Bombardier pitching for made-in-Canada patrol aircraft

On the same subject

• 

  November 17, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Investing in defence will keep Canadians safe and help the economy

• 

  October 25, 2018 | Local, Naval, Security

  'Interim' icebreakers to be used for decades

  OTTAWA — The Canadian Coast Guard says three "interim" icebreakers that were recently purchased without a competition will be used for the next 15 to 20 years. Coast guard officials revealed the timeframe in interviews with The Canadian Press while playing down concerns about the state of their aging fleet — and the challenges in building replacements. The government in August agreed to sole-sourcing the purchase of three used icebreakers from Davie Shipbuilding for $610 million, saying a stop-gap was needed until replacements could be built. The deal represented a win for the Quebec-based shipyard, which had been lobbying hard for additional federal work, and should ease pressure on the coast guard's icebreaking fleet. The coast guard's existing vessels are on average more than 35 years old and have lost hundreds of operational days over the past few years due to mechanical breakdowns. Yet there are no immediate plans to replace them; the government's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan includes only one new heavy icebreaker, which won't be ready until the next decade. Deputy Commissioner Andy Smith, who is overseeing the shipbuilding plan for the coast guard, said the service is instead in the midst of extending the life of its current fleet another 20 years — during which it will rely on the Davie ships to fill any gaps. "The icebreakers that we recently purchased were envisioned to backfill behind those various ships as we put them into a refit or an extended maintenance period," Smith said in an interview. "And we have mapped that out over 20 years." Deputy Commissioner Mario Pelletier, who is responsible for coast guard operations, confirmed that time period in a separate interview, saying: "I would expect that we're going to have them for 15, 20 years. "The urgent need is just to make sure we do have a surge capacity to backfill when those ships come out of service," he added. While few would argue the need for additional icebreakers, the timeline has nevertheless resulted in fresh criticism of the country's procurement system — and questions about the shipbuilding plan. The federal government previously purchased "interim" icebreakers in the 1980s and those vessels are still in use, said Rob Huebert, an expert on the Arctic at the University of Calgary. That, plus the absence of any real plan to replace the majority of the coast guard's icebreakers, leads Huebert to believe the three Davie ships will eventually become part of the permanent fleet. "What's going to happen is we have been overworking our three medium icebreakers and those three (Davie ships) will replace them even though no one is saying they're replacing them," he said. The two Canadian Coast Guard officials both insisted that the Davie deal would not undercut the shipbuilding plan, through which Vancouver Shipyards is building several coast guard ships. Those include three fisheries-science ships, an ocean-science vessel and a heavy icebreaker, in that order. Two naval support ships will be built between the ocean-science vessel and the icebreaker. But defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute wondered whether calling the Davie deal an "interim" measure was intended to sidestep the plan — and any legal trouble. Either way, he said, the arrangement only underscores many of the enduring issues facing Canada's troubled procurement system and the long amount of time it takes to buy new equipment. "If they're defining an interim period being up to 20 years, only in Canada is that considered an interim basis," he said, noting that the shipbuilding plan is already years behind schedule. "Only in a country where you run things for 40-plus years is two decades a temporary solution." Smith and Pelletier said the current coast guard fleet is nonetheless in good shape and that there are positive signs of progress at Vancouver Shipbuilding, despite some hiccups. Those included a welding problem discovered on the three fisheries-science ships that has pushed back delivery of the first of those vessels until next year. The design and budget for the ocean-science ship also remains up in the air, while the construction schedule for the navy support ships and heavy icebreaker remain in limbo. "It's really a dynamic time as we look to regrow the whole ecosystem of shipbuilding in this country, and they are in various stages of design and construction," Smith said of the challenges. "So that whole ecosystem is being rebuilt." — Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. It corrects Mario Pelletier's title. By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/news-story/8982113--interim-icebreakers-to-be-used-for-decades/

• 

  December 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  Airbus reports strong progress in generating FWSAR work in Canada

  Airbus reports it is on track to provide Canadian industry with the required level of high-value work associated with the fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft replacement in-service support (ISS) program. In its first FWSAR Value Proposition ISS annual report to the Government of Canada, submitted earlier this year and covering 2017, the company declared that more than 80 per cent of the ISS work was already being performed by Canadian industry in Canada. That data has now been validated and accepted by Canada. The activity, led by Airbus and its Canadian ISS integration partner AirPro – a joint venture with PAL Aerospace – is rapidly generating work and employment at partners such as CAE and Accenture. AirPro itself has already recruited nearly 20 highly qualified full-time staff to work on FWSAR ISS, and is adding resources in fields such as aeronautical engineering, architecture, construction, information technology and project management. More than 125,000 Canadian labour hours of work were performed by five companies in 2017 and the figure will grow more rapidly as many other companies begin their supply roles further into the program. The AirPro activity in particular will markedly increase as the Airbus CC-295 aircraft enters service and day-to-day ISS activities such as maintenance begin. Simon Jacques, president of Airbus Defence and Space in Canada, said: “We are proud of having made such a successful start to the development and transfer of capability to Canada with all the associated high value work that it brings. Ensuring an active role for AirPro in this set-up phase will ensure that it has a solid preparation for its ISS role in the operational phase. And this new expertise has the potential to be reused in other Canadian programs.” Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy applies to the FWSAR contract and ensures that the total value of the contract is leveraged resulting in high-value jobs in the Canadian economy. The FWSAR program is supporting some $2.5 billion in Industrial and Technological Benefits to Canada, through high-value, long-term partnerships with Canadian industry. “The work done in Canada as part of the fixed-wing search and rescue project demonstrates the tangible benefits of our Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy for Canadian industry,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “This project will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment and services they need to keep Canada safe, and the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy ensures Canadians have access to middle-class jobs, growing our economy along the way.” https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/airbus-reports-strong-progress-in-generating-fwsar-work-in-canada