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February 22, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

Approved suppliers for Canada’s new fighter jet

Publication of the names of entities forming the Suppliers on the Suppliers List

This notice is provided in accordance with article 4.2 of the Suppliers List Invitation to publish the names of the entities forming the Suppliers on the Suppliers List.

  • Gouvernement de la République Française - Dassault Aviation (with Thales DMS France SAS and Safran Aircraft Engines)
  • United States Government - Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company)
  • United States Government - The Boeing Company
  • Swedish Government - SAAB AB (publ) - Aeronautics
  • Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Airbus Defense and Space GmbH

https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-NGF-002-26574

On the same subject

  • Top Aces credits RCAF experience for USAF adversary air contract

    November 28, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Top Aces credits RCAF experience for USAF adversary air contract

    by Chris Thatcher It's an old mantra among defence and aerospace companies: You first need success in your home country before you can export a capability or service internationally. That certainly rings true for Top Aces. You can draw a straight line between the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) program and the announcement in October that Top Aces' Arizona-based unit was among seven companies awarded part of the United States Air Force's $6.4 million Combat Air Force Contracted Air Support (CAFCAS) contract, said Paul Bouchard, president and chief executive officer. A pioneer of aggressor or “red” air training for militaries, Top Aces received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract that will allow it to compete with Air USA, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International and Tactical Air Support for adversary air services at 12 USAF bases, including Nellis, Luke, Hollman, Langley, Eglin and Tyndall. “Contractors will provide complete contracted air support services for realistic and challenging advanced adversary air threats and close air support threats,” the Department of Defense (DoD) said in a statement. The contract is being run by the Air Combat Command's Acquisition Management and Integration Center at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and runs until October 2024. “Their intention is to stand up a contracted adversary service, almost like a unit, at all of the major air combat command bases for training on a daily basis,” explained Bouchard. “Once you have an IDIQ, you are then allowed to bid as a prime contractor at any or all of these operating locations, depending on what category of service you are positioned to provide.” Whether companies become the sole provider at a base or deliver services as part of a teaming arrangement where the demand for full spectrum training is exceptionally high remains to be seen. The USAF estimates the contract could involve between 30,000 and 40,000 hours of flying annually once the program is fully ramped up. The award is a major breakthrough in the U.S. for the Montreal-based company, which is also pursuing a U.S. Navy fighter services contract likely to be released in late 2019. Top Aces launched the interim CATS program in the mid 2000s and has spent the past 15 years gaining experience and investing in aircraft and advanced technology. In October 2017, under the banner of Discovery Air Defence, it retained the CATS program with a 10-year deal worth about $480-million that includes options to extend the service to 2031 and the value to as much as $1.4 billion. Success to the south would not have been possible without the “industry leading” certification and airworthiness standards demanded by the RCAF and Transport Canada, said Bouchard. “It is as close to a commercial equivalent certification standard as you will find in the world. With small exceptions, we are certified to the same standards as a commercial airliner or business jet. At the same time, we are fully audited and certified under military airworthiness regime. The quality, airworthiness and safety requirements were very high from the beginning ... That is where the USAF and other first-tier air forces want to go to.” To meet the training requirements of next-generation fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, Top Aces will be the first commercial provider to acquire and configure the F-16 Falcon to replicate a wide range of threats. The company has a binding contract with an undisclosed allied country to acquire 12 Block 15 A /B models. “The F-16 really is our growth platform for the future, especially for advanced adversary training,” explained Bouchard. “It is the most prolific adversary aircraft in the western world. It is the adversary aircraft of choice just because of its performance characteristics. It is a fourth-generation aircraft, so from an aircraft architecture standpoint, it can be equipped and configured in so many different ways ... And it is also scalable given there were more than 4,000 F-16s built. It is still a production aircraft. It has a lot of existing support in terms of sustainment.” The F-16 was proposed as a possible addition to the Canadian program, and may still come into play once a replacement for the CF-188 Hornets is selected. The USAF contract, however, gave the company the green light to file an application with the U.S. State Department for acquisition and transfer of the frontline aircraft. Under the terms of the CAFCAS deal, Top Aces must have an initial 12 aircraft in service by October 2020, though Bouchard hopes to be ready sooner. The fleet will be based at the F-16 Center of Excellence, near the company's U.S. headquarters in Mesa, Ariz. Top Aces has developed an advanced adversary mission system over the past five years for its principle fleets of Dornier Alpha Jets, Douglas A-4 Skyhawks and Bombardier Learjet 35A aircraft. While portions of the system are specific to each aircraft type and training mission, much of the common architecture will be transferable to the F-16, he said. To deliver the F-16 as a cutting-edge training platform, however, the company will also have to invest in advanced sensors, encrypted datalinks, high-end jamming and weapons capabilities that can realistically represent the latest adversary threats at exercises like Red Flag. “We need to be able to seamlessly integrate into that (encrypted network) and have both the aircrew and the systems to fly the scenario that the blue force wants on a given a day,” said Bouchard. “That requires advanced aircraft with advanced systems.” Critical to that capability is the experience of Top Aces' pilots. All are former air force with over 3,000 flight hours and many were aggressor pilots, fighter weapons instructors or U.S. Navy Top Gun pilots. But the secret sauce may be the maintainers and engineers, he said. Most have decades of experience maintaining legacy aircraft in a commercial context and understand the challenge of managing obsolescence issues. At a time when many air forces are struggling to retain talent enticed by the commercial sector, highly specialized aggressor training services are a way to return a dividend to the military for its investment. The combination of embedded service experience, platforms and technological capabilities provides a pedigree that can be readily exported as air forces grapple with the high costs of training for fighter pilots, naval crews and ground forces, including joint terminal attack controllers. Bouchard noted that current customers such as the German Armed Forces and possible future customers like the U.S Navy and Australian Defence Force, with whom the company recently completed a two-year trial, are predicting significant increases in their red air training volumes. “These are signals of where the industry is going,” he said, “and I think we bring a piece of the solution.” “We are committed to delivering a flexible, cost-effective and unique readiness training solution,” said Russ Quinn, president of Top Aces Corp and a former USAF aggressor pilot with over 3,300 flight hours in an F-16. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/top-aces-credits-rcaf-experience-for-usaf-adversary-air-contract

  • Update and new name for the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project

    November 16, 2017 | Local, Aerospace

    Update and new name for the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project

    From the Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force's Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project was established to procure an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The project is currently in the options analysis phase. This fall, the project's name was changed to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) project. This change is consistent with recent changes in the lexicon and classification systems of our allies, and is a more accurate reflection of how the systems are operated. As outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, released in June 2017, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have become integral to modern military operations. Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) such as the RCAF's CU-170 Heron and other unmanned aircraft have been deployed on Canadian military operations in the past and offer several advantages including the ability to remain airborne significantly longer than current strategic surveillance platforms. The use of remotely piloted aircraft also reduces the risk to CAF personnel operating the aircraft from a distance and within a lower threat environment, and will also aid in identifying potential threats to CAF personnel in area of operations. Remotely piloted aircraft will be equipped with a variety of payloads and sensors to detect items of interest in all-weather operations including into Canada's Arctic, and will be able to assist in a range of missions from persistent surveillance to supporting search and rescue, to combat operations. The RPAS project anticipates that remotely piloted aircraft can in fact be employed in all eight core missions outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, both domestically and overseas. Directly, the RPAS project supports initiatives 91 and 92, which state the government will also “invest in a range of remotely piloted systems” and “conduct research and development of remotely piloted land, sea and aerial capabilities.” The RPAS project Although the name has changed, the RPAS project's aim remains to provide an integrated persistent long-range, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability. The project will operate as part of a system-of-systems network and will be capable of providing near-real time information to tactical, operational and strategic commanders to support both domestic and deployed operations, and when required, provide a precision strike capability to support operations. The project will complement existing capabilities within the CAF, such as the CP-140 Aurora long range patrol aircraft. The RPAS project is not a platform replacement. Project phases The RPAS project is currently in the options analysis phase: Options analysis allows departmental senior management to make informed decision on the best way to implement a project, attempting to achieve the capability identified in a manner that is acceptable to the Government. During this phase, options are formulated, cost and benefits assessed, and a business case for the options developed. The definition phase of a project marks the transition from determining what should be done to deal with a lack of a capability, to determining how the preferred option will be implemented. A project is planned during this phase. Activities include carrying out a detailed review of the project requirements and risk assessment as well as costing and planning for the implementation phase and a preferred procurement strategy selected. Projects in the implementation phase have received the approvals required to enter into contracts and commit to the expending funds and resources for the project to proceed to completion. Initial operational capability, when the ability to employ the capability is first attained, is planned for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, based on direction contained in Strong, Secure, Engaged. Project costs Costs are being evaluated as part of the options analysis phase and will be further refined during the definition phase. The estimated cost will depend on the approved procurement strategy, infrastructure and the type of platform(s) chosen. Costs will include associated sensors, ground elements and infrastructure. Number of aircraft No decision has been made concerning the number of aircraft. The number of RPASs will be sufficient to meet three simultaneous lines of tasking and may be affected by the procurement strategy, infrastructure, and specific platform(s) chosen. Economic benefits The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, including the Value Proposition will apply to this procurement, requiring that the prime contractor on this project invest 100 percent of the contract value back into Canada's economy. The Value Proposition is the economic commitment that bidders make to Canada up front at bid time, which is a scored and weighted factor in winner selection. This becomes a contractual commitment for the winning bidder. Value Proposition requirements are tailored to each procurement to allow the government to steer investments and take advantage of the unique economic opportunities offered by each project. RPAS uses Domestically, the RPAS will provide a strengthened ability for surveillance of the maritime and northern approaches to Canada and support to search and rescue operations. The RPAS will allow the CAF to assist other government departments in support of special security events, such as international summits, aid to the civil authorities – such as response to forest fires or floods – and Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies operations. Overseas, the RPAS will be capable of detecting, recognizing, identifying, and tracking targets of interest in complex environments and integrate with the systems required to process and fuse the collected information into actionable intelligence. RPAS precision strike capability Strong, Secure, Engaged indicates that the RPAS will have a precision strike capability – it will be capable of being armed. The ability to target and execute precision strikes ensures that if a threat is detected that it can also be addressed at that time. As with any use of weapons systems, the CAF will operate in accordance with domestic and international laws. Operations will be conducted in strict accordance with all the controls, procedures, and rules of engagement that govern the use of force or any other weapon. All of these systems would be remotely piloted by CAF personnel who would be directly involved in the decision making process to execute a strike. However, the RPA(s) will be armed only if necessary for the assigned task(s). Operating environments The RPAS will be able to operate worldwide, in all weather conditions, at any time of day with the range and endurance to cover all of Canada's airspace from any suitable operating location. The system will also need to be able to operate in low-to-medium threat environments, within joint environments with other government departments, and as part of a coalition with our allies. The Royal Canadian Air Force ensures the sovereignty of Canada through its ability to respond rapidly to any threat. The investment in the RPAS project, as outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, enhances the RCAF's capability to continue to provide agile, integrated air power with the necessary reach to fulfill any requirement asked by the Government of Canada. Interested suppliers should direct question related to this project to the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) contracting authority. Article: http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/news-template-standard.page?doc=update-and-new-name-for-the-joint-unmanned-surveillance-target-acquisition-system-justas-project/j9u7rzyf

  • House lawmakers aim to cut F-35 buy as patience with delays wears thin

    May 13, 2024 | Local, Aerospace

    House lawmakers aim to cut F-35 buy as patience with delays wears thin

    Lawmakers have grown "frustrated" as the newest F-35s sit at Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas, because their upgrades don't work.

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