Canada Paused 16 Black Hawk Purchase for Special Forces

Canada quietly paused its planned purchase of 16 US-made Black Hawk helicopters for its special forces, CBC reported on Wednesday, citing government and defence industry sources.

CBC and Radio-Canada reported that the Liberal government ordered the pause just before trade negotiations with the Trump administration began last summer. The pause also came ahead of a meeting between Canadian and US trade representatives in Washington. Those negotiations later yielded no results, CBC reported.

The aircraft are UH-60M Black Hawks, made by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. The US State Department agency responsible for foreign military sales had already approved the purchase. The request was expected to go to Congress next, according to CBC.

A replacement on hold

The helicopters were intended for Canada's special operations forces. They would replace the CH-146 Griffon, CBC reported.

Griffons have been used by Canadian special forces since the early 1990s. They are operated by 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron.

Former major-general Dany Thompson told CBC the Black Hawk is more durable than the Griffon. He said it is better suited to long-range Arctic operations. That judgment now sits beside a political decision. The replacement aircraft is ready on the US sales track, but Ottawa has stopped the clock.

Trade tensions in the background

Sources linked the pause to trade and diplomatic tensions, and to a broader review of planned purchases from the United States, CBC reported.

President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automotive sectors. He also repeatedly questioned Canada's sovereignty. Those moves form the backdrop to the helicopter decision, even though the government has not presented the pause as a formal trade response.

Sofia Sapega, spokesperson for the parliamentary secretary for military procurement, said the government continues to consider options to meet the needs of the special operations forces. She did not announce a new purchase or a new date.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's government wants to build domestic defence production. It wants to work with foreign companies operating in Canada. It wants to buy directly abroad only as a last resort, CBC reported. The Black Hawk pause fits that order of preference, at least for now.

The F-35 review runs in parallel

The helicopter pause is not the only US purchase under review in Ottawa. Canada is also reviewing the full 88-jet F-35 purchase from Lockheed Martin, CBC reported.

Canada has committed to 16 of those aircraft. It has ordered parts for more than a dozen others. The two files involve the same maker, Lockheed Martin, and the same question: how much of Canada's defence future should rest on US supply lines while trade talks with Washington remain strained.

Why it matters and what happens next

Special forces aviation is a small fleet with a hard job. Crews fly long distances, often in the North, and need aircraft that can take punishment and keep flying. Thompson's point, as CBC reported it, was about range and durability. The government's pause is about politics and industrial strategy.

What happens next depends on two tracks. Trade talks with the United States could ease, or they could stay frozen after last summer's failure. At the same time, Ottawa must decide whether any option other than the Black Hawk can meet the special forces need, and how long the Griffon can stay in that role.

CBC reported the pause as quiet, with no public announcement at the time it was ordered. Wednesday's reporting puts the decision in public view for the first time.

Key numbers

• Black Hawks in the paused purchase: 16 UH-60M aircraft
• Maker: Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
• Aircraft to be replaced: CH-146 Griffon
• Griffon in special forces use: since the early 1990s
• Squadron: 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron
• F-35 jets in the wider purchase under review: 88, with 16 committed