The CH-178 Conundrum: Canada’s Secret Russian Helicopters
CH-178 doesn’t exist. CH-178 can’t hurt you!
The Canadian Strategic Helicopter Dilemma
Back in 2008, Canadian forces operating in Afghanistan realized they lacked medium-sized strategic lift helicopters. They therefore decided to purchase CH-47D Chinooks from the US. While the transaction was negotiated and pushed through, Ottawa decided to lease several Chinooks from the USAF. Unfortunately, jumping through all the administrative hoops took time and the Canadian troops in Afghanistan needed a good suitable helo asap.
The Secret Lease: Enter the CH-178
This is how, very very quietly, the Royal Canadian Air Force leased 4 Mi-17V5 from Russia in 2009. They were discreetly renamed CH-178 in the Canadian inventory. The 4 units were first exclusively flown by the 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS), but soon enough, the CH-178 began flying both combat and transport missions with all Canadian units deployed in Afghanistan.
The Hip was considered well suited for Afghanistan’s harsh climate, dust, and high-altitude operations. Pilots and maintenance crews appreciated the Mi-17V5 / CH-178 as a robust and capable platform which was also cheaper to acquire and operate than the Chinook. Back then, several US units also operated the Hip in Afghanistan, and so did the Afghan Armed Forces. Hell, 77 countries operate the Hip within their respective Armed Forces!
Public Disclosure and Government Embarrassment
However, when pictures of Canadian operated Russian choppers appeared in the press in 2010, the government was embarrassed. What bemused the public and the press was not really that the RCAF was flying Russian platforms: Everyone agreed the Mi-17 / CH-178 is a good helicopter. What was underscored was that Canadian troops had been sent to Afghanistan without the required hardware to fulfill their mission. Only after they were deployed did the government start scrambling for resources to rectify the situation. And all the way through this process and even after a solution had been found, did both the Government and the RCAF try and hide facts from the public.
The Canadian government carried on refusing to discuss the matter, even after the press published several articles on the subject, accusing the Canadian procurement system of being dysfunctional. Nevertheless, the four Canadian CH-178 / Mi-17V5 continued to operate in Afghanistan until 2011 after which the lease was terminated as the first leased Chinooks arrived.
The Ongoing Cover-Up
The cover-up continues to this day: You won’t find any mentions of those helicopters on the 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron Wikipedia page or official website and it does not appear on the official history of this outfit and its listing of previously operated platforms.
-RBM.
