Canada bought nine VH-71 helicopters from the United States in 2011 to be used as spares for its search-and-rescue Cormorant helicopter, the Royal Canadian Air Force has determined that seven of those helicopters are airworthy and wants to add them to the flight line.
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“Analysis has shown that a VH-71 could be converted for SAR (search and rescue) operations, and it is part of the option analysis of the Cormorant mid-life upgrade,” said RCAF spokesman Capt. Alexandre Munoz. “When complete, this analysis will help determine the most effective mechanism to improve fleet capacity if deemed necessary”
Having extra helicopters will also allow the RCAF to send some of its Cormorants for mid-life upgrade.