April 25, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
Bombardier Defense to Debut Virtual & Interactive Showroom at the 2023 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit
March 16, 2021 | Local, C4ISR, Security
Canada would benefit from the establishment of more authoritative co-ordination in medium-to-long term strategic national security policy. The role of the national security and intelligence advisor (NSIA) to the prime minister is well-situated to provide this function due to the office’s visibility and up-to-date awareness of cross-cutting national security issues facing Canada. By making this […]
April 7, 2022 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Supporting defence innovation – Innovative Solutions Canada launches new defence challenges Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) recently launched six new Calls for Proposals in its defence testing stream. ISC is seeking pre-commercial innovative prototypes that can be tested in real life settings and address a variety of defence priorities within the Government of Canada. The Testing Stream aims to procure, test and evaluate innovative late stage pre-commercial prototypes in the following areas: • Digital Enablers and Cybersecurity • UAS and Drone-related infrastructure • Enhanced Warfighting • Training and in-Service support • Enhanced Soldier systems • Smart Sustain and Fleet Optimization The purpose of this call for proposals is to create pools of pre-qualified innovations that Canada may select from to address a broad range of the Government of Canada organizations' requirements. Check the Innovative Solutions Canada web site for eligibility requirements and apply by 14:00 April 22, 2022. Soutenir l'innovation en matière de défense – Solutions innovatrices Canada lance de nouveaux défis en matière de défense Solutions innovatrices Canada (SIC) a récemment lancé six nouveaux appels à propositions dans le cadre de son volet mises à l'essai en défense. SIC est à la recherche de prototypes novateurs pré-commerciaux qui peuvent être testés en situation réelle et qui répondent à diverses priorités de défense du gouvernement du Canada. Le volet mise à l'essais vise à acquérir, à tester et à évaluer des prototypes novateurs pré-commerciaux de stade avancé dans les domaines suivants : • Outils numériques habitants et cybersécurité • Infrastructure liée aux systèmes de surveillance aérienne sans pilote et aux drones • Amélioration de la conduite de la guerre • Formation et soutien en service • Systèmes du soldat améliorés • Soutien intelligent et optimisation de la flotte Le but de cet appel à propositions est de créer des bassins d'innovations préqualifiées parmi lesquelles le Canada pourra choisir afin de répondre à un large éventail de besoins des organisations du gouvernement du Canada. Consultez le site Web de Solutions innovatrices Canada pour connaître les conditions d'admissibilité et présentez votre application d'ici 14h00 le 22 avril 2022.
July 22, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Airbus and Boeing may pull out of a bidding process to supply Canada with new fighter jets because they say the contest is unfairly tilted toward Lockheed Martin's F-35, Reuters has reported. Officials with Saab have expressed similar concerns. The news comes as the request for proposals (bids) is expected to be released soon. Boeing and Airbus have now formally written to the federal government expressing concerns about the current requirements, according to Reuters. Pat Finn, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Materiel at the Department of National Defence, has confirmed one of the companies sent a formal letter but he didn't provide details. It's no secret Saab, Airbus and Boeing are upset with the changes made to the competition after the Pentagon threatened to pull the F-35 out of the $19 billion competition. Officials with Lockheed Martin's three competitors say the Canadian government went overboard to please the Pentagon and the bid package is now designed so the F-35 would emerge as the clear winner. That would make the Royal Canadian Air Force happy since it has always wanted the F-35 stealth fighter. The Liberal government has committed to purchasing 88 new fighter jets. The competition was launched on Dec. 12, 2017. Four fighter jets are to be considered. Those include the F-35, the Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Gripen. In the fall of 2018 Dassault Aviation pulled out as a potential bidder. The company had planned to offer the Rafale but decided against competing the aircraft because of the extensive requirements for interoperability with the U.S. military. The first delivery of the jets is expected in the mid-2020s with the full capability available in the early 2030s, according to the DND document. The requirements for a new Canadian fighter jet put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions, according to federal government procurement documents obtained by Postmedia. While the Liberal government has been highlighting the need to buy the jets to protect Canadian airspace and meet the country's commitments to the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command, the procurement criteria, currently in draft form, provides additional weight to those aircraft that can excel at ground attack for overseas operations. That criteria is seen to favour Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet, say those industry representatives allied with Lockheed's rivals. But Finn, the Department of National Defence's procurement chief, says there is such a wide variety of requirements to meet that while some aircraft might be seen to do well in some areas, they may not excel in others. “Somebody may be better in a high-end scenario but they're worst for cost,” Finn explained in a recent interview. “That's why we say it's the whole piece” that will be considered in the competition. Some will dismiss the latest news about companies threatening to pullout of the competition as a bluff or a last-ditch effort to force changes on the request for proposal package, which is expected to be released in a week or so. That is one scenario. The other scenario is this: the effort to prepare a bid is expected to cost each firm about $15 million and involve up to 30 staff members. It is an extensive process. If Canada's request for proposals is so tilted towards the F-35 – or seen to be tilted – then companies will think twice about committing to that process. (Analysis) https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/fighter-jet-firms-mull-pullout-from-canadian-competition-f-35-could-be-last-plane-standing