Analysis: Canada’s price tag for F-35 jets raising questions

On the same subject

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  July 14, 2024 | Local, Land, Security

  Defence Minister Blair concludes productive visit to Washington, D.C. for NATO Summit

  Yesterday, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence concluded a productive visit to Washington, D.C., where he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, and Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Leaders’ Summit – including meetings of the North Atlantic Council and NATO-Ukraine Council.

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  November 3, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

  PWGSC Place Volatus Aerospace on Canada’s Standing Offer List for RPAS Services

  Volatus is the first RPAS provider added to Canada's National Standing Offer November 02, 2020 13:40 ET | Source: Volatus Aerospace Corp. Volatus is first to be added to Canada's National Standing Offer list of pre-approved drone services companies. MONTREAL, Nov. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Public Works & Government Services Canada (PWGSC) began qualifying UAV services providers for publication to Canada's National Master Standing Offer (NMSO). Volatus Aerospace has been identified as the first UAV service provider to be put on the NMSO. The period for making call-ups against the NMSO is from its date of issuance to March 31, 2025. Through this process, Canada is seeking to increase its use of civilian, registered RPAS operators with the intent to harness commercially available drone technology for the next five years. Volatus Aerospace operates with a network of over one hundred Company trained pilots from coast-to-coast-to-coast and has been identified to provide services in all regions of the country. Company capabilities have qualified Volatus to be called upon for all five streams of service identified in the NMSO – Media, Agriculture, Forestry and Fire Fighting, Infrastructure and Real Property, and Security and Emergency Response. Commenting on being added to the list, Rob Walker, Vice President of Business Development for Volatus said, “The process by PWGSC is very welcomed by the industry, it's a massive undertaking to vet so many potential service providers. We are very proud to be first out of the gate.” About Volatus Aerospace: Volatus Aerospace is a vertically integrated drone services company dedicated to driving the full potential of unmanned technologies throughout industries in the Americas. Activities include UAV design manufacturing, distribution, sales, service, and training. In addition to its own long-range, high endurance drones, Volatus has joined forces with DJI, the world-leading drone company, in a strategic channel partner agreement encompassing enterprise equipment sales, support, and training. SOURCE Volatus Aerospace Corp. For more information: Rob Walker, Vice President, Business Development, Volatus Aerospace Corp. Phone: (514) 447-7986 Email: rob.walker@volatusaerospace.com www.volatusaerospace.com https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/11/02/2118741/0/en/PWGSC-Place-Volatus-Aerospace-on-Canada-s-Standing-Offer-List-for-RPAS-Services.html

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  August 2, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  Federal auditor general to dive into contentious fighter-jet 'capability gap'

  Study will also look at how Canada will meet its 'obligations as it transitions to a new fighter fleet' Lee Berthiaume Canada's auditor general has started to dig into one of the Trudeau government's most contentious claims, upon which rests the fate of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars: that the country is facing an urgent shortage of fighter jets. The claim was first made in November 2016 when the Liberals announced that Canada didn't have enough fighter jets to defend North America and simultaneously meet the country's NATO commitments, and that a stopgap was urgently needed until the entire CF-18 fleet could be replaced. The government originally planned to buy 18 interim Super Hornets from Boeing for $6.4 billion before the deal was scuttled late last year in favour of buying 25 used jets from Australia for $500 million. But critics, including opposition parties and former air force commanders, accuse the government of fabricating an urgent "capability gap" — as the shortfall is known — by changing the military's requirements to avoid having to buy the F-35 stealth fighter. Auditor general Michael Ferguson is now scrutinizing this "capability gap" as part of an overall fighter-jet review, according to an internal memo written by officials at the federal procurement department and obtained by The Canadian Press through access to information legislation. The memo to Public Services and Procurement Canada deputy minister Marie Lemay references a meeting with Ferguson's staff in December in which they laid out the objectives of their audit. Full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/auditor-general-fighter-jets-1.4763444