Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone

Walkaround photo gallery of Sikorsky CH148 Cyclone naval helo

I must admit that I thought this was an EH-101 Merlin / Cormorant and I was wondering why it was on the Sikorsky stand. It is actually a Sikorsky CH-148, as used by the Canadian Royal Navy. It is a navalised version of the civil Sikorsky S-92, which is in turn a civilian derivative of the S-70 Blackhawk series of helos. Of course the fact it was a twin when the Merlin is a triple should have alerted me. As at February, 2012, Canada has 28 of these helos on order, some have been delivered and the last are expected in 2014.

Graeme Molineux (Grubby Fingers Aircraft Illustration)