CDR: Team Artemis

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  June 10, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Héroux-Devtek announces acquisition of Québec-based Alta Précision Inc.

  Héroux-Devtek Inc., the world's third-largest landing gear manufacturer, announced that it has concluded the acquisition of all the outstanding shares of Montreal-based Alta Precision Inc., a manufacturer of high-precision landing gear components. The transaction, which is subject to final purchase price adjustments, is valued at $23 million and was funded through the corporation's credit facilities. Héroux-Devtek, with its head office in Longueuil, Que., has 1,960 employees around the world, of which approximately 800 are located in Québec following the acquisition of Alta Precision Inc. Since its inception in 1942, Héroux-Devtek has grown from a small repair and overhaul facility to a world-class supplier of landing gear and actuation systems, delivering on major platforms such as the Boeing 777 and 777X. This acquisition, along with those of CESA, Beaver and Tekalia announced over the last year, strengthen its leadership position around the world. “The acquisition of Alta Precision Inc. expands our portfolio of commercial products by providing both access to new programs and additional content on existing platforms. It also comes with the backlog and manufacturing capacity necessary to grow the existing business”, said Martin Brassard, president & CEO of Héroux-Devtek. “We would like to welcome the Alta Precision Inc. employees and its president Guillermo Alonso who will join the growing Héroux-Devtek team. Together, we are confident in our ability to add value to Alta Precision Inc.'s operations and meet growing demand for our world-class landing gear offering”, added Brassard. “We are delighted to join Héroux-Devtek, a leading landing gear manufacturer for the global aerospace industry. With its growing customer base in North America and Europe, we will play a strong role in accelerating the growth of the corporation,” said Alonso, president of Alta Precision Inc. Founded in 1980, Alta Precision Inc. is a privately owned company which operates a state-of-the-art 72,000 square foot facility located in Montreal, Que. The company has approximately $18 million in annual revenues and employs 110 highly skilled personnel. Alta Precision Inc. manufactures complex landing gear components and assemblies for large customers such as Embraer, Safran, Liebherr and the United States Air Force. Alta Precision's strong backlog is comprised mainly of commercial aircraft landing gear components for the new E-2 and Airbus A-220 programs and for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A-350, two recent and growing commercial platforms. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/heroux-devtek-announces-acquisition-of-quebec-based-alta-precision-inc/

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  January 5, 2021 | Local, Aerospace

  Canada’s New Drone Can Better Surveil Its Challenging Arctic Environment

  BY KEVIN M. BAERSON After years of experimentation and analysis, the government of Canada has procured a new Hermes 900 StarLiner from Israeli UAV manufacturer Elbit Systems that can withstand and patrol its massive, inhospitable Arctic territory. Extreme weather with high winds and low temperatures, limited and unreliable satellite communication and navigation, and continuous darkness during the winter months make controlling UAVs in the Arctic especially challenging. Combined with a lack of ground infrastructure, both line of sight and satellite control of a UAV can become nearly impossible. The hope is that the Starliner can conquer these harsh Arctic conditions. This version of Elbit's Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) military UAV is fully certified to operate in civilian airspace and will take off from and land on civilian airfields. It will perform myriad operations to reduce harmful environmental impacts, including detection of oil pollution and wildlife surveying, as well as ice patrol and reconnaissance. It will also support search and rescue, humanitarian efforts and illegal fishing enforcement, and will aid the development and regulation of Canada's drone industry. The $36.16 million contract includes communication links, ground control stations, sensor packages, training and the optional purchase of spare parts. The Starliner is expected to be delivered by December 2022, but procurement has been years in the making. Arctic Takeoff In 2017, Canadian officials began research and development test flights using a Sea Hunter drone produced by Alabama-based Griffon Aerospace. The data collected, including BVLOS results, contributed to developing requirements for the eventual Hermes purchase. Timothy Choi, a maritime strategy expert and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, has said the Canadian government had limited options in its search for a proven maritime drone with Arctic capabilities. “Large maritime surveillance drones—that is, ones equipped with downward-looking radar and AIS [automatic identification system] receivers to detect shipping—have not been as prevalent in the global drone market as their land-centric counterparts,” Choi told the website Eye On The Arctic. “Of these, there are even fewer that have been tested in Arctic conditions.” The model Canada is acquiring has been undergoing operational trials in Iceland via the European Maritime Safety Agency since summer 2019. At 1.6 tons, the StarLiner includes detect and avoid (DAA) systems, redundant datalinks and an advanced terrain avoidance warning system. Its ability to automatically take off and land in near-zero visibility, and to sustain deicing procedures and direct lightning strikes, makes it ideal for the Arctic's extreme weather challenges. According to Canadian officials, the new UAV can operate at up to 72 degrees north latitude and has a range of more than 1,400 nautical miles. It comes equipped with back-up command and control and navigation systems, electrical optical infrared camera, synthetic aperture radar and a mapping camera system. For now, the majority of Canada's Arctic surveillance data will continue to come from RADARSAT, the country's remote sensing earth observation satellite program. But while the satellites can detect emergencies such as an oil spill, their brief visits over the Arctic make it difficult to identify causes and consequences. The same is true for identifying nefarious activities such as illegal dumping and unpermitted fishing. “The ability of a drone to loiter for long periods of time with higher resolution sensors will help fill this gap,” Choi explained. “Operationally, the new drone will greatly help ‘connect the dots' when it comes to surveilling Arctic waters and enforcing Canadian regulations.” Drone Diplomacy While this Hermes version will be used in civilian missions, its acquisition is just one part of Canada's Arctic Unmanned Aircraft System Initiative, and it will join the country's National Aerial Surveillance Program's manned aircraft fleet. With 75% of Canada's coastline and 55% of its landmass located in the Arctic, Canada and its main regional rival, Russia, potentially contest for resources and the new shipping routes being created by global warming. Russia is deploying a fleet of dual-use extreme-weather UAVs featuring a GIRSAM alternative navigation system. China, which is talking about a “Polar Silk Road,” also is developing dual-use UAVs optimized for Arctic conditions. “Canada is committed to protecting our endangered species and our marine environment,” Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement. “Integrating remotely piloted aircraft into Transport Canada's fleet will make federal surveillance operations more robust than ever.” https://insideunmannedsystems.com/canadas-new-drone-can-better-surveil-its-challenging-arctic-environment/

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  March 7, 2022 | Local, Aerospace

  MDA to Build 17 Satellites to Enhance Globalstar's LEO Constellation