s.
Leonardo Helicopters and IMP Aerospace & Defence (IMP) have re-established ‘Team Cormorant’ to support the modernisation of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleet of EH101/CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue (SAR) helicopters and the expansion of the fleet through the conversion of AW101-519 helicopters.
Team Cormorant comprises manufacturer Leonardo Helicopters, support contractor IMP and other key Canadian companies who will supply and support critical aircraft components, technology, systems, simulation and training, said the firms.
The Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade (CMLU) and Conversion Program proposed by Team Cormorant will create a fleet of the world’s ‘most advanced and capable’ SAR helicopters in the world, meeting the RCAF’s ‘no fail’ SAR mandate for the next 25 years, the companies affirmed. It combines the current fleet of 14 Cormorant helicopters with additional helicopters obtained by the Government of Canada when it acquired the assets of the US VH-71 presidential helicopter programme, currently in storage at IMP Aerospace in Halifax. The CMLU and Conversion Program aims to offer a single, common fleet incorporating the latest avionic and mission systems, advanced radars and sensors, vision enhancement and tracking systems.