Fatal crash puts spotlight on Canada's troubled military helicopter history

Following a fatal crash in April, new questions have been raised about Canada's ship-borne helicopters, the Cyclone CH-148s, placing a spotlight on the ongoing complications involved in getting new air force helicopters on navy ships.
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[@ginNjus]

There are lot of new helicopters available in the defense market....the problem is politics. Same problem with the fighter jets too.

[@mafmaf6417]

As far as the EH 101 goes, the Canadian media had just as much to do with the cancellation as Cretein did. They focused on the cost instead of the fact that the Sea Kings were long past retirement. Why did the government not buy the Seahawk. Two Seahawks could serve aboard the Frigates while only 1 Cyclone can serve.

[@av8tor261]

Lay the blame where it belongs. At the feet of politicians.

[@natedogg1144]

The blame doesn't belong with the politicians, but in the citizens of Canada. The politicians do what the citizens let them do. The citizens of Canada by and large don't support the Canadian military, talk is cheap. How else does one explain Canada fighting in Afghanistan for 10 years on a peace time defence budget, 50 year old Sea Kings, closing in on 40 year old fighter and maritime patrol aircraft. The Griffon tactical helicopter fleet that was unsuitable for the job when the were new and are almost 30 year old about to be life extended instead of replaced by proper tactical helicopters.

[@goodvibes7104]

There's a common denominator here. Canada is the only country in the world that's having issues with helicopters for the past 30 years. Don't know if it's because Canada is being cheap or they're not properly training their military and mechanics.

[@otakunthevegan4206]

Best trained worst funded.

[@natedogg1144]

Canada's military is not the worst funded, our military spends the money we have, because Canadians let the government of whatever brand use the military for political purposes.

[@NumberOneChina]

@@otakunthevegan4206 best trained, lol

[@user-fx7vs2jh5w]

I’m Abbigail’s mom. This is a great video!!❤❤

[@chromozone123]

we are to reliant on the states and other countrys to protect us. although we are a peaceful country we still need to beef up this second biggest country in the world

[@scatterthewinds3126]

Tragic. RIP.

[@Solisium-Channel]

U.S: what deficit lol

[@NumberOneChina]

"canadian armed forces" there's your problem

[@KJAY2THOUSAND]

As a Canadian Im always curious as to why we don’t use the same equipment and vehicles as the US military..

[@florencefernandez5755]

RIP

[@Bod8998]

She got. Some wide shoulder flex going on

[@andrewnicholas9079]

I flew in the s92 offshore in the gulf of Mexico. They were awesome compared to anything else I had flown in.

[@Zulfburht]

Yeah, can we stop taking the world’s sloppy second’s for our military, and navy? How many troop’s do we have to loose to cheapness, and lack of funding programs within Canada to support vehicular development.

[@blazetieftw]

I’m against overfunding of military and law enforcement, but Canada’s military needs more funding!

[@jazzhandsparten]

It if we do wouldn’t we call it “over funding the military?” I think some people are happier if we keep handicapping our military.

[@mikecorbeil]

IMPRESSIVE history in this video about the Cdn Air Forces having, sometimes, evidently lousy tech. It might be recommendable for ALL Cdn military forces members to learn about these types of things. Of course, it'd be essential for them to ALL also learn about relevant laws pertinent to all Cdn forces members. I won't develop on those latter details for this comment, but these people definitely must learn very carefully about all important, critically important laws, pertaining to their service years. It's just that that appears to not be relevant in the case of this April 2020 accident with the CF-148 heli. I don't care and have never cared for Mulroney and Chretien/Cretin for PM's, but this isn't pertinent to the heli. accident of April 2020. Or is it?

[@dotcollector]

Kenney is just as unbearable in person if you were wondering. Trust me.

[@heathert.4727]

Buying new equipment isn’t even about building up the Canadian military to contribute to NATO any more. At this point it’s about saving human lives.

[@cherylsibson8457]

Canada must be able to do both abroad and at home, invest over the years proper equipment to aid in foreign countries, and be able to fight forest fires at home. Perhaps not spending on helicopters or on long term care facilities, has been the way Canada has demonstrated in our ability to show how Canada has cared for each other with a pocketbook suited for the 1% lacking in spending for people, places and things, Canada has required for decades, and it's upsetting to watch. Now to leave it to the next generation? Not so wise were they? Trickling down the economy has been the Canadian downfall. Wise up please.

[@philtan2864]

Why not the 4 US,UK,CANADA,AUSTRALIA, who are both a COMMONWEALTH countries not share their technology and play as ( 1 ) country? Idiology and beleif is one, "good life."

[@SunSun108]

Birds are taking out our military machines...Sounds like tough stuff to take to battle...

[@TherealRTZ973]

Why are there military helicopters in Greece when we need water bombers in BC?

[@davidsharonsherburne2456]

Huh ???

[@davidwalters6814]

Canada needs a fleet of several thousand drones, specialized for various tasks. We need to protect the Northwest Passage before we lose complete control of our own natural resources. If we want to clean environmental pollution, monitor environmental changes, while building infrastructure, all with Canadian companies to entirely replace dependence on China for goods and as a customer for our fossil fuels, we need a massive defense spending budget. We need to spread manufacturing across our rural regions that are losing everything to this pandemic. We need this starting in March 2020. It is now June 2020 and we are not ready for a political collapse in the USA. With 37M Canadians, we cannot handle a wave of 100M US citizens, should they descend in to open civil war. We need real action Yesterday! Thank you for just deciding to protect us CSIS, please don't turn this into a joke.

[@johnnybegoode2374]

Procurement process in a nutshell identify the need, then filibuster the heck out of it so that the committees get more money and the cost of canceled and delayed contracts nearly double the original price tag then politicians pat themselves on the back.

[@dwightmcqueen5771]

Good

[@ivanronin8209]

Canadian Military is a Joke ! Russia could take our North in a Day ! Maybe less !

[@mafmaf6417]

Russia can take most countries in a day, they have nukes. Our military is not a joke. Underfunded and underequipt,yes, but man for man, one of the best. All one has to do is research missions starting with the former Yugoslavia and you will see what the troops had to deal with to do the mission and you will see.

[@redhorse5924]

A study showed that a US annexation of Canada would take approximately 30 minutes. Canadian politicians has reduced our military to the equivalent of mall cops on the world stage. Canadians should remember that Canada needs the US way more than the US needs Canada.

[@mafmaf6417]

@@redhorse5924 once again, the US is a world power. They can pretty much take anyone on. Canada, unless we have nukes, obviously cannot take the US in conventional warfare. Your statement is redicullous. We do not need the US to defend us, nor should we want to, nor do they want to.

[@redhorse5924]

@@mafmaf6417 Ridiculous for you to understand maybe. Do we have some great troops? Absolutely. Would they be effective defending Canada? Not for very long. Let me guess...you just finished your Infantry DP1 course in Wainwright and are still under the impression that we are "Hard as F&%K!" as CF members. Give it about 15 more years and you'll start to realize that the flag you've been wearing on your shoulder doesn't give a damn about you. NDHQ in Ottawa doesn't give a damn about you and the suits in government? Well you are cutting into their annual salary, so you can imagine how much they care about you. Good troops or not, we cannot defend our country if we are cut off at the knees by the people that equip us. Bury a friend or two because of being ill-equipped and then tell me we have one of the best armed forces in the world. You have NO idea what you are talking about.

[@redhorse5924]

@@mafmaf6417 Furthermore...were we once an awesome armed forces? Once upon a time yes, before being parted out by the peace loving liberal governments that don't feel the necessity to have a military at all.

[@firefox39693]

I fully understand how, from a superficial perspective, how people who vote Conservative, and members of the Armed Forces would think the Liberals, and NDP don't care about the military. I'm a democratic socialist, and I fully support the military. I support the Canadian government buying better equipment to make sure men and women in uniform can do their jobs effectively, and safely.

[@otakunthevegan4206]

*Slaps Helicopter* "You could fit so many dead service personel in this baby!" I volunteer to pay higher taxs if it means keeping CAF personel safe. Raise my tax's, I implore you, I can afford it if it means doing my tax duty for those who do their real Duty.

[@mafmaf6417]

Taxes have nothing to do with it. The procurement process is the problem. The EH 101 and CF 18 replacement is a prime example.

[@guardianoffire8814]

Since Diefenbaker every Canadian Govt regardless of party has always made its priorities to send Canadian military forces to join the United States in some military adventurism abroad that has nothing to due with defence. It's always funny how the want to help create jobs in the US, making Canada reliant on United States for military equipment. All other European countries have maintained their own military capabilities to produce their own armaments while Canada listened to US and destroyed its own.

[@mafmaf6417]

Your statement is not true. Canada had never taken part in an American military operation. All of the military missions Canada has participated in over the last 60 years had either been UN or NATO sanctioned. As far as Canada using US military equipment, we actually do not really use that much. I would say the RCAF is the biggest user of US equipment. The Army and RCN use equipment from many nations as well as the US. The Army's LAV III/6 for example are made in Canada. The Leopard 2 tanks, made in Germany, brought up to 2A4/6 MCAN in Canada. Hopefully the government chooses the Saab Gripon for the CF 18 replacement so we can build our fighter here in Canada. The main problem with the Canadian military is the governments mishandling of the procurement process. Economic benefits should not be a key point to purchasing military equipment, unless that equipment can be made in Canada. The other problem is the time frame to replace said equipment is far to long. Technology changes at a rapid pace to the extent that as the years go by the spec's have to be constantly changed, as is what happened with the Cyclone. Politics always plays a role in the governments aquireing anything, civilian or military. All countries are like that.

[@guardianoffire8814]

@@mafmaf6417 LAV 3 are assembled in Canada but made by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada a subsidiary of an American company. Canad does not have access to technology to build the LAV should the company cease operations under the orders of United States. As for NATO several missions were not backed by the United Nations and some cases went well beyond what was allowed UN such as in Libya.

[@mafmaf6417]

@@guardianoffire8814 I was replying to your statement about Canada relying on the US for military equipment there by creating jobs in the US. This is simply not the case. The LAV's were made in Canada, and upgraded in Canada. They are not even a US design. Look I am not trying to defend the past and present Canadian governments here. Canada used to design and manufacture not only our own military equipment, but from other nations as well. I do agree that we should be self-sufficient when it comes to our own military. As far as sending troops overseas, as long as the governments in power continue to be part of any military or civilian alliance, we are obligated to participate in those alliances operations. Do I agree with that, yes I do. Military force is never to be taken lightly. Do I think we should follow our allies into every war or military operation, no I do not. Take the UN missions to the former Yugoslavia and Somalia. Those missions ground down the Army especially, to the point that vehicles like the AVGP had to be sent because the M 113's that were used in 4 CMBG were to clapped out to be continued to be used. The AVGP's were never designed to go into combat, and yes that mission was a combat mission, they were designed for training here in Canada. But how many Canadians know about the Yugoslavia mission, or care for that matter, which is another problem all together.

[@ler3968]

You and always count on the brave politicians to place their re-elections ahead of young service people's lives. Just ask the politicians if they would allow their children to fly in a 40 or 50-year-old helicopter that is well past it's Best By Date.

[@Jnabiz]

First

[@andrec1134]

Second