The Canadian military's program to replace its 40-year-old search-and-rescue aircraft has been sidelined because money is being funnelled for more urgent equipment needed into the Afghanistan war, defence industry officials and sources say.
The $1.3-billion program to purchase a fleet of new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft was named as the No. 1 equipment priority in 2003 for the Canadian Forces.
But the project has since been derailed by the urgent purchases of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gear for Afghanistan, the $650-million order for Leopard tanks and the multibillion-dollar purchases of C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft and Chinook helicopters.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier, as well as Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, have pointed out that the C-17, C-130J, Chinook helicopters and tanks are needed for the military's ongoing overseas missions, particularly in Afghanistan.
A defence source confirmed the procurement budget has been stretched by the recent equipment purchases to the point that there is little money available for the search-and-rescue project.
Even some army equipment projects, such as a plan to purchase a bunker-busting missile, have been delayed because of the priority for Afghanistan-related gear.
Aerospace industry officials have been told the search-and-rescue aircraft program, while not dead, will be stalled for several years.
"What they're saying is that it's shelved," said Randy Price, a retired colonel and search-and-rescue pilot. "They don't have any money."
Mr. Price, the former wing commander at Canadian Forces Base Comox, B.C., from which search-and-rescue Buffalo aircraft operate, said the military is reluctant to spend money on equipment not seen as having a direct combat role.
Mr. Price now works as a consultant for EADS Canada, a company that hopes to sell the Canadian Forces the C-295 aircraft for search-and-rescue missions.
The message about lack of money has also reached Alenia North America, the aircraft firm offering Canada the C-27J Spartan for search and rescue.
"We understand the Afghanistan participation has in some way (prompted) the government to give some importance to other programs such as the C-17 or the C-130J or the Chinook, or the tanks," said Giuseppe Giordo, president of Alenia North America.
The purchase of the 15 search-and-rescue planes was supposed to replace the 40-year-old Buffalo aircraft on the west coast as well as the aging Hercules transport planes also being used for such missions.
Mr. Price said it is becoming increasingly difficult to find parts for the aging Buffalo since suppliers have gone out of business over the decades. In some cases, military personnel have had to build new parts for the planes. When he was wing commander at CFB Comox in 2004 his staff had to rush out to purchase brake pads for the aircraft since the original supplier was shutting down.
Defence officials, however, dispute claims the Afghanistan mission has delayed any equipment project
"While the Department has absorbed some of the costs of the Afghanistan mission, both for equipment acquisition and operating expenses, these funds have been sourced from the overall defence budget and it would be difficult to identify any particular initiative or acquisition that has been affected or delayed," said Canadian Forces spokeswoman Lieut. Carole Brown.
"Certainly, no project has been targeted as a source of funds for Afghanistan."
Military officials also say the Canadian Forces is in a significant period of transformation as well as adjusting strategies and capabilities to meet future operational needs. Defence officials used the example of the Leopard tank purchase to illustrate such changes.
While the timelines associated with the acquisition of a new (search and rescue) aircraft may be affected by this process, the CF is evaluating options and taking action to ensure that fixed-wing search-and-rescue service is maintained without interruption until the new capability is fielded," added Lieut. Brown.
Mr. Price said he believes it will take several incidents in which the military can't respond to a major search-and-rescue call before the government is forced to proceed with the program.
Mr. Giordo argues that since aircraft such as the C-130J won't be delivered for at least three more years, there should still be money in the military procurement budget now for the search-and-rescue aircraft purchase.
In September 2003 then-chief of the defence staff Gen. Ray Henault announced the project was the top equipment priority for the military. In the spring of 2004 the Liberal government said it was fast-tracking the project. Military officials said they would approach industry in September 2004 to begin the competition. The first aircraft was supposed to be delivered sometime in 2006.
Military officials are still working on the statement of requirement for the aircraft, something they have been doing for more than three years now.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007
