Estimated life-cycle cost of military's Cyclone choppers rises to $15.9B
The Department of National Defence (DND) has revised its estimate of the lifetime cost of owning and operating the air force’s CH-148 Cyclones to $15.9 billion — slightly more than a billion dollars higher than its previous estimate.
![Estimated life-cycle cost of military's Cyclone choppers rises to $15.9B](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6961728.1694287139!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/hmcs-ottawa-chopper-landing.jpg)
![On board HMCS Ottawa, which was deployed in August 2023 to patrol contested waters in the Indo-Pacific. Landing the ship’s CH-148 Cyclone helicopter requires immense precision, co-ordinated from the landing safety officer’s shack located above the flight deck at the back of the frigate. As the ship moves through two-metre waves, bucking up, down and sideways, pilots must maneuver the aircraft close to the trap — the Canadian-designed “beartrap” — used to lock the craft down and land it safely. A sihouetted person wearing headphones looks through a window at a helicopter that is landing on a ship deck.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6961728.1694287139!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/hmcs-ottawa-chopper-landing.jpg)
The Department of National Defence (DND) has revised its estimate of the lifetime cost of owning and operating the air force’s CH-148 Cyclones to $15.9 billion — slightly more than a billion dollars higher than its previous estimate.