Canadian Armed Forces continues 10-year long effort in Counter-Explosive capability building

On the same subject

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  September 13, 2023 | Local, Aerospace

  Report cites human factors in CC-150 collision in Guam - Skies Mag

  Human factors may have been the cause of an accident between a CC-150 Polaris and a French Air Force A400M at the end of Exercise Mobility Guardian.

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  August 9, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Next phase of Canadian special forces aircraft project to begin soon

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The next phase of the purchase of new surveillance aircraft for Canadian special forces is expected to begin soon with the request for bids for long-term maintenance of the planes. Canadian special forces will receive three new surveillance aircraft from the U.S. with the planes expected to arrive in 2022. A request for bids from Canadian firms to provide in-service support is to be released by the end of the summer. The purchase of the aircraft has raised questions about why the cost is substantially more than what the U.S. Air Force spends to buy the same or similar aircraft. The three Beechcraft King Air planes, to be based at CFB Trenton in Ontario, will be outfitted with sensors and equipment to intercept cell phone and other electronic transmissions. Canadian special forces and, potentially, other government departments will use them for missions overseas and in Canada. The agreement for the aircraft was finalized on April 26 with the U.S. government. Three aircraft and equipment will be delivered in the spring of 2022, the Canadian Forces noted. The agreement signed with the U.S. government is for $188 million (CAN). The U.S. Air Force lists the cost of the MC-12W surveillance aircraft as $17 million each or around $23 million Canadian. That includes communications/sensors and modification of the aircraft for that equipment. So three aircraft should cost in total about $70 million Canadian. At first it was unclear why Canada was paying more than double what the U.S. spends on the same planes. But the Department of National Defence now says the extra cost includes more powerful engines and a modernized cockpit. “As such, the cost for this new variant of the aircraft is higher than previous models,” the DND added in a statement. Also included in the overall agreement is two years of field service support and a technical data package which will enable the Canadian government to solicit bids from domestic firms to maintain the planes, according to the DND. No breakdown of the various costs was provided. The DND also noted that the initial outlay for the aircraft provides the “greatest benefit to Canada's industrial base.” It pointed out that it consulted with industry and determined buying from the U.S. was the best approach. Canadian industry officials, however, have disputed that claim. Various Canadian firms responded to the federal government's initial request for information in August 2013, highlighting that they could provide the aircraft needed by the Canadian Forces as well as integrate whatever equipment was selected or required by Canadian special forces. But the procurement was changed to have the aircraft purchased directly from the U.S. government and using U.S. firms. Attempts by Canadian companies to get an explanation about the change in direction were rebuffed, industry officials say. But the DND says Canadian firms will be providing the maintenance support for the aircraft. The federal government will solicit bids for the in-service support contract which will have the potential to cover a 23-year period. “The value of potential maintenance contracts is not yet known,” according to the DND. A draft request for proposals for the in-service support portion has been released with a final RFP expected sometime in the summer. No specific date was provided. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/next-phase-of-canadian-special-forces-aircraft-project-soon-to-begin

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  November 9, 2020 | Local, Naval

  Canada spending $650 million on U.S. missiles for new warships

  David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News (dpugliese@ottawacitizen.com) Published: Nov 06 at 10:29 a.m. Updated: Nov 06 at 7:20 p.m. The Canadian government is spending around $650 million to buy new missiles and launchers from the U.S. for the Royal Canadian Navy. Canada is buying 100 Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC missiles and 100 MK 13 Vertical Launch Systems. The total estimated cost of the purchase is $500 million U.S., according to the U.S. government, which posted details of the deal on Thursday. The U.S. State Department announced it had approved the pending sale and Congress has also been notified. It is expected to proceed but there were no details about when the weapons would be delivered. The missiles will be installed on the 15 Canadian Surface Combatant ships, according to the U.S. Raytheon Missiles and Defense of Tucson, Ariz., will build the weapons. Last year the Liberal government signed a deal that would lead to the eventual construction of 15 Canadian Surface Combatant warships in the largest single government purchase in Canadian history. A final contract, however, has not yet been signed. Lockheed Martin offered Canada the Type 26 warship designed by BAE in the United Kingdom. Irving is the prime contractor and the vessels will be built at its east coast shipyard. Construction of the first ship isn't expected to begin until the early 2020s. But the Canadian Surface Combatant program has already faced rising costs. In 2008 the then-Conservative government estimated the project would cost roughly $26 billion. The overall project is currently estimated to cost around $60 billion. The $60 billion price tag is now being examined by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. That report was supposed to be delivered to the House of Commons government operations committee on Oct. 22 but has been delayed. No new date has been provided on when the report will be delivered. “Approximately one-half of the CSC build cost is comprised of labour in the (Irving's) Halifax yard and materials,” according to federal government documents obtained by this newspaper through the Access the Information law. But some members of parliament as well as industry representatives have questioned whether the CSC cost is too high. There have been suggestions that Canada could dump the Type 26 design and go for a cheaper alternative since the project is still in early stages and costs to withdraw could be covered by savings from a less inexpensive ship. In 2017 then Parliamentary Budget Officer Jean-Denis Fréchette, estimated the CSC program would cost $61.82 billion. The entry of the BAE Type 26 warship in the Canadian competition was controversial from the start and sparked complaints the procurement process was skewed to favour that vessel. Previously the Liberal government had said only mature existing designs or designs of ships already in service with other navies would be accepted, on the grounds they could be built faster and would be less risky. Unproven designs can face challenges as problems are found once the vessel is in the water and operating. But the criteria was changed and the government and Irving accepted the BAE design, though at the time it existed only on the drawing board. Construction began on the first Type 26 frigate in the summer of 2017 for Britain's Royal Navy. Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020 https://www.thetelegram.com/news/canada/canada-spending-650-million-on-us-missiles-for-new-warships-517604/