First overhauled CH-149 Cormorant takes flight in Yeovil under mid-life upgrade

The programme also sees Canada purchase three new AW101s, increasing its total fleet to 16 aircraft.

The first Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter overhauled under a mid-life upgrade (MLU) programme has begun flight checks.

Those checks took place at Leonardo Helicopters’ Yeovil site in the UK, where the Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade programme is being performed. The CH-149 is a derivative of Leonardo’s AW101 military rotorcraft, which is tailored for personnel recovery and combat search and rescue.

“The first flight is an important milestone in the production process where the design is tested, and the helicopter’s ability to fly safely is evaluated,” Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) says.

Photos released by the DND on 3 July show an unpainted Cormorant in hover flight at Yeovil. The helicopter has been stripped of the distinctive red-and-yellow livery that adorns the RCAF’s civil search and rescue aircraft.

Under the MLU, existing CH-149s will be reconfigured to Leonardo’s latest AW101-612 design standard.

Amongst the planned improvements are upgrades to each CH-149’s three GE Aerospace T700 turboshaft engines that will increase the operational ceiling to 15,000 feet. The new engines will be provided by GE Canada, according to Leonardo.

Onboard avionics, including flight management, communications, navigation and safety systems, will also be upgraded to comply with new civil aviation regulations. Improvements to the search and rescue sensors are also planned, along with wireless in-cabin communications.

Collins Aerospace will provide the new cockpit displays and avionics.

Canada operates a fleet of 13 CH-149s in a civil and maritime search and rescue capacity, with that fleet split between Comox, British Columbia; Greenwood, Nova Scotia; and Gander, Newfoundland. Ottawa says the CH-149 has been deployed to recover mountain climbers, lost hikers and ship crews in distress.

Each aircraft has a range of 583nm (1,080km) with the ability to carry 19 passengers, 12 stretchers, or 5,000kg (11,000lb) of cargo.

As part of the MLU programme, the RCAF will also purchase three new-build AW101s, bringing its Cormorant fleet to 16 aircraft. Leonardo is now in the process of assembling these at Yeovil.

This project will extend the estimated life expectancy of the RCAF’s CH-149 fleet to at least 2042 and address obsolescence issues. Delivery of the new-build aircraft and upgrade work on the existing Cormorant fleet is projected to wrap up by 2030.

Canadian aerospace services provider CAE will also provide a Cormorant flight simulator configured to the modernised CH-149 layout. This will offer the RCAF a domestic flight-training capability within Canada.

“Our aircrews… will no longer need to travel to the United Kingdom to train,” the DND says.

The total Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade project is valued at C$1.24 billion, split between Leonardo and CAE.