Upgraded CH-149 Cormorant performs first flight

Дата публикации: 03-07-2026 09:37:02

The first upgraded Leonardo CH-149 Cormorant — modified under the Cormorant Midlife Upgrade Project — has completed its first flight at the manufacturer's facility in Yeovil, U.K.
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The first upgraded Leonardo CH-149 Cormorant — modified under the Cormorant Midlife Upgrade Project — has completed its first flight at the manufacturer’s facility in Yeovil, U.K.

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) Cormorant fleet — used for search-and-rescue operations — has been flying since 2001, but the aging airframes require upgrades to remain operationally effective.

Leonardo and a team of companies, including IMP, GE Canada, Collins Aerospace, and CAE, were awarded a contract in late 2022 to build three new aircraft and then upgrade the RCAF’s remaining 13 Cormorants, using the Norwegian AW101-612 All-Weather Search-and-Rescue Helicopter as the baseline.

James Penberthy/@shutterup_aviation Photo

The project is designed to extend the Cormorant’s operational life to at least 2042, while the fleet expansion will allow the RCAF to operate the type from all four of its SAR main operating bases (MOBs) at 19 Wing Comox, B.C., 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., and 9 Wing Gander, N.L.

The first three aircraft will be produced on Leonardo’s line in Yeovil. The 13 currently in service will be withdrawn over the next several years, stripped for components, and then reassembled on a new shell, and returned to the operational squadrons. This work will take place at IMP Aerospace in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

James Penberthy/@shutterup_aviation Photo

Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027, with the last upgraded aircraft due in 2029. Full operational capability is expected in 2030.

CAE is also building a flight simulator configured to the modernized aircraft, allowing aircrews access to a dedicated trainer in Canada — rather than having to travel to the U.K.

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