Boeing renews its public pitch to replace Canada's CF-18 fleet

On the same subject

• 

  December 26, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Deal allows Canada to continue operating aging RCAF VIP aircraft in U.S. airspace

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Two RCAF Challenger aircraft are too old to be upgraded with the modern systems required to meet new regulations for civilian airspace. Canada has cut a deal with the United States to allow two of the military's aging Challenger jets to continue to operate in American airspace despite not having the required new air traffic control equipment on board. The two Royal Canadian Air Force Challenger aircraft, used for VIP transportation and other military duties, are too old to be upgraded with the modern systems required to meet new flight regulations for civilian airspace. The new rules come into effect for the U.S., Mexico, Columbia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 1. For most of Europe, those rules will apply starting June 7. In Canada, the rules are being phased in between Jan. 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2023. The aviation rules call for increased reliance on data links, new air traffic control surveillance technologies and satellite-based navigation. The regulatory changes are being implemented worldwide and are commonly referred to as ADS-B. Canada had been in ongoing negotiations with the U.S. government and its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over the continued use of the Challengers in U.S. airspace. “The RCAF has confirmed with the United States Department of Defense and the FAA that we will continue to operate our aircraft in U.S. airspace under a Memorandum of Understanding,” Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said. “This interim measure will allow the RCAF to continue operating its Challenger aircraft in U.S. airspace with established processes and is a reflection of our strong relationship with our American partners.” The memorandum covers a five-year period. “Since two of our Challenger aircraft are not ADS-B compliant, they may still be subject to suboptimal flight routings in parts of the U.S., depending on location, density of air traffic and other factors,” Le Bouthillier added. That could mean, for instance, that the Canadian aircraft might need to be rerouted or take a different flight path if the level of air traffic in an area is high. The RCAF operates four Challenger jets, with the two more modern aircraft already outfitted with the new equipment. The Liberal government has been reluctant to buy new aircraft since it is expected Conservative MPs will try to score political points about planes being purchased for VIPs such as the prime minister before new fighter jets are bought for the RCAF. When the Liberals were in opposition, they criticized the Conservative government's use of VIP aircraft. Some within the RCAF support either replacing the two older Challenger jets or purchasing a new fleet of four aircraft, noting the planes are also used for military missions such as medical transportation of injured personnel. The older Challenger planes are not the only aircraft in the VIP fleet that have faced problems. The RCAF's specialized VIP aircraft used by the prime minister won't be flying until August 2020 because of an accident this fall. On Oct. 19, while being towed into a hangar at 8 Wing Trenton by contracted maintenance personnel, the Polaris aircraft was significantly damaged when it rolled into the back wall of a hangar. Engineering teams from Airbus, the original manufacturer of the aircraft, and General Electric, which made the engines, assessed the damages and have provided an initial repair plan. “We do not have sufficient detail about potential costs, or the attribution of those costs, to provide any detail at this time,” RCAF spokesman Lt.-Col. Steve Neta stated in an earlier email. Neta said the RCAF was confident it could meet travel needs of the prime minister and other VIPs. The RCAF has other aircraft that can be used for VIP transport, including other Polaris planes and as the CC-144 Challenger fleet, depending on the requirements, Neta added. In early December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used another Polaris aircraft to fly to a NATO summit in the United Kingdom. After that plane arrived, though, problems were discovered in one engine and the aircraft was deemed temporarily “unserviceable” while it was repaired. Another RCAF Polaris, which had taken Governor General Julie Payette to Europe for a tour, was instead used to transpot Trudeau and government officials back to Canada. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/deal-allows-canada-to-continue-operating-aging-rcaf-vip-aircraft-in-u-s-airspace

• 

  November 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  French firm Dassault pulls out of fighter-jet competition: Sources

  By Lee Berthiaume The long effort to replace Canada's aging fighter jets took another surprise twist on Tuesday, as multiple sources revealed that French fighter-jet maker Dassault is pulling out of the multibillion-dollar competition. The decision comes just over a week after the federal government published the military's requirements for a replacement for Canada's CF-18s as well as a draft process by which a winning supplier will be chosen. Dassault had repeatedly pitched its Rafale aircraft to Canada over the years as successive governments in Ottawa have wrestled with selecting a new fighter jet. Dassault's pitch included significant promises, including that it would assemble the planes in Canada. But sources tell The Canadian Press that Dassault's decision to withdraw was related to the fact France is not a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which counts the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada as members. The five members have very specific requirements for how their equipment works together. The French government, which had been closely working with Dassault as the most recent iteration of Canada's fighter-replacement program has inched along over the past year, was preparing to notify Ottawa of the company's withdrawal. The move leaves four companies — U.S. aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, European competitor Airbus and Swedish firm Saab — competing for the $19-billion contract to replace Canada's 76 CF-18s with 88 new fighters. A contract isn't expected to be awarded until 2021 or 2022, with delivery of the first new aircraft slated for 2025. In the meantime, the government is planning to upgrade its CF-18s and buy 25 used fighters from Australia as a stopgap. Dassault faced several significant challenges in meeting Canada's requirements for a new fighter, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and while they weren't insurmountable, they would have cost time and money. Those challenges included meeting those Five-Eyes intelligence-sharing requirements, which Perry said put Dassault at a distinct disadvantage in the competition when compared to Lockheed Martin, Boeing and, to a certain degree, Airbus. "For any of the non-American companies, solving the Five-Eyes interoperability issues is going to be challenging," he said, noting that the U.S. in particular is very sensitive about data-sharing. "And it costs companies a lot of money to mount and pursue bids. So if they think at this point in time that it's not a realistic prospect, then pulling out is pretty understandable." That could explain why Dassault never established a strong presence in Canada during the many years when it was trying to sell the Rafale as a replacement for the CF-18, he added. The CF-18s are about 35 years old. Canada's attempts to buy a new fighter jet have dragged on for nearly a decade after the previous Conservative government announced in 2010 that Canada would buy 65 F-35s without a competition, with the first to be delivered in 2015. But the Tories pushed the reset button in 2012 after the auditor general raised questions about the program and National Defence revealed the jets would cost $46 billion over their lifetimes. After campaigning on a promise not to buy the F-35s, the Trudeau Liberals announced in November 2016 they would take their time with a competition to replace the CF-18s, and buy 18 "interim" Boeing Super Hornets without a competition because Canada needed more fighter jets badly. But then Boeing's trade dispute with Canadian rival Bombardier saw the Liberals scrap their plan to buy Super Hornets and instead begin talks to buy 18 used fighter jets from Australia. A contract for those used planes is expected in the coming weeks. The formal competition to replace the CF-18s is scheduled to begin next spring. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/07/news/french-firm-dassault-pulls-out-fighter-jet-competition-sources

• 

  November 18, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security

  Des génies d’ici protègent les avions de chasse

  Une équipe québécoise d'élite d'une vingtaine d'employés en cybersécurité a inventé un outil informatique pour protéger les avions de chasse de l'armée. « Lorsqu'il y a intrusion, les dég'ts sont majeurs. Ça peut conduire à des écrasements ou à de l'interception d'information très sensible », explique calmement au bout du fil le PDG de StreamScan, Karim Ganame. Fondée en 2011, l'entreprise montréalaise compte parmi ses clients de gros noms des secteurs manufacturier et pharmaceutique connus que son grand patron préfère taire pour des raisons de sécurité. Ces dernières années, StreamScan a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec le Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications (CST) et le ministère de la Défense sur de nombreux projets à l'abri des regards. En gros, son outil détecte des anomalies. Par exemple, lorsqu'il y a des cyberattaques dans les avions, les systèmes informatiques vont se comporter différemment et la firme peut alors les alerter qu'une attaque est en cours. « Confiance en personne » Récemment, la PME a décroché un juteux contrat avec la Défense, qui s'intéresse à son puissant outil d'intelligence artificielle capable de sauver des vies, mais aussi de prévenir le vol d'informations ultras confidentielles. « On s'attend à ce que les alliés collaborent entre eux, mais on est quand même dans la Défense, et les intérêts peuvent varier en fonction de certaines circonstances ou de réalités géopolitiques. Bref, en cybersécurité, on a confiance en personne. Ça peut venir de n'importe où », analyse-t-il. Quand on lui demande si le Québec tire bien son épingle du jeu dans ce domaine, Karime Ganame en a long à dire sur les vice-présidents de grandes compagnies d'ici qui doutaient de sa capacité à fonder une entreprise. « On me disait que l'innovation en cybersécurité vient des États-Unis. J'ai dû leur dire : “Les États-Unis n'ont pas le monopole de la connaissance. Au Québec, on est capable de le faire”. Et on l'a fait », conclut-il. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/11/09/des-genies-dici-protegent-les-avions-de-chasse