CH-146 Griffon

[Spencer100]

Didn’t the RCAF discreetly manage to get its fingers on 2 soon to be retired A330’s with the intent to convert them to refuellers, aka the MRTT?

Or something to that affect?

I remember reading somewhere credible (non-Canadian source) that we put a deposit, or some kind of ‘something’ for 2 MRTT aircraft, to be acquired & converted at a future date. (Probably to avoid a standard competition?)


But now that I think about it, maybe you are right. Maybe it just announced that the A330 was the only option we were considering, and 2 of those aircraft would be refuellers? (But if buying MRTT, I’d think they’d all be refuellers?)

My wires are all mixed up, but I think MRTT is a sole source contract when the time comes.


(F**k. You’re welcome folks. Thanks for reading my post about nothing!)

MRTT contract hides the VVIP transport. that is the real reason done so fast and bought the used ones. MRTT conversion to be done much later.

 

[CBH99]

MRTT contract hides the VVIP transport. that is the real reason done so fast and bought the used ones. MRTT conversion to be done much later.

That makes sense. Other than the article posted, I don’t think I heard a single word about this from any media outlets at all.

 

[Spencer100]

That makes sense. Other than the article posted, I don’t think I heard a single word about this from any media outlets at all.

Other than the UORs the Harper government did for Afghanistan, the only purchases of equipment for the RCAF (CAF) that have moved fast are the Challenger, Global purchases and now the A330......because of the VVIP.

 

[KevinB]

But do we have anything that can shift armoured vehicles around in a hurry, like the Russkies did to blunt the Ukrainian breakthrough?

Russia sends reinforcements to Kharkiv as Ukrainians advance​

Poddubny reported that Russian military headquarters were using Mi-26 helicopters to reinforce units in Kharkiv with both men and armored vehicles, redeploying reserve troops to both Kupiansk and Izium.

Russia sends reinforcements to Kharkiv as Ukrainians advance - Egypt Independent

Russia is reinforcing embattled military units in Kharkiv as it scrambles to counter a Ukrainian advance that has taken Kyiv’s troops to the edge of two key cities in the region. Ukrainian forces have arrived on the western outskirts of Kupiansk and have also struck south towards Izium after...

egyptindependent.com

None of the LAV6.0 systems are compatible with an airlift like that. Even the CH-53K ‘King Stallion’ cannot lift a LAV6.0, but a USMC LAV-25 yes…

@Good2Golf can deal with this far better than I, but Canada has no heavy lift helicopters. The Hook is (was?) still considered a Medium Lift even though the G Block II can carry ~22,000 lbs (still 6k under the King).

Furthermore Canada has no real Medium equipment, the LAV6.0 is way beyond what most would consider a Medium weight APC/IFV.

Considering what Canada has for vertical lift, moving a Light Battalion would be a stretch at this point without stealing Hooks from CANSOF.

 

[daftandbarmy]

None of the LAV6.0 systems are compatible with an airlift like that. Even the CH-53K ‘King Stallion’ cannot lift a LAV6.0, but a USMC LAV-25 yes…

@Good2Golf can deal with this far better than I, but Canada has no heavy lift helicopters. The Hook is (was?) still considered a Medium Lift even though the G Block II can carry ~22,000 lbs (still 6k under the King).

Furthermore Canada has no real Medium equipment, the LAV6.0 is way beyond what most would consider a Medium weight APC/IFV.

Considering what Canada has for vertical lift, moving a Light Battalion would be a stretch at this point without stealing Hooks from CANSOF.

Just need a few of these bad boys...

... they're fun to jump out of too. Just don't get near the downwash

 

[Kat Stevens]

Just need a few of these bad boys...

... they're fun to jump out of too. Just don't get near the downwash

View attachment 75181

No thanks, it looks like a flying hybrid Slap Chop and VegeMatic

 

[Dana381]

MRTT contract hides the VVIP transport. that is the real reason done so fast and bought the used ones. MRTT conversion to be done much later.

I seem to remember the liberals loosing their shit when Harper spent money to paint the VVIP plane.

 

[Good2Golf]

None of the LAV6.0 systems are compatible with an airlift like that. Even the CH-53K ‘King Stallion’ cannot lift a LAV6.0, but a USMC LAV-25 yes…

@Good2Golf can deal with this far better than I, but Canada has no heavy lift helicopters. The Hook is (was?) still considered a Medium Lift even though the G Block II can carry ~22,000 lbs (still 6k under the King).

Interestingly @KevinB, the current NATO ATP-49 no longer makes a differentiation between medium and heavy like it did in the past. Even the term MTH isn’t used a lot. The funny bit is that in civy world, a Bell Huey (212, 412, etc) is a ‘medium’ category helicopter.

Considering what Canada has for vertical lift, moving a Light Battalion would be a stretch at this point without stealing Hooks from CANSOF.

I see what you did there. MR’s PR as Comd CANSOFCOM supported by Lisa Laflamme was pretty subtle (and effective, clearly)

Just need a few of these bad boys...

... they're fun to jump out of too. Just don't get near the downwash

View attachment 75181

Still less payload than a Chinook…and waaaaay slower…

 

[KevinB]

Just need a few of these bad boys...

... they're fun to jump out of too. Just don't get near the downwash

View attachment 75181

Are you taking about the Sheridan or the Sky Crane

 

[armrdsoul77]

I seem to remember the liberals loosing their shit when Harper spent money to paint the VVIP plane

In Conservative Party of Canada colours.

 

[Kirkhill]

In Conservative Party of Canada colours.

I thought they were RCAF colours - like the Roundel.

 

[Dana381]

In Conservative Party of Canada colours.

View attachment 75205

I thought they were RCAF colours - like the Roundel.

I did too, if they had painted it just red and white than you could say they used liberal party colors.

Ocean blue is quite fitting for a country that has the longest coastline in the world. Besides it looks sharp in my opinion.

 

[armrdsoul77]

I thought they were RCAF colours - like the Roundel.

Oh so it is.

I guess what I saw was this

 

[dimsum]

Ocean blue is quite fitting for a country that has the longest coastline in the world. Besides it looks sharp in my opinion.

Also very soothing

But in our latitudes, I think “North Atlantic/Pacific/Arctic Gray” is more appropriate.

 

[kev994]

View attachment 75205

I thought they were RCAF colours - like the Roundel.

That’s what the government at the time declared. The new paint scheme also had to be “cost neutral” until it wasn’t.

 

[Dana381]

Also very soothing

But in our latitudes, I think “North Atlantic/Pacific/Arctic Gray” is more appropriate.

That's why the Grey belly on 003

 

[Kirkhill]

Brits bumping up the size of their Chinook fleet

Some (new money) has already been allocated to the improvement programme for the RAF Chinook helicopter fleet, a move likely to save the taxpayer millions of pounds.
The £1.4 billion order, announced in May 2021, for the H-47 Extended Range-variant of Chinook had been expected to be delayed after the MoD said it needed to “reconsider the expenditure profile of this project”.
Extending delivery of the first of 14 aircraft by three years to 2030 was expected to cost £300 million, money that will not now be lost as the programme is brought back to its original time scale.
The new helicopters will take the number of Chinooks in RAF service up to 60.

Army could rush in new rockets as Ukraine war exposes Britain's 'out of date' artillery

Ben Wallace says years of campaigning in Iraq and Afghanistan has left the traditional war fighting role of the army 'neglected'

www.telegraph.co.uk

These will operate alongside the 25 "Commando" versions of the Merlin.

The RAF also plans to operate 22 A-400s and 8 C-17s for tactical airlift. The Hercs are to be taken out of service this year if the RAF can keep the A-400s flying. There is apparently a shortage of propellers.

Several A400Ms are on the ground at RAF Brize Norton without propellers due to shortages. Others are undergoing a retrofit process. The level of availability changes on a daily and weekly basis.

UK Royal Air Force Extends C-130J Life | Aviation Week Network

The UK Royal Air Force has extended the life of its Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules airlifters for another three months as it attempts to overcome shortfalls in availability of its Airbus A400M fleet.

aviationweek.com

 

[dimsum]

There is apparently a shortage of propellers.

I wonder if the C-130J fleet has a shortage of propellers

 

[Good2Golf]

Block 6.0, 7.1 or 8.1 propellers?

 

[KevinB]

Brits bumping up the size of their Chinook fleet

Army could rush in new rockets as Ukraine war exposes Britain's 'out of date' artillery

Ben Wallace says years of campaigning in Iraq and Afghanistan has left the traditional war fighting role of the army 'neglected'

www.telegraph.co.uk

These will operate alongside the 25 "Commando" versions of the Merlin.

The RAF also plans to operate 22 A-400s and 8 C-17s for tactical airlift. The Hercs are to be taken out of service this year if the RAF can keep the A-400s flying. There is apparently a shortage of propellers.

UK Royal Air Force Extends C-130J Life | Aviation Week Network

The UK Royal Air Force has extended the life of its Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules airlifters for another three months as it attempts to overcome shortfalls in availability of its Airbus A400M fleet.

aviationweek.com

There was an article yesterday about the UK MoD downsizing the A400 fleet due to excessive cost overruns.

Not sure the number 22 holds at this point.