Lifetime cost of military's Cyclone choppers set to soar past $14B, government document reveals

The total lifetime cost of the Canadian Army's Cyclone helicopters will exceed $14 billion, according to internal documents obtained by Canada's Ministry of National Defence. This figure is much higher than the initial cost of 14.8 billion dollars that was predicted when purchasing these helicopters in 2004.

This increase in cost is mainly due to the engineering and maintenance problems of these helicopters. Cyclone helicopters have been much more expensive than expected due to their complexity and the high cost of spare parts.

In addition, the Canadian military has incurred a lot of additional costs for the maintenance and repair of these helicopters. These costs include crew training, fuel and emergency repairs.

The documents also show that the Canadian military originally expected the helicopters to remain in service until 2030, but now they are projected to remain in service until 2042. This is because the Canadian military is having trouble finding replacement helicopters.

These cost increases raise concerns about the future of the Cyclone helicopter program. Some experts believe that the Canadian military should consider replacing these helicopters with newer models.

The spokesperson of the Canadian Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that the ministry is constantly reviewing the costs related to the maintenance and repair of Cyclone helicopters and will take the necessary measures to reduce these costs.

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