December 10, 2018 | Local, Land
The Canadian Army brought 20 pistols to an Arkansas shooting competition. Before events had even officially kicked off, 15 of those pistols had jammed so badly during the warmup they couldn't be used.
“It was so bad, the guys coming off (the range) were handing over their (remaining five) pistols to the next team because they couldn't trust the others,” said Ken Pole, who wrote about the incident for a feature in Canadian Army Today.
On average, Pole found that the Canadians' handguns has jammed once every 62 shots. Their British competitors, by contrast, squeezed off 5,620 rounds without a hitch.
This is all pretty standard for the Browning Hi-Power, the 74-year-old pistol still carried as the primary sidearm of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Unlike most pistols carried by G7 militaries, Brownings have a tendency to rattle and soldiers have been advised not to fully load the pistol because it will wear out the springs.
When a Canadian soldier is deployed to a war zone such as Afghanistan or Mali, they're issued with whatever Browning Hi-Power is deemed to be least likely to give out. That's why some have joked that if they're ever forced to use their sidearm in combat, they'd be better off throwing it than shooting it.
“If you give me a choice of a sharp stick or a Browning, I'll ... sadly take the Browning but will look fondly at the stick,” Bob Kinch, a former competitive marksman with the Canadian Armed Forces, wrote in a September Quora post.
Like many times when the Canadian military tries to buy something, however, the quest to replace the Browning is now held up in a years-long procurement limbo. A 2016 statement by the Department of National Defence estimated that soldiers wouldn't be able to get their hands on new pistols until at least 2026.
Canada's Hi-Powers are so desperately obsolete, however, that the army has been forced to greenlight a stopgap program to buy up some working pistols in the meantime. Known as the “Army Interim Pistol Program,” it will buy about 7,000 sidearms to immediate plug what the army is calling its “current pistol capability gaps.”
July 23, 2024 | Local, Naval
HMCS Max Bernays is now in Pearl Harbor as specialists try to figure out how long it will take to be repaired, sailors have told this newspaper.
March 21, 2023 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Much like Canada, our allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are looking to keep pace with emerging and disruptive technologies. That’s why NATO is establishing the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA. DIANA will offer novel innovation programming across the Alliance, which will look to take advantage of the opportunities and counter the threats presented by cutting edge technology. The Director General Research & Development Innovation (DGRDI) team from the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) and staff from NATO DIANA will be holding virtual information sessions on DIANA and how it can benefit Canadian innovators, starting April 25, 2023. As Canada is a NATO member, Canadian innovators will be eligible to participate in all processes initiated by DIANA. Upon selection by the program, innovators will also be provided access to a network of accelerators and test centres across more than 20 allied nations in North America and Europe. The following information sessions are available for interested Canadian innovators. No registration is required for these sessions, however there is a cap of 1000 participants per session. Should you not be able to attend one of the sessions below, there will be a recording made available. Option 1 Date: April 25th, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) Language: English Option 2 Date: April 25th, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) Language: French Option 3 Date: April 26th, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) Language: English Option 4 Date: April 26th, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) Language: English Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only) +1 343-803-5382,,784218200# Canada, Ottawa-Hull Phone Conference ID: 784 218 200# Find a local number Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only) +1 343-803-5382,,784218200# Canada, Ottawa-Hull Phone Conference ID: 784 218 200# Find a local number Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only) +1 343-803-5382,,784218200# Canada, Ottawa-Hull Phone Conference ID: 784 218 200# Find a local number Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only) +1 343-803-5382,,784218200# Canada, Ottawa-Hull Phone Conference ID: 784 218 200# Find a local number Each information session will include a presentation followed by a question and answer period. Questions will need to be submitted in advance, by April 14th, 2023, to the following inbox: drdcnatodiana-rddcotandiana@forces.gc.ca. For more additional information on DIANA, please visit the program website.
December 3, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
NATO Pitch Event; Reminder deadlines for 5G and CDIS Beam Me Up nets the top Made in Canada Prize at the NATO Innovation Challenge Congratulations to Beam Me Up, winner of the Made in Canada prize in the Fall 2021 NATO Innovation Challenge! The team put together a stellar performance and won a special cash prize from IDEaS. The NATO Innovation Challenge Fall 2021 Pitch Day recorded video is now available on Youtube. Deadlines for 5G, Corrosion Detection in Ships Fast Approaching 5G: The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) are seeking innovative solutions via the Faster, Stronger, More Secure: Advancing 5G capabilities and concepts for defence and security challenge. Deadline to apply is 2:00 PM (Eastern Time), Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Corrosion detection: DND/CAF is also looking for functional solutions to rapidly and easily detect and inform the operators and engineers of all corrosion in a vessel while it is in operational use. Solutions will do so in a non-destructive manner that does not rely on human visual inspection or the removal of equipment. See the Corrosion detection in ships page for details. Deadline to apply is 2:00 PM (Eastern Time), Thursday, December 16, 2021 Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN; Rappel des dates limites pour les défis 5G et CDIS Beam Me Up remporte le prix Fabriqué au Canada au Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN Félicitations à Beam Me Up, lauréat du prix Fabriqué au Canada lors du Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN de l'automne 2021! L'équipe a réalisé une performance exceptionnelle et a remporté un prix spécial en argent d'IDEeS. La vidéo de la journée de présentation du Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN de l'automne 2021 est désormais disponible pour être visionnée dans son intégralité sur Youtube. (disponible en anglais seulement) Les dates limites pour les défis 5G et la détection de la corrosion à bord des navires approchent à grands pas 5G : Le ministère de la Défense nationale et les Forces armées canadiennes (MDN/FAC) recherchent des avancées technologiques pour les capacités 5G pour les défis de défense et de sécurité via le défi Plus rapide, plus fort, plus sécurisé : avancer les capacités et les concepts 5G pour la défense et la sécurité. La date limite pour postuler est 14h00 (HNE), le mardi 7 décembre 2021. Détection de la corrosion : Le MDN/FAC recherche également des solutions fonctionnelles pour détecter et informer rapidement et facilement les opérateurs et les ingénieurs de toute corrosion dans un navire pendant son utilisation opérationnelle. Les solutions le feront d'une manière non destructive qui ne repose pas sur une inspection visuelle humaine ou sur le retrait de l'équipement. Voir la page Détection de la corrosion à bord des navires pour plus de détails. La date limite pour postuler est 14h00 (HNE), le jeudi 16 décembre 2021.