Defence Procurement – Maritime Helicopter Project – Updated to July 2004 Politics, Procurement Practices, and Procrastination: the Quarter-Century Sea King Helicopter Replacement Saga Stephen Priestley, CASR Researcher [ Update: This In Detail article was first published in June 2003. A decade later, the CH-124 Sea King maritime helicopter is still in service. In 2004, the CH-148 Cyclone was chosen as a replacement. However, it is anyone's guess as to when operational Cyclones will be available to replace the clapped-out CF Sea Kings. How have we arrived at this sorry state of affairs? Peter MacKay, the current MND has described the Maritime Helicopter Project the "worst procurement" effort in Canadian history. In hopes of detecting root causes for maladies of that Maritime Helicopter Project procurement, this article traces the origins of the project and the decisions made by both DND and the various governing parties beginning a staggering 36 years ago.] Part 8 — NSA Project and "...'The Effects of a Permanent Income on Thought'..." By all accounts, DND had set its cap on the new EH-101 for their New Shipboard Aircraft and the awarded contract was all but a foregone conclusion. Few could have been terribly surprised when Aérospatiale pulled their submission from the contest at the last moment. If DND got what it wanted, what's left to question? 
Well, something sure went wrong since the CF is still flying their antiquated Sea Kings today. So, did the Aérospatiale submission have any advantages that were overlooked?
Availability was probably the key benefit – this helicopter was in production and military buyers [1] were not exactly beating a path to Aérospatiale's door. Had DND been less
fixated on the EH-101, their procurement officers would have sensed an opportunity here.Bargain Hunting — Aérospatiale's Rebranded 'Big Cat' Gives the Game Away 
Sales of military derivatives of the Super Puma had been anything but brisk and sales of naval AS332Fs were especially slow. Aérospatiale's marketing department decided that the
military choppers needed a new image. While the NSA competition was still underway, Aérospatiale's submission was suddenly redubbed the AS532 Cougar. Rebranding a previously successful
product smacks of desperation. Aérospatiale had just tipped its hand.Aérospatiale's submission may not have been DND's first choice but it had some important virtues. Compact size limits a naval helicopter's load carrying capability but it also simplifies onboard handling and stowage. The AS532 née AS332F was also a bird-in-hand – had Perrin Beatty et al been concerned about replacing the Sea King in a timely fashion, a 'Canadianized' Cougar could likely have entered CF service before 1990. Instead, the New Shipboard Aircraft Project limped along. The Mulroney government approved $67M in funding in 1988 to keep the project ticking over. The Canadian economy was in a tailspin and the Tories were not in a hurry to spend $5.8B regardless of how badly Canadian Navy Sea Kings needed replacing. [1] Aérospatiale was more successful with civilian Super Puma sales including for the highly demanding North Sea oil platform runs. But, the AS332F was especially important for Aérospatiale since the company was relying on the naval helicopter sales to fill production lines left vacant by the run-down of the old Super Frelon. Next in this In Detail series > Part 9 – Widening the of the 'NSA' Requirement CASR | In Detail | MHP Series Index | CH-124 Sea King | CH-148 Cyclone |