Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone

CH-148 Cyclone
A CH-148 in 2020
Role	Maritime helicopter Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
First flight	15 November 2008
Introduction	July 2018[1]
Status	In service[1]
Primary user	Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built	26 as of Dec. 2022[2]
Developed from	Sikorsky S-92

The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone is a twin-engine, multi-role shipborne helicopter developed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation for the Canadian Armed Forces.^[3][4] A military variant of the Sikorsky S-92, the CH-148 is designed for shipboard operations and replaced the CH-124 Sea King, which was in Canadian Armed Forces operation from 1963 to 2018.

The Cyclone entered operational service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 2018 and now conducts anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surveillance, and search and rescue missions from Royal Canadian Navy frigates. The helicopter also performs utility and transport roles in support of national and international security efforts.^[5] In 2004, Canada awarded Sikorsky Aircraft a contract for 28 CH-148s with deliveries originally planned to start in 2009. Deliveries were repeatedly delayed due to development issues and difficulty fulfilling contract requirements; the first deliveries, involving six initial helicopters (designated as Block 1), occurred during June 2015. Three years later, the Cyclone Block 2 achieved initial operating capability (IOC). The fleet was briefly grounded in early 2020 following a crash that was attributed to poor documentation and software flaws.