[Software] Ottawa on hook for software problem that caused deadly military helicopter crash

[Shyloo]

Ottawa on hook for software problem that caused deadly military helicopter crash

 

OTTAWA — A software problem that caused a Canadian military helicopter to crash off the coast of Greece in 2020 will be fixed on the federal government’s dime.

The Department of National Defence and Sikorsky Aircraft, which built the military’s Cyclone helicopters, say they have reached agreement to address the software issue on the rest of the fleet.

But Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande says Canada will end up paying for the upgrades because they fall outside the original $3.1-billion contract with Sikorsky for 28 of the helicopters.

Six Canadian Armed Forces members were killed when the autopilot on their Cyclone code-named Stalker 22 took control of the helicopter and plunged it into the Ionian Sea on April 29, 2020.

The crash cast a harsh spotlight on Cyclone’s long and problem-plagued development, which has more recently included the discovery of tail cracks on the rest of the fleet.

Those repairs are being done at Sikorsky’s expense.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.