Call for Foreign Comparative Testing Proposals - Spring 2021

On the same subject

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  July 31, 2023 | Local, Aerospace, Security

  Q&A with Boeing Canada's Charles “Duff” Sullivan - Skies Mag

  Skies sat down with Charles “Duff” Sullivan, managing director and president of Boeing Canada Operations Ltd., to discuss a variety of topics.

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  October 8, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Analysis: With Canadians tuned out on defence, political parties can safely ignore the topic at election time

  By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN It's not much of a surprise that defence and security issues aren't a factor in this federal election. Despite the concerns of various commentators and analysts, the political parties can safely ignore those topics. Even though billions of dollars are to be spent on the future purchase of military equipment, and Canada is engaged in training missions in Ukraine, Latvia and Iraq, the average Canadian doesn't appear to care all that much about such topics. That doesn't mean that such a viewpoint is right. But it's typical of recent elections. The parties have touched briefly on defence and security in their platforms. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has noted he would improve relations with the U.S. and join the U.S. missile defence program. His government would buy new submarines and improve Arctic sovereignty. The Conservatives haven't discussed what it would cost to join the American missile defence system and there is no price tag for new submarines designed to operate in the Arctic. The subs, in particular, could be costly. In 2016 Australia announced its program to acquire 12 new subs with a price tag of $50 billion. Earlier this year Scheer vowed that a Conservative government would take the politics out of defence procurement, equipping the Canadian Forces with only what it needs. But even as he re-emphasized that point on the campaign trail, Scheer promised to order a second naval supply ship to be built at Davie shipyards in Quebec. While that would create jobs in the province and potentially generate support for the Conservatives, the leadership of the Royal Canadian Navy is adamant the second vessel is not needed. Liberal party defence promises have fewer details. Once again the Liberals have promised to increase support for the United Nations. But that's a repeat from the 2015 election campaign and many defence analysts point out that the Liberals didn't really deliver on that in their first mandate. There was the Canadian Forces mission to Mali, finished after only a year, and the assignment of a transport aircraft for UN use. But little else. The Liberals have a new promise to use the Canadian military's expertise for climate-related disasters, but again there are few details. They've also resurrected another of their 2015 election promises, which was to reform the defence procurement system. Little was done over the past several years to improve the system to purchase billions of dollars of military equipment. This time around the Liberals are promising to create a Defence Procurement Agency but it is unclear how that would be set up. The Green party has promised stable funding for military equipment and training, deployment of military personnel to deal with climate change disasters and pollution in the Arctic, to sign a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons and to cancel a deal with Saudi Arabia for light armoured vehicles. The NDP stated they would hold a fair competition for new fighter jets, keep shipbuilding procurement on time, stop the privatization of services at military bases and put more focus on peacekeeping. While defence and security issues are important, and can be costly to taxpayers, they don't seem to appear at the forefront of voter concerns. Most of the time they don't even register. Despite the thousands of words written and spoken by politicians and defence analysts about aging fighter jets, Canadians aren't marching in the streets to demand replacements for the RCAF's CF-18s. Scheer's promise to spend $1.5 billion to buy new medical imaging equipment for hospitals across Canada is more directly relevant to the average Canadian – who likely knows someone who has had to wait months for a MRI – than his promise to have Canada join the U.S. missile defence shield. The lack of interest by Canadians on defence matters has not been lost on politicians in power, particularly when they need to cut spending. By realizing that defence issues concerned only a small portion of the electorate, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper – who counted himself as a politician firmly behind the Canadian Forces – was able to chop the military's budget. At the heart of that issue is the lack of connection to and knowledge of the Canadian military by most Canadians. That was illustrated by a July 2018 report commissioned by the Department of National Defence which concluded that, “Awareness of and familiarity with the [Canadian Forces] was generally very low; virtually non-existent among those in the younger age group.” Only 26 per cent of those surveyed had some awareness of what the Canadian Forces had been doing over a year-and-a-half period. They couldn't even name what types of missions the military did at home, despite the high profile responses by the Canadian Forces to natural disasters such as floods and forest fires. Participants in the study were even surprised the learn the Canadian Forces operated in the Arctic. It's a situation that doesn't bode well for the future of the Canadian military. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/with-canadians-tuned-out-on-defence-political-parties-can-safely-ignore-the-topic-at-election-time

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  October 21, 2020 | Local, Naval, C4ISR

  Canada ensures continued support for Halifax-class radar systems

  From: National Defence Canada's Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigates are the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Making sure that these ships have and maintain modern equipment is key to ensuring our navy can continue its important work. Canada's Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigates are the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Making sure that these ships have and maintain modern equipment is key to ensuring our navy can continue its important work. Today, Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan announced an in-service support contract with Thales Canada, of Ottawa, Ontario, to support the SMART-S MK2 radar system used on Canada's Halifax-class frigates, starting in fall 2020. Valued at $4.6 million (including taxes), this contract will provide critical engineering, in-service support, and repair and overhaul services to ensure the radar remains operationally capable of detecting the location and range of possible air and surface threats up to 250 km away. The SMART-S MK2 radar is the primary tactical radar used on the Halifax-class frigates, and was installed as part of the Halifax-class Modernization Project. It is a medium-to-long-range 3-D radar that provides air and surface surveillance capabilities to the RCN's Halifax-class frigates. Keeping our Halifax-class frigates operational and at the height of modern technology is critical for maintaining the combat readiness of the RCN until the arrival of the Canadian Surface Combatant ships. Quotes “The continued support of the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-class frigates is an important aspect of Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged. The Halifax-class frigates are considered to be the backbone of the RCN. As maritime threats continue to evolve, this investment in equipment will provide our people in uniform with the tools they need, to continue protecting Canadians and supporting peace and security missions at home and abroad.” “We are providing the members in uniform with the equipment they need to carry out their important work. This in-service support contract is another example of our commitment to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with the technology it needs to continue protecting and serving Canadians.” The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement “Investing in our local industry is now more important than ever with the COVID-19 pandemic. By supporting companies like Thales here in the National Capital Region, our government is continuing to grow local Ottawa-based industry, while also providing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the resources they need.” Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence Quick facts Halifax-class frigates monitor and control Canadian waters, defend Canada's sovereignty, facilitate large-scale search and rescue activities, and provide emergency assistance when needed. The frigates operate with and integrate into the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and coalitions of allied states in support of international peace and security operations. Introduced into service in the 1990s, the Canadian-built Halifax-class frigates were recently modernized to remain operationally effective and relevant until the Canadian Surface Combatants enter into service. This contract will provide in-service support and repair and will overhaul parts for the SMART-S MK2 radar for one year, beginning this fall. There is also an option for an additional four, one-year extensions, in order to maintain support during the transition to future in-service support contracts. Should all options be exercised, the entire contract has a potential value of up to $19 million (including taxes). This contract is fully compliant with the Government of Canada's Sustainment Initiative, which helps us ensure performance, value for money, flexibility, and economic benefits. This in-service support contract for the radar is an interim measure that will ensure services until a new contract for the Halifax-class Combat System has been awarded and a transition has been completed in 2021. This future in-service support contract will combine five current contracts for the frigate's combat systems under one long-term contract managed by a single prime contractor, helping to ensure continued service and best value. Through the Halifax-class Modernization Project, the Government of Canada successfully modernized the RCN's fleet of 12 frigates to ensure they continue to meet evolving operational needs. Valued at $4.3 billion, this project provided state-of-the-art upgrades, including a new combat management system, new radar capability, new electronic warfare systems, and upgraded communications and missile systems. Final delivery was on November 30, 2016, with full operational capability achieved by January 31, 2018. https://www.miragenews.com/canada-ensures-continued-support-for-halifax-class-radar-systems/