Bell Textron Canada has won an award to extend the life the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleet of 85 CH-146 Griffon helicopters until the mid-2030s.
As the original manufacturer of the CH-146 Griffon helicopters, Bell is best suited to assess and define necessary design changes and associated repairs to the 85 aircraft in the fleet. Under the nearly $800 million CAD contract, Bell in Canada will perform modifications on the first nine helicopters in the Mirabel facility, then manage a competitive process to subcontract suppliers to perform modifications on the remaining 76 helicopters.
The Griffon fleet is the largest helicopter fleet in the RCAF’s inventory and has deployed internationally to support humanitarian, peacekeeping and coalition combat operations as part of the United Nations and NATO. Domestically, the fleet has supported civilian authorities in firefighting, lifesaving, and security missions.