CH-124 Sea King
The CH-124 Sea King is a ship borne maritime helicopter with unique capabilities. The aircraft’s compact design boasts a fold-up rotor and tail that help it to fit on even the smallest warship’s deck. Its amphibious hull enables it to conduct an emergency water landing.
The CH-124 is powered by two turboshaft engines and is equipped with subsurface acoustic detection equipment and homing torpedoes. Employing these, the Sea King lifts off from destroyers and frigates to locate and destroy submarines.
Capable of flying in day or night, the CH-124 is a versatile surveillance aircraft. It was procured mainly for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), but has expanded its role since coming into service in 1963. Domestically, Sea Kings contribute to:
- search and rescue (SAR) operations
- disaster relief
- counter-narcotic operations
- fisheries and pollution patrols
The helicopter also plays a vital role in international peacekeeping operations. It has been heavily committed to the international campaign against terrorism conducting hundreds of missions to transport troops and locate suspicious vessels.
Indeed, the Sea King remains one of the busiest aircraft in Canada’s Air Force. The Sea King is set to be replaced by the CH-148 Cyclone.
| Named Operations | Year | Location | How the aircraft was employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARIBBE | Annually | Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean | Conducts surveillance, resupply and personnel transport missions as part of a multinational effort to stop trafficking. |
| REASSURANCE | 2014-Ongoing | Europe | Resupplies ships, carries personnel and conducts surveillance missions. |
| ARTEMIS | 2012-Ongoing | Middle Eastern waters | In support of the Canadian Armed Forces’ mission to help stop terrorism and make Middle Eastern waters more secure, carries supplies and personnel. |
Technical specifications
| Aircraft Description | Although one of the oldest Aircraft in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Sea King is also one of its busiest. It has seen service in a variety of international and domestic roles in recent years including the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Yugoslavia, East Timor, Manitoba Floods, and Haiti. |
|---|---|
| Length | 16.67m |
| Rotor Span | 18.9m |
| Height | 5.8 m |
| Empty Weight | 6,591 kg |
| Maximum Gross Weight | 9,318 kg |
| Power | Two 1500 SHP General Electric T-58-GE-8F/-100 turboshafts |
| Maximum Speed | 222 km/h |
| Cruising Speed | 167 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 3,048 m |
| Range | 740 km |
| Equipment | Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR), Passive/Active Sonar, Surface Search Radar |
| Weapons System | Mk 46 Mod V homing torpedoes, self-defence machine gun |
| Crew | 2 pilots, 1 navigator, 1 airborne electronic sensor operator |
| Year(s) procured | 1963 to 1969< |
| Struck off strength | 2018 |
| Quantity in CF | 21< |
| Location(s) | 12 Wing Shearwater, NS Patricia Bay, BC |
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