Resurrecting a long-inactive thread with something a little more modern - hopefully more new content to come soon.
Real World:
Following the lead of the UK and Italy, the Canadian government placed a C$4.4 billion order in 1987 for 48 (later 42) AW101s to replace the Canadian Forces’ Sikorsky CH-124 Sea Kings and Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labradors (CH-46 Sea Knights). These were to be assembled in Canada under the designations CH-148 Petrel (33 originally, reduced to 28) and CH-149 Chimo (15) in the anti-submarine warfare and air-sea rescue roles respectively. The replacement programme was cancelled, however, after a change of government in 1993, leading to the payment of $157.8 million in cancellation penalties.
In 1998, the Canadian government announced that the CH-113 Labradors would now be replaced by a new scaled down search-and-rescue variant of the AW101, carrying the designation CH-149 Cormorant. Unlike the Petrel/Chimo contract, these 15 aircraft were to be built entirely in Europe. The first two aircraft arrived in Canada in September 2001 and entered service the following year.
AU Timeline Changes:
In our timeline, the various branches of the Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy) were unified in 1968 in a plan developed and promoted by the Minister of National Defence, Paul Hellyer. Prior to that point, the Canadian Army and the RCN both had their own individual aviation branches, after the merger the Air Command would become the sole operator of Canada's military aircraft.
The unification met with strong opposition from personnel in all three services and resulted in the dismissal and forced retirement of many senior officers in Canada's military forces. In the decades since the move has been widely criticized for the devastating effect it had on the morale of the Canadian Armed Forces' service personnel and the disorganization brought about by the unification process.
Therefore, in our AU timeline, we assume that unification never occurred. The RCN keeps its Air Service, and the Canadian Army keeps its own aviation element. Moving forward in time, we assume that the original CH-148 Petrel/CH-149 Chimo contract proceeds as planned in the early 1990s, however the local manufacture requirement is dropped to keep costs down and speed up the replacement timeline. The Canadian government orders 28 CH-148 Petrel for the RCN and 15 CH-149 Cormorant (formerly Chimo - to keep in line with the sea bird theme) at a cost of C$4.4 billion in 1993 dollars.
The RCN receives its first CH-148 Petrel in 1999 and deliveries continue until 2002, at which point the CH-124 Sea King is fully replaced in service. The first RCAF search and rescue variant (CH-149 Cormorant) is delivered in 2001 and deliveries are completed in 2003.
In 2011, the RCAF purchased the nine partially built airframes from the US Navy's VH-71 Kestrel presidential helicopter program at a price of $164 million. In 2013, a consortium consisting of AgustaWestland, along with Canada's IMP Aerospace, CAE, GE, and Rockwell Collins Canada, begins converting the VH-71s into additional CH-149 Cormorant SAR variants for the RCAF. Ultimately, seven airframes are put into service, with the other two becoming spare parts donors, for a total of 22 in service. Beginning in 2019, the RCAF's CH-149s begin receiving Mid-Life Upgrades based on the Norwegian All-Weather SAR Helicopter (NAWSH) program. These upgraded models are known as CH-149B.
Finally, with Canada’s purchase of the two Mistral – class amphibious assault ships from France, (originally built for Russia), at a cost of C$1.5 billion in 2015, there became a pressing need for a marinized Canadian Army transport helicopter which could be deployed from the vessels. Thus, in a fast-track procurement program, the Canadian government ordered 15 new-built AW101 variants based on the Italian Navy’s MH-101A Amphibious Support Helicopter. The first of these new CH-149M Cormorants for the Canadian Army entered service in early 2020.
![[ img ]](https://i.imgur.com/rXpwE9a.png)
Finally, I have to conclude by saying thanks to Little Bird - without his fantastic AW101s from his Kingdom of Italy AU, this would not be possible!
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![[ img ]](https://i.imgur.com/gEBjOTP.png)
