Military was warned some Cyclone helicopter blades are defective, could rip apart in flight
Air force technicians are being forced to perform more frequent inspections of Canada's trouble-prone CH-148 Cyclone helicopters after the U.S. manufacturer found a defect related to the main rotor blades, says an internal report.
![Military was warned some Cyclone helicopter blades are defective, could rip apart in flight](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)
Air force technicians are being forced to perform more frequent inspections of Canada's trouble-prone CH-148 Cyclone helicopters after the U.S. manufacturer found a defect related to the main rotor blades, says an internal report.