Expanded Life Extension Program for CP-140 Aurora Aircraft.

Canada is expanding its fleet of upgraded Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft. Through an existing modernization and life-extension program, four additional Aurora aircraft will gain new and enhanced capabilities and extended service lives. This will expand Canada's current upgraded fleet to a total of 14 Auroras.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, accompanied by the Regional Minister for Nova Scotia and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay, made the announcement at 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia,yesterday .14 Wing and 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, are the home bases for Canada’s Aurora fleet.

The Aurora program is a Canadian innovation success story, with Canadian industry delivering a world class capability. With new wings and tail, the Auroras will be restored to a "like new" configuration in terms of the critical structural components, extending the structural life to 2030. At that time, Canada will be better placed to buy its next Canadian multi-mission aircraft.
The addition of four more updated Aurora aircraft is Canada's best means of ensuring effective piloted airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities into the future, and the best use of taxpayer dollars.

The four additional aircraft will be modernized and life-extended under the existing competitively-awarded industry contracts. These enhancements and modifications are expected to be completed by 2021, and extend the operational effectiveness of the 14 modernized Aurora aircraft from 2020 to 2030

The CP-140 is the CAF’s primary piloted Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) plane, ensuring the military’s ability to detect threats to Canadian security as early as possible.  The Aurora fleet contributes directly to all three Canada First Defence Strategy roles – domestic, continental and international. The Auroras conduct ISR in both the maritime and overland roles.  In the maritime role, the CP-140 contributes to sovereignty, fisheries enforcement, smuggling and pollution patrols, counter-narcotics missions, and maritime counter-terrorism operations. It also fulfills an important anti-submarine role, as the only CAF aircraft able to react and quickly respond from long-range in the event of unauthorized presence of submarines in Canada’s coastal approaches. The Aurora can fly approximately 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) without refuelling and so gives the Government of Canada a means to deter and control illegal or hostile activity anywhere in Canada’s maritime approaches from the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

The Aurora fleet is also playing an increasingly important role as an overland ISR platform, both domestically for surveillance of our Arctic territory and other security operations, and in support of missions abroad. For example, Aurora aircraft was used during the CAF’s contribution to security efforts for the Vancouver Olympics and the 2010 G8 and G20 Summits; and the two Auroras deployed on Operation MOBILE were critical to the success of our mission in Libya, where they identified targets for allies and Canadian CF-18s.

Afternoon at YHZ

BuiltHFX: Modernity and Air Travel - Halifax International A...

The Built Halifax blog has a new post up on  Modernity and Air Travel - Halifax International Air Terminal, which is a post about the early history of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport

Air Force Heritage Park

Summerside PEI is home to a small but well kept Airforce Heritage Park. It is worth a Stop if you are there.

 (Above) CP-121 Tracker  Number 12131

 (Above) CP-107 Argus Number 739.

(Above) CF-101B Voodoo Number 101037

For More Photos, View the Full Set on Flickr

Air Force Heritage Park, a set on Flickr.

Find out more about the Park at http://www.airforceparkpei.ca/home.php

New Fire Equipment

The first of two new Rosenbauer Panther 3000 fire trucks was delivered to YHZ On Aug 16th. Rosenbauer is a us Firm that makes all sorts of fire apparatus, but has a line of specialty airport equipment which is in use all over north America.

Rosenbauer provided these photos (below) on their webpage.

Hopefully the equipment stays shiny and new, and only gets pulled out for Photo Ops.

15 Films about Canadian Aviation

Courtesy of the National Film Board - I5 films about Canadian Aviation.

You can see all 15 via the NFB Blog Birth of a Giant (1957) This film tells the story of the conception, construction and testing of the Canadair CP-107 Argus

Birth of a Giant by Hugh O'Connor, National Film Board of Canada

Fixed Wing SAR

(Above  Left-Right) CC-115 Buffalo, CC-138 Twin Otter, CC-130 Hercules (DND Combat Camera Photo) Above we have the Existing Fixed Wing SAR Fleet. The Buffalo and Twin Otter are both DeHavilland Canada Designs, and the C130 is built by Lockheed.

The RCAF currently designates 13 CC130H Hercules and six CC115 Buffalo aircraft for FWSAR response. The Hercules operate from CFBs Greenwood, Trenton, and Winnipeg, while the Buffalos are all based at CFB Comox.  Of these, the six Buffalos and the Hercules at Greenwood and Trenton are dedicated to SAR. The Buffalos have been in service since the 1960s, while many of the Hercules date from the1970s, and all are now approaching the end of their effective service lives. The RCAF Twin Otters are currently based in Yellowknife.

its worth noting that canada currently has two Models of C130 -  H and J. the J models are current and are used for transport. the Older H models are dedicated to SAR.

The Contenders:

Dash-8 with Field Air Operable Door

The Dash8, is also a DeHavilland Canada design though now built by Bombardier and marketed as the Q400. The Stock aircraft is modified for SAR use by Field Aviation, and includes an air operable side  doors. it has the longest range after the C130, is built in Canada, and the modification is in use with 29 Aircraft already in service. Transport Canada's Arial surveillance program uses Dash-8 -100 aircraft, so the type is quite Familiar to Canadian's (Porter and Westjet Encore also use the type exclusively)

The above Photo shows a Swedish plane, prior to delivery, still with Canadian Registration.

Airbus Military C295

The Smaller Sister of the C295 is currently in use with the US Coast Guard for FWSAR. it is seen as an excellent compliment to the C130, for medium range missions, with an 8 hour flight time. The C295 is slightly larger, but has all the same basic features. The aircraft is in use in role by a close ally, with great success.

Interestingly, the US Airforce wants to shed itself of its C-27J, and they may go to the USCG as hand me downs for SAR conversions..

Alenia Aermacchi C-27j Spartan

Viewed from the onset as the favorite by DND, This Italian aircraft began as the Fiat g.222 and was updated in partnership with Lockheed. One benefit is that the C-27J is in many ways compatible with a C130. It is the Fastest, and has the longest range, but it is also the heaviest, limiting use on northern airstrips, and features poor low speed performance. It should be noted that the Italians don't use the aircraft for FWSAR, Favoring much smaller aircraft, and leaning towards a variant of the ATR-42 commuter plane, a contemporary of the Q400.

Viking Air DHC-5NG Buffalo

Viking Air Purchased the type certificates for All Dehavilland Canada Aircraft except the Dash-8. The DHC-5NG is a proposed new production run of the Same aircraft to be replaced. the aircraft would be outfitted with modern systems and electronics, however the airframe would remain the same. Viking recently re-launched Twin Otter Production, with a modernized airframe and has had good success with it. The Buffalo is certainly suited to the Job - It performs it currently, and the aircraft is light, and has good slow speed performance. Its not pressurized however, so Altitude is Limited.

The Original development of the Buffalo occurred at the same period as the g.222, predecessor of the C27J

	C-27J	DHC-5NG	C-295	Q400	HC-130J
Wing span	94' 2"	96' 0"	84' 8"	93' 3"	132' 7"
Overall length	74' 6"	79' 0"	80' 4"	107' 9"	97' 9"
Overall height	34' 8"	28' 8"	28' 5"	27' 5"	38' 9"
Cabin length	28' 1"	31' 5"	41' 8"	61' 8"	40' 0"
Cabin width	8' 0"	8' 9"	8' 10"	6' 8"	9' 9"
Cabin height	7' 4"	6' 10"	6' 10"	6' 5"	9' 0"
Operating Weight Empty  [lbs]	37,480	24,000	24,251	39,284	89,000
Max Take Off Weight [lbs]	70,106	49,200	51,150	65,200	164,000
Max Payload [lbs]	19,842	*18,000+	20,400	18,716	35,000
Maximum speed [knots]	325	*300+	311	360	360
Range [nm]	2,300	*600+	2,430	1,500-3,000	3,480