Canada's X-Ship initiates crewing, helo trials

[Zarvan]

A Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter prepares to land on HMCS Montreal during Exercise 'Spartan Warrior' on 31 October 2016. Source: Canadian Armed Forces

The modernised Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal has begun a five-year stint as the Royal Canadian Navy's experimental ship, trialling novel manning arrangements and serving as a test platform for the new CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter.

The X-Ship programme is intended to "advance innovative and leading-edge naval concepts in all areas of warship deployment, crewing, and sustainment", according to the navy.

Montreal sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 24 October and headed south with other units of the Canadian Task Group to join US Navy vessels in Exercise 'Spartan Warrior', a full-spectrum training event that concluded in the Caribbean Sea on 16 November.

Initial studies conducted with Defence Research and Development Canada will examine how changes in crew size, job specifications, and other human factors affect a warship's operational performance. The longer term will see increased focus on technical aspects such as structural health monitoring, environmental impacts, and information systems trials.

The frigate is also playing a key role in the operational test and evaluation phase of the long-delayed Cyclone acquisition programme, hosting personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Force's Helicopter Test and Evaluation Facility for 16 hours of embarked drills during 'Spartan Warrior'.

Cyclone aircrew deployed passive sonobuoys to detect and track one of the navy's Victoria-class submarines and used expendable anti-submarine warfare training targets (simulating underwater noise patterns) to hone tactical procedures.

After a few weeks alongside, Montreal will return to sea early in 2017 to conduct ship-helicopter operating limits evolutions in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

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