By Scott Taylor
As the US draws ever closer to their pivotal mid-term elections, there has been a steady increase in the threats emanating from US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra warning Canadians to refrain from meddling in the US democratic process.
This coming on the heels of White House officials openly meeting with Alberta separatists prior to last week's referendum, is ripe in the extreme.
One of Hoekstra's pet peeves with Canada is any suggestion that we move away from our near total dependence upon the US for our major military hardware purchases.
This is why I was heartened to see a recent CBC headline: "Black Hawk down: Trump's trade war pauses Canadian helicopter deal". Inside government sources had confirmed to CBC reporter Murray Brewster that prior to last summer's trade talks with the US, Canada had pushed the pause button on the procurement of 16 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.
As a patriotic Canadian this was reassuring news that Canada is actually heeding Prime Minister Mark Carney's motto of "Elbow's up" in response to US President Donald J. Trump's trade tariffs. The 16 Black Hawks on order were part of what the RCAF call the Next Tactical Aviation Capability Set (nTACS) program which involves the acquisition of a number of different aircraft fleets. These particular 16 Black Hawk helicopters were to replace the aged out CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters presently in service with 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron based at CFB Petawawa. Thus their purpose would be in direct support of Canada's Special Operations forces.
The Black Hawks are made by Sikorsky which is a subsidiary of US defence industry giant Lockheed Martin. At the time that the Canadians had put the deal on hold, the US Foreign Military Sales agency representing the State Department had already given the purchase the green light. All they needed was congressional approval and the deal would have been sealed.
Although no exact dollar figure was announced by the RCAF before the contract was paused, based on the unit price per helicopter, plus parts and training, the Black Hawk purchase is worth between $220 million and $425 million (Can). While that might seem like chump change when compared to the current Lockheed Martin Canadian F-35 fighter jet procurement which is valued at $29 billion, it should still be a big enough blow to Sikorsky to get some leverage at the bargaining table.
If that was a Carney jab at the US negotiators what comes next should be a quick follow through punch. Obviously 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron needs new helicopters to replace the aged out CH-146 Griffon fleet. Therefore to show the US that our Elbows are truly up, let's make a deal to purchase a Black Hawk competitor instead.
On the utility helicopter menu the RCAF have three viable options. There is the Leonardo AW149 which is a modern, purpose-built military utility helicopter that was designed as a direct competitor to the Black Hawk offering lower unit costs (approximately $16 million USD versus $21 million USD) and is equipped with newer avionics.
Another suitable European option would be the NH Industries NH-90 helicopter. This is a proven, medium-twin tactical transport helicopter competing in similar medium-lift and military utility categories. The NH-90 is currently in service with no less than 7 NATO allies and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
An outside contender would be the South Korean KAI KUH-1 Surion helicopter which was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with design input from Airbus. In Asian and global markets the KAI KUH-1 is aggressively marketed against the Sikorsky Black Hawk.
Simply putting the US Black Hawk purchase on hold is not a strong enough message in this political climate. Canada and the RCAF need to take that deal off the table for good by locking down a non-American supplier.
Before Ambassador Hoekstra can squeal that this is unfair interference in US politics, let me remind you that it was Trump that started the trade war with Canada and the last time I checked Canada was still a sovereign country. As such we get to pick and choose from whom we buy our military hardware.
