Canadian Armed Forces’ unmanned surveillance drones will be equipped with Leonardo E-scan radar

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  March 14, 2019 | Local, C4ISR, Security

  CADSI Report: Greater collaboration on military cyber-defence essential for keeping Canada safe from foreign attacks

  New CADSI Report: Greater collaboration on military cyber-defence essential for keeping Canada safe from foreign attacks OTTAWA, ON March 7, 2019 – Canada's current military procurement models and levels of industry-government cooperation have not kept pace with the unprecedented “speed of cyber” and could compromise national security if left unaddressed, a new report from the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) concludes. The report, entitled From Bullets to Bytes: Industry's Role in Preparing Canada for the Future of Cyber Defence , was made public today. It outlines some of the challenges associated with preparing and equipping the Canadian Armed Forces for a modern battlefield where the physical and digital are seamlessly merged. “Warfare has changed,” said CADSI President Christyn Cianfarani. “Our military is moving rapidly into a future where cyber-defence will be essential for protecting Canada and Canadian military missions abroad. How industry and government work together and get decisive cyber technologies into the hands of Canadian soldiers and intelligence agencies must change, too.” Based on a year of research and 70 interviews with government, military and industry leaders in the field, From Bullets to Bytes confirms that there are dozens of Canadian firms with cyber-defence expertise that could be leveraged by DND as it invests billions in cyber-defence programs and procurements over the next decade. The report notes, however, that government and industry still lack formal mechanisms to communicate, collaborate and build trust – and procurement cycles can take years. “Our adversaries can deploy new cyber capabilities in a matter of months, or even days," said Ms. Cianfarani. “For Canada to win on the cyber-enabled battlefield, Canadian government and industry must collaborate intentionally, the way our allies do. Now is the time to lean on Canada's national security innovation base and overhaul the procurement process to work at cyber-speed.” CADSI's report outlines a path forward, offering five core recommendations that the association believes will move Canada's military toward cyber-readiness. These include setting up a secure Canadian cyber-defence network to facilitate collaboration, increasing the pool of available experts to be used as cyber reservists, and overhauling the government's classification system and capabilities database. https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/media/article&id=346&t=c

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  October 25, 2023 | Local, Aerospace

  Canadian industry challenges claims by top DND bureaucrat in battle over new surveillance plane

  Deputy minister Bill Matthews gave MPs a pitch for the Boeing P-8 aircraft as a replacement for the CP-140 Aurora.

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  April 26, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Government expects to award contract for new fighter jet fleet in 2022 (but admits it could face delays)

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Though the federal government expects to award a contract for a new fleet of fighter jets in 2022, it admits that schedule is aggressive and could yet face further delays. A request for bids to provide 88 new jets to the Royal Canadian Air Force will be released next month, according to a new update on major Department of National Defence projects released Wednesday, with the proposals to be evaluated by 2021 and a contract to be awarded a year later. But in the update DND also admits that timeline is tenuous. “The approved schedule is considered very aggressive,” it said. “The project team is managing a number of risks which have the potential to impact schedule.” The document doesn't outline the specific risks but DND officials have acknowledged that government negotiations with private contractors on the industrial benefits that are to be linked to the project could cause delays. The Liberals have committed to purchasing the new jets in a program expected to cost up to $19 billion. The competition was launched on Dec. 12, 2017, and Canada expects to examine four different fighter jets as candidates for the RCAF's new fleet. The project team is managing a number of risks which have the potential to impact schedule The first of the jets is expected to be delivered in the mid-2020s, with the full capability available in the early 2030s, according to the DND document. The document also outlines the plan to purchase used Australian F-18s in the interim, which the RACF will use to boost the capability of its current fleet of CF-18s until the new generation aircraft are in service. The first of the Australian jets has already been delivered, with final delivery set for the end of 2021, according to the update. However, the parliamentary budget officer has found this interim solution could cost more than $1 billion, and the auditor general's office has pointed out that the air force is lacking pilots and maintenance crews for the planes it already operates. Wednesday's DND update points out success stories as well as challenges with some of DND's multi-billion dollar projects. Some programs, such as the purchase of Chinook helicopters and tactical armoured patrol vehicles, are completed or are nearing completion with few problems. A new $2-billion program to buy heavy trucks is among those expected to be proceed without issues. Canada also expects to award a contact next year for a mid-life upgrade of the fleet of Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters, and the conversion of former U.S. presidential helicopters so they can join the flight line for rescue operations. But the report warns there could be problems with other upcoming projects such as the purchase of a fleet of drones. It noted that there might not be enough procurement staff with the required expertise to move that program forward on schedule. The department hopes to deal with the problem by hiring contractors. A draft invitation to qualify for that project was released April 5 and a contact is expected to be awarded in 2022, the document said. The first of a fleet of new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft, meanwhile, are to be delivered in December. The first plane will be sent to 19 Wing Comox, B.C. in the spring of 2020. The 16 new planes will be phased in between 2020 and 2022. But DND acknowledged it is keeping an eye on the potential that schedule could be affected because of the “complexities associated with transitioning to the new fleet while maintaining the current search and rescue posture.” In addition, DND is keeping watch on problems with its new upgraded light armoured vehicles. Though the vehicles have been delivered on time, some technical issues will be fixed through a retrofit program. There have also been problems with software design and qualification of components in another new fleet of armoured vehicles that will be used for battlefield surveillance, the first of which is to be delivered next year. The first new supply ship for the Royal Canadian Navy, being built in Vancouver, is expected in 2023 but won't be ready for operations until a year later. The delivery of the second supply ship “is currently under review,” the update added. In the meantime, the navy has access to MV Asterix, the supply ship at the heart of the court case involving Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. That ship, currently being leased to the navy by Quebec firm Davie Shipbuilding, was delivered on time and on budget and is considered a procurement success story. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/canada/government-expects-to-award-contract-for-new-fighter-jet-fleet-in-2022-but-admits-it-could-face-delays/wcm/a34c8b83-3838-4ff9-87ac-1741fd434059