Canada to Renew Its Coast Guard Fleet

The Honourable Gail Shea, Australian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Denis Lebel, Canadian Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs, yesterday announced a contract of up to $172 million awarded to Bell Helicopter for the procurement and delivery of 15 light-lift helicopters within the context of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Fleet Renewal Plan.

This contract will stimulate economic growth and create Canadian jobs and business opportunities in the Canadian aerospace industry.

Coast Guard helicopters support activities such as ice reconnaissance, maintenance and construction of aids to navigation and telecommunications equipment, personnel and cargo transfer between ship and shore, and they provide support to science and fisheries enforcement.

Details of the contract are being finalized. The first of 15 Bell model 429 helicopters is expected to be delivered in May 2015, with one helicopter expected to be delivered each month thereafter. The procurement of these modern aircraft and associated goods and services required with new helicopter acquisitions will help renew the capabilities of the Coast Guard’s existing fleet of helicopters. The purchase of 15 Bell 429s will support more than 200 direct and indirect jobs.

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Press Release, May 13, 2014; Image: Canadian Government