Cracks now found in 21 of the Canadian military's 23 Cyclone helicopters

The Canadian military confirmed today that 21 of its 23 Cyclone helicopters have cracks in their tails.

Cracks were first detected in one of the maritime helicopters during a routine inspection on Nov. 26 at 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron at Patricia Bay, B.C.

By Dec. 5, the Air Force said it had discovered damage in the same general area on a total of 19 helicopters.

At the time, the military said two Cyclones did not appear to have any tail defects, and the remaining two in the fleet were receiving longer-term maintenance and would be inspected at a later date.

As of today, cracks on six of the Sikorsky-made aircraft have been repaired and four others are still in the shop.

Meanwhile, one of the damaged helicopters was to be flown from the deck of the frigate HMCS Winnipeg to Patricia Bay, which is north of Victoria.