OTTAWA -- Canada's effort to modernize its CP-140 maritime patrol aircraft is running behind schedule and will require additional funding to complete. The fleet has been undergoing a block upgrade and is currently in the fourth and final block that involves a tactical data link, satellite communications systems, and a self-defense system. The program is behind schedule "due to unforecasted design complexity and contractor delays in prototype aircraft modification," according to a Department of National Defense report released in April. Contractors also told the DND the program could not be completed under budget. A DND official said an additional CAD52 million ($41.4 million) will be provided to contractors to complete the program.
At one point the program was running four years behind schedule, but the delay has been whittled down to about a year and a half. Full operational capability is now expected in March 2024.
A total of 14 aircraft are being upgraded and will remain in service into the 2030s.
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