According to a recent report on the website of Defense News, the Canadian military hopes to collaborate with the industry this summer to purchase a new batch of helicopters to address the shortcomings of existing helicopters in terms of firepower and maneuverability. This project, called the Next Generation Tactical Aviation Capability Suite (nTACS), will provide joint combat capabilities for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and Special Forces. In addition, a briefing on Canada's vertical takeoff and landing capabilities released on February 25th showed that Canada also plans to upgrade its existing fleet of Chinook heavy helicopters. The document states that Canada will spend $12.9 billion on a new tactical helicopter. The briefing stated that the "Next Generation Tactical Aviation Capability Suite" project is still in the stage of selection analysis, and discussions with the industry are expected to begin this summer. The project will achieve initial operational capability by 2033. This new formation will replace the existing CH-146 "Griffon" helicopter formation. According to the briefing, it will also play a greater role in revitalizing Canada's tactical aviation capabilities, addressing capability gaps in firepower, command and control automation systems, mobility, and special operations force support. The Canadian Armed Forces currently have 82 CH-146 helicopters. This helicopter is a variant of the Bell 412EP. Canada also has 14 CH-147F Chinook medium and heavy transport helicopters. The briefing shows that the helicopter is planning a mid-term life module upgrade, which will have initial operational capability and full operational capability in 2032 and 2033, respectively. At the same time, the Royal Canadian Air Force is receiving the modernized CH-146 to extend the service life of the formation. In May 2022, the Canadian government and Beldstone Canada Limited officially signed a contract worth approximately $560 million for this purpose. The Canadian military revealed that the project will replace multiple avionics systems of this aircraft, including communication radios and password devices, cockpit voice and flight recorders, navigation systems, automatic flight control systems, and control display units. In addition, the project will upgrade the engine and integrate sensor systems. This upgrade will enable this formation to fly until at least 2031. This modern helicopter fleet will achieve full operational capability by 2027. Beldstone Canada Limited announced in June last year that it had successfully completed the first flight of a modern CH-146 "Griffon" helicopter. The Canadian government said that the first upgraded "Griffon" is expected to be delivered to the Canadian government in 2026 after being approved by the military. (New Society)