The Royal Canadian Air Force reported that a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter it has been testing has successfully landed on the deck of the warship HMCS Halifax off the coast of Nova Scotia.
“This milestone achievement represents a great step forward towards full integration of the Cyclone helicopter into the (Royal Canadian Navy) operations,” said HMCS Halifax commanding officer Graham Roberts. “Halifax has been extremely impressed with the capabilities of the Cyclone over the past year and we look forward to continuing to work with the helicopter at sea in the coming months.”
The CH-148 Cyclone is a military version of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. It is a twin-engine, multi-role maritime helicopter capable of performing a full range of search-and-rescue (SAR) and utility missions in challenging environments.
Testing and training with the Cyclone has been going on since January last year when the crew of the Halifax began ship helo operating limits (SHOL) trials to determine the operating limits and best practices for the aircraft.
The Cyclone is fully interoperable in a modern battle space, the helicopter will be designed to conduct a full spectrum of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare in hostile, high-threat environments.
HMCS Halifax will continue to operate with the Cyclone helicopter fleet performing SHOL trials and supporting the integration of the Cyclone helicopter into naval operations.
The helicopters will be operated by the Canadian Forces Air Command, and are also scheduled to provide tactical transport for national and international security operations.