Canadian government halts UH-60 acquisition plans over US trade conflict
Ottawa had been in the market for 16 of the US-made rotorcraft to support Canadian special operations forces.
The Canadian federal government has halted plans to acquire 16 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, amid a wide-reaching trade dispute with the United States.
Ottawa put the acquisition on hold this past summer, the Canadian national broadcaster CBC reports. At the time, representatives of the two countries were engaged in thorny — and ultimately unsuccessful — negotiations over a new trade agreement. US President Donald Trump has piled trade sanctions on Canadian industry during his second term in office, while at the same time striking deals with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to import Russian-made diesel fuel.
The sale of UH-60Ms to Canada had reportedly been approved by arms control regulators in the US State Department and was headed to the US Congress for final sign-off when Ottawa decided to walk away. As such, there has been no formal Foreign Military Sales approval notice published by Washington, which would provide key details about the scope and value of the purchase.
Canada was looking to field a small fleet of Black Hawks to support the country’s special operations forces.
Griffon replacement
The American helicopters were to have been purchased under the Next Tactical Aviation Capability Set (nTACS) project — a multi-phase effort to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s ageing fleet of 72 Bell 412/CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters.
Ottawa announced in 2024 that it would spend over C$18 billion ($12.8 billion in today’s values) on the effort. A competitive fielding process was expected under subsequent nTACS rounds to provide Griffon replacements to support the conventional forces of the Canadian army. Canadian officials have suggested this will not be a single platform, as with the CH-146, but multiple, more specialised aircraft.
The Bell 412/CH-146 Griffon is the Canadian military’s primary troop-carrying helicopter. Source: Royal Canadian Air Force
Canada is a participant in the NATO-led Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme, which seeks to deliver a new medium-lift utility platform in the 2035-2040 timeframe.
Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky are each participating in an ongoing concept design phase, while Boeing recently opted against pursuing the opportunity.
Broader impacts
The prospective Black Hawk deal is the latest Canadian purchase of US defence hardware to flounder under the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump, though not the largest or most impactful.
Ottawa has also paused its plans to acquire the remainder of 88 Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters. Although 16 of those jets have already been paid for and will be fielded, the rest of the acquisition remains under seemingly indefinite review by the Carney government.
A promised report on the F-35 fielding is now more than a year overdue. In the meantime, Ottawa is entertaining an offer from Swedish airframer Saab to establish a Gripen E/F production line in Canada in exchange for a purchase contract.
Canada is already negotiating with Saab to acquire six Bombardier Global 6500-based GlobalEye airborne surveillance jets. Saab has floated a package deal that would see both Gripen fighters and GlobalEyes built in Canada.
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