Feds expected to give Sikorsky another chance
OTTAWA — Department of National Defence officials are expecting the government to once again give a U.S. aerospace firm another chance to deliver aircraft to replace the military’s aging Sea King helicopters, according to DND documents.
DND officials are waiting for Public Works and Government Services Canada to OK the necessary changes that would see the acceptance of interim Cyclone helicopters from aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky.
The firm was supposed to deliver the Cyclones to the Canadian military starting in November 2008. Deliveries of all 28 aircraft, to replace the air force’s Sea Kings, were to be completed by early 2011. But Sikorsky has yet to turn over a single helicopter to Canada and the $5-billion project has been saddled with various problems.
Instead, Sikorsky is offering to provide Canada with what the firm is calling interim helicopters, aircraft not fully outfitted with all of the necessary equipment. It would then deliver fully compliant aircraft starting in 2015.
Senior government officials, including deputy ministers at the DND and Public Works, have been meeting regularly since December 2011 with Sikorsky representatives to pave the way for the delivery of the interim helicopters, according to the DND briefing notes from December 2012, February and March.
Publicly, the Conservative government has taken a hard line, stating that it won’t accept the interim helicopters because they don’t meet specifications. Government officials also leaked details to the news media this summer about the possibility of buying a different helicopter and scrapping the Cyclones.
Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story.
The March documents, obtained by Postmedia News under access to information law, pointed out that the government and Sikorsky reached a deal in principle in January 2012 on interim helicopters.
That agreement was to be dealt with through another contract amendment, according to the DND briefing, prepared by maritime helicopter project official Doug Baker and assistant deputy minister for materiel John Turner.
Both the DND and Sikorsky had also worked out measures to address unexpected minor delays for those deliveries.
“Public Works is expected to advise Sikorsky of the preconditions for further amendment to the contract,” the DND documents noted.
Public Works has already amended the Cyclone contract twice to give Sikorsky more time to deliver the aircraft, but the firm missed both of those new deadlines.
Public Works spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold sent an email pointing out that the government is not engaged in “contract negotiations” with Sikorsky on a new deal.
“The government of Canada is not engaged, has not been engaged, and is not starting to be engaged in contract negotiations with Sikorsky,” the email stated.
But industry sources say there are indeed discussions underway. The DND documents indicate that government officials were concerned that only specific words be used in public to describe the ongoing meetings with Sikorsky.
“Public Works reaffirmed to Sikorsky that the dialogue with the government must be characterized as ‘discussions,’” the documents noted.
Sikorsky spokesman Paul Jackson said the firm is working closely with the Canadian government and making progress in completing the Cyclone program.
Sikorsky has delivered four Cyclones to a Nova Scotia base, but they still remain property of the firm.
In the summer, the federal government announced it would allow pilots and technicians to train on those Cyclone helicopters, but said they would not accept ownership of the choppers because they don’t meet the air force’s requirements.