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.

CBC News reported last week on 2021 internal documents that projected the full life-cycle cost — including purchase, operations and sustainment — was expected to exceed $14.87 billion.

CBC asked the department at the time for current figures but received only partial information. DND didn't reveal the latest cost projections until earlier this week.

The revised figures forecast higher sustainment and operating costs over the decade-and-a-half the aircraft is expected to remain in service.

Despite the fact that the maritime helicopter procurement is a two-decade old program, the air force has yet to receive the final two aircraft out of the 28 it ordered.

DND has said it will receive the second-to-last helicopter at the end of next month and the final aircraft in 2025.

Defence Minister Bill Blair told CBC News that while he is «deeply troubled» by the cost increases, there are no plans to ditch the program and begin looking for another aircraft to fill the critical role of anti-submarine warfare.

«The air force still reports confidence in that platform, in the Cyclone,» Blair said. «They are still very much committed to it.»

Still, the department is looking for an external consultant to help it map a way forward for the troubled program, which was initiated by a previous Liberal government in 2004.

A leaked internal report, obtained earlier this month by CBC News, showed that even though the Cyclone has not reached its final operational status (an important designation that indicates the military got