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The CDS, Gen Hillier announced that Canada's Army is in the process of creating a new "highly skilled and mobile" battalion sized unit based out of Petawawa, ON, which will be 250 strong and will grow to 750 troops strating in July 2006. This new regiment will fill the hole left by the disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment!

   

I take it "mobile" will mean that Canadian troops will have bus passes now instead of having to hitch rides when they deploy to Afghanistan?

No offence, gang, but "mobile" requires Canada to buy some helicopters and then transport planes large enough to ferry the helicopters and troops.

   

That's what we're getting Bart. Didn't you see that this is what the Liberals said they were in the process of buying? Chinook Helicopters and utilising our fleet of CC-130's and acquiring a new Heavy-Lift Air Transport.

   

Indeed and I am sure that Harper would be more than willing to accomplish that goal.

   

But the Libs were very close to finalising what they wanted to get from military contractors, but Harper called the election before they could finalise the deal.

   

Well, not to push on the Liberals but the Libs made such deals before and look at what they did. They didn't even do anything and now are making the same deals they made previously. Perhaps Harper would actually enact on his deals? Perhaps not, who knows.

   

Actually Artic you are a tad off on your timeline. The Liberals agreed to buying 16 Herc J's, timeline undefined, SOR unwritten and contract nowhere to be seen. They have quashed two Chinook deals so far and have decided that strategic airlift is not required (this ones been going back and forth for years so really no one really knows what the government wants).

All told we should be getting new Hercs (best guess somewhere around 2010), a new heavy-lift chopper is on the horizon but still to far too see (maybe 2010-2012) and strat airlift is still on the horizon.

My comments on the Chinook are how I see them right now. There is a lot of pressure from the CDS to have a heavy lift (read Chinook) helo in Afganistan next year, does that mean we will see a miracle happen after the election? I doubt it but I'm not going to say it's impossible.

Cheers and a happy new year to all,

   

Buying our forty-year-old Chinooks doesn't do you much good. And C-130's are only good in situations where you have air & ground superiority - as the USA found out (unfortunately) in Iraq when someone shot down a C-130 with a shoulder-launched missile.


C-17 Globemaster III transports have anti-missile equipment and the newer CH-53 helicopters have all the lift capability of the Chinook plus you can refuel them in the air which allows for one hell of a surprise when you have an enemy who thinks he's out of helicopter range.

The Chinooks are fine, but where Canada doesn't spend money on the military all that often you folks will have them for the next twenty years easy.

Do you really want Canada's finest flying around in what will be sixty-year-old helicopters and fifty-year-old transports?

   

I'm certain that military spending for new equipment will follow early in the new year! The new unit will also be working alongisde 427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Petawawa. The soldiers will wear a tan coloured beret, similar to the ones worn by the British Special Air Service.

   

Bart, we are not going to buy your 40 year old Chinooks, the plan was to get the latest G models Chinooks which I do believe have an air-to-air refueling capability. I like the CH-53, it has some benefits that the Chinook doesn't, mainly it's marinized (I'm not sure if thats a real word or not) so it doesn't need anything special for salt water ops. However it doesn't compare to the Chinook when it comes to lift in all environments. The tandem rotor system of the Chinook allows it too pull more power straight up (no parasitic loss of power to the tail rotor) plus it removes wind from the lift equation, so landings (or half landings which have become the norm in the mountains of Afganistan) can be made in the direction most suitable.

Plus the Chinook just looks cool!!!!

Ikeaman...please don't get me started on the 427 issue, I think it's going to lead to nothing but problems for tactical aviation, but I'm willing to keep my mouth shut and hopefully I will be proven wrong.

Cheers

   

You are probably correct....today's military equipment has aged!

   

Personally, I saw screw thew lift capability - buy some Comanches, sneak in, and then just kill 'em all!

   

Yeah...I kind of previously started a thread on CSOR, but oh well...

Do you think it's the wrong decision to convert 427 THS into a SOAS? I think it would be better if it's downsized in order to distribute more helos for the rest of TACHEL aviation, do you? I don't think we need that many Griffins in a SOAS...

(BTW, I've decided to go army, Infantry Officer)

Nate

   

Ducimus!

   

Well, we'd still our Chinooks if Mulroney hadn't sold them to the Dutch.

I'd love to get a squadron of CH-53s, but they are probably too expensive for us to buy, in addition to new SAR planes and heavy lift aircraft.

And I agree with Bart that we should buy some gunships, as they would fit our needs very well.

   

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