The Canadian Air Force has initiated the conversion of five CH-124B Sea King anti-submarine warfare helicopters to a battlefield transport role (in a similar way to the UK's Commando/ Sea King HC.4 from the Westland version of the Sea King).
The converted Sea Kings will become part of the new Standing Contingency Task Force (SCTF) announced in Canada's 2005 Defence Policy Statement. The Sea Kings are being converted to the transport role at a cost of approximately CAD5.5 million (USD4.8 million). They will have their sonobuoy dispensers and AN/UYS-503 acoustic processing system removed, and 12 troop seats will be added, along with the AN/ARC-210 1794C radio with secure two-way communications.
"We are also looking at an engine air particle separator as a follow-on activity," Major Max Shaw, weapons systems manager for the CH-124, told IDR.
The helicopters will not be fitted with any new weapon systems other than the C6 (MAG 58) 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, which they can already carry. They are also already equipped with a self-defence suite consisting of the AN/ALQ-144 infrared countermeasures jammer, the AN/AAR-47 missile-approach warning system and the AN/ALE-47 decoy dispensing system.
Maj Shaw stated: "The objective here is to keep it simple, this is an interim measure so the present navigation system and the present radar remain."
The conversion modifications are being undertaken by IMP Aerospace (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and the air force's Aerospace and Telecommunications Engineering Support Squadron.
The work on all five aircraft should be complete by November, just in time to participate in a proof-of-concept exercise for the SCTF in November to December 2006.
The SCTF will be a quick-reaction sea-based force comprising a naval task force of three to five ships, including an amphibious ship; air assets including four to six heavy-lift helicopters and CP-140 Aurora surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft; and a land component built around a light task force of approximately 800 to 900 soldiers.
Lieutenant-Colonel Danny Houde, Directorate Air Strategic Planning, told IDR that the Sea King helicopters will be used "to provide a lift capability until other options are developed, for instance the arrival of the Cyclone into the field force sometime down the road". Canada's air force is acquiring 28 Sikorsky H-92 helicopters (designated the CH-148 Cyclone) as a replacement for the Sea Kings in their maritime role, with first delivery beginning in late 2008.
There has been no decision on whether the Cyclones or a different helicopter would be used for the SCTF lift role, but Lt Col Houde said: "At the moment, the CH-148 Cyclone is the option that we are looking at."