March 5, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

CarteNAV and Sentient Vision collaborate on PAL Aerospace winning aerial surveillance bid

CarteNav and Sentient Vision are pleased to announce their valuable contribution to PAL Aerospace's winning bid to provide the Government of Canada with aerial surveillance capability for Canada's inland, coastal and offshore waters. The contract, delivered on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, covers an initial five-year period and includes opportunities for PAL Aerospace to earn contract extensions that increase the total life of the agreement to 10 years.

As part of the winning bid, PAL aircraft will operate a specially configured Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) array within the CarteNav AIMS mission system. The seamless incorporation of this world-leading ViDAR technology into the AIMS system is a meaningful complement to the capability of the PAL aircraft that will serve this contract.

ViDAR is a wide area optical search system capable of operation unaffected by environmental marine obstacles, such as whitecaps, which detrimentally affect traditional technologies. The system is unique in its ability to detect objects as small as fishing buoys and people in the water over significant areas, allowing aircraft operators to map vast swaths of the ocean in real time. ViDAR autonomously locates objects on the surface of the water, transmits a thumbnail and location coordinate back to the AIMS mission system and prompts the operator to investigate further.

“Sentient was excited to work with CarteNav on the integration of ViDAR into the AIMS mission system to support this important contract,” said Simon Olsen, Sentient's director of Business Development, Strategy and Partnerships. “Blending these leading edge technologies into a combined offering marks a significant step forward and will now provide a game-changing ocean surface search solution to the Government of Canada.”

Both ViDAR and AIMS have extensive records of accomplishment and are in operation on multiple continents across multiple environments in both military and civilian applications.

“CarteNav has worked successfully with Sentient for many years, originally on the implementation of the Kestrel Moving Target Indicator (MTI) feature into AIMS, and most recently on integrating ViDAR,” said CarteNav COO Carl Daniels. “AIMS provides an intuitive interface from which operators can take advantage of the capabilities of the ViDAR persistent wide-area maritime search. The addition of ViDAR reaffirms our focus on operator workflow and mission delivery which has established CarteNav as a leader in mission system solutions.”

CarteNav's collaboration with Sentient and valued contribution to the winning PAL bid demonstrates a significant combined operating capacity to deliver leading edge services to customers for a variety of maritime surveillance applications. The successful execution of this contract on behalf of the Government of Canada fortifies CarteNav and Sentient's shared credentials in this area and should open the door to capture additional, mutually beneficial opportunities in the future.

https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cartenav-and-sentient-vision-collaborate-on-pal-aerospace-winning-aerial-surveillance-bid

On the same subject

March 27, 2023 | Local, C4ISR

Overview of Quantum 2030
The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) Quantum Science and Technology Strategy Implementation Plan, known as Quantum 2030, is a roadmap to ensuring DND/CAF is better prepared for the disruptive potential of quantum technologies for defence and security over the next seven years. Examples of the military potential of quantum technologies include positioning, navigation and timing where Global Positioning Systems (GPS) don’t work; sensors to detect chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats; secure communication and code-breaking; and advanced materials and medical research. Research and development into emerging technologies and countermeasures will ensure DND/CAF is prepared to be an early adopter, work with allies and stay ahead of potential adversaries. The implementation plan includes five calls to action for DND/CAF: Identify who is expected to use quantum technologies within DND/CAF; Train personnel for a base level of understanding of quantum, known as quantum literacy; Harmonize quantum investments across DND/CAF; Access state-of-the-art technology through innovation programs; and, Engage industry and academia. Quantum 2030 identifies four promising quantum technologies with defence and security applications and lays out a seven-year plan to develop prototypes ready to be tested in the field by the year 2030. Quantum-enhanced radar Quantum-enhanced light detection and ranging (LiDAR) Quantum algorithms for defence and security Quantum networking The seven-year plan is divided into three phases including recruiting and training personnel, scientific development, and field testing and demonstrations. Quantum 2030 builds on the DND/CAF Quantum Science and Technology Strategy, which was published in January 2021, and aligns with the Government of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, released in January 2023. Related links: DND / CAF Quantum Science and Technology Strategy National Quantum Strategy https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/overview-quantum-2030.html
March 14, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Used Australian F-18s will fly 160 hours annually for RCAF
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Parliamentary Budget Officer's recent report provides more details about the used Australian F-18s that Canada is purchasing. Eighteen of the 25 will eventually be flying, while the other seven will be used for spare parts and testing. Here are details taken from the PBO report: According to PBO calculations, the Canadian fleet is both slightly older and has experienced more usage than the Australian fleet. The average Canadian F-18 had accrued over 6,000 flying hours by the end of the 2017-2018 fiscal year. These calculations are supported by media reports indicating that by 2014, the CF-18s had accumulated over 5,700 flying hours on average, with over a third of the fleet already having flown over 6,000. Canada's Department of National Defence has stated that the aircraft being purchased from Australia's F-18 fleet are very similar to those currently in operation within the RCAF. The fleet arrival profile consists of 2 aircraft in 2018-2019, 2 aircraft in 2019-2020, 8 aircraft in 2020-2021, and 6 aircraft in 2021-2022; The aircraft will enter service approximately 6 months after being received; The aircraft will each accumulate about 160 flying hours per year, in accordance with the recent experience of the Canadian CF-18 fleet; Each Australian F/A-18 has accumulated an average of 6000 flying hours over the course of its operational history with the Royal Australian Air Force;. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/used-australian-f-18s-will-fly-160-hours-annually-for-rcaf
October 30, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

Boeing would perform Canadian Super Hornet final assembly in US
by Pat Host Boeing would perform final assembly of its F/A-18 Block III Super Hornets in the United States rather than Canada if it wins Canada's Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) competition. Jim Barnes, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security director of business development in Canada, on 27 October cited the small production run for performing final assembly in St. Louis, Missouri, where the Super Hornet is built. Canada will purchase 88 advanced fighters as part of its competition with the first aircraft anticipated for 2025. The procurement is expected to be worth USD11-14 billion. “It was decided that the benefits of standing up these types of operations in Canada were not worth the investment,” Barnes said. “We are concentrating on the decades of life cycle support for our partners' work share, including potential work on US Navy Super Hornets.” Boeing is competing against the Saab Gripen E with production in Canada and the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) for the FFCP. The winning company will replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF's) legacy Boeing F/A-18 (CF-18/CF-188 in national service) fighter fleet. The industrial and technical benefits (ITB) portion of an offeror's bid is an important part of a proposal. Jennifer Seidman, Boeing international strategic partnerships country manager for Canada, said on 27 October that both defence production and skills development were part of the company's ITB proposal, but that she could not provide further details. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/boeing-would-perform-canadian-super-hornet-final-assembly-in-us

All news