Public Debut Of The New Multi-Mission Helicopter
The Sikorsky CH148 Cyclone helicopter will debut in a static
exhibit at the 49th International Paris Air Show. In a news release
Thursday, Sikorsky said the aircraft on display was built under
Sikorsky's Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (CMHP), and is one
of 28 CH148 aircraft that will be produced for the Canadian Forces
to replace a fleet of Sea King helicopters that have been in
operation for almost 50 years.
A multi-mission aircraft, Sikorsky says the Cyclone
helicopter addresses the full range of maritime missions including
anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search
and rescue (SAR), and utility missions. It is designed for full
spectrum shipboard operations with a deck haul down and handling
system, CT7-8 marinized engines, hover refueling and designed-in
features for shipboard maintainability. The aircraft has a full
glass cockpit with a fully digital fly-by-wire flight control
system, automatic blade and tail fold, 360-degree Inverse Synthetic
Aperture Radar (ISAR), self-defence suite, passive and active
acoustics, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), electronic surveillance
systems, digital data link and an extensive navigation and
communications suite.
"We believe the Cyclone helicopter represents the 'aircraft of
the future' for maritime forces around the globe," said Carey Bond,
president of Sikorsky Global Helicopters. "This is a helicopter
that offers significant advancements in technology. It is clearing
a path for delivery of an extremely sophisticated, flexible
aircraft that will be among the most capable maritime helicopters
in its class ever designed and built anywhere in the world."
The CH148 recently completed another phase of Ship Helicopter
Operating Limits Testing, also known as sea trials, performing
extremely well and verifying that flight and deck operations can be
executed through a growing envelope and demonstrating an ease of
maintenance on board. Canadian Forces technicians are now
undergoing ground-based training, to be followed by aircrew flight
training.
The CH148 Cyclone is derived from and builds upon the
state-of-the-art Sikorsky S-92 search and rescue helicopter now in
use with the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Saudi
Ministry of Interior, offshore oil operators and other users
throughout the world. With the same robust structures and systems,
the Cyclone helicopter offers Navy users maximum availability with
reduced inspection and maintenance costs.
Sikorsky has proposed the Cyclone helicopter, based upon the
CH148 Cyclone helicopter developed for Canada, to the German Navy
as a common, low-risk solution to Germany's helicopter
requirements.
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