Cost to fix mechanical problems and lead-tainted water on new Arctic ships remains unknown

On the same subject

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  January 14, 2022 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Economic Benefits of Defence Spending

  Neither the December 2021 economic and fiscal update nor the 2021 budget contained much new spending for defence beyond some very targeted incremental funding to deal with more recent issues not covered in the 2017 defence policy. These issues include NORAD’s renewal, increased support to the NATO alliance and funding for operations and resources to address sexual misconduct and gender-based violence. This should not be surprising to those who follow defence issues. The 2021 budget emphasizes that the 2017 defence policy, Strong Secure Engaged, “set out a vision for a long-term, fully-funded plan to renew and re-equip the Canadian military, built around people.” Perhaps more important for DND’s longer term funding requirements are the projected deficits in the budget, beginning at $354 billion in FY20-21 and reducing to $30 billion in FY 2025-26. Historically, when governments in Canada face large deficits and start reducing costs, the largest discretionary spending category – defence – invariably takes a hit. Based on the government’s desire to focus on getting Canadians back to work by promoting innovation and small business, it is worth discussing whether continuing defence spending at the levels planned in Strong, Secure, Engaged will help achieve those goals.

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  February 1, 2018 | Local, C4ISR

  L3 WESCAM wins defense contracts valued at more than US$250 million

  L3 WESCAM announced on Feb. 1 that it ended the second half of 2017 with more than US$250 million in contracts from military and law enforcement customers for its MX-Series electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) products and in-service support products and services. The orders will provide a range of MX imaging and targeting solutions to both experienced MX end users and military customers new to L3 WESCAM products and services. “For more than 40 years, L3 has been a key supplier of ISR technologies, including sensors and systems, to help military and law enforcement agencies stay on the leading edge as surveillance and reconnaissance missions evolve,” said Jeff Miller, L3's senior vice-president and president of its sensor systems business segment. “We have earned and maintained a very strong reputation for quality, performance, reliability and rapid delivery, having provided more than 4,100 MX surveillance and targeting systems worldwide.” New platforms, new end-user countries The demand for L3 WESCAM's ISR technologies continued to grow as systems were sold for the first time into four new countries across four separate continents, including Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Additionally, MX-Series systems were purchased for the first time on six significant airborne platforms, including airframes developed in Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. L3 WESCAM turrets are now operating in over 70 countries on more than 190 different types of platforms across the air, land and maritime domains. Continued growth for in-service support L3 continued to experience a growing demand for in-service support contracts from MX customers located across North America, Europe and Asia. To keep operators and maintainers of MX systems operating at maximum efficiency, L3 WESCAM held a series of highly interactive customer conferences in Italy, France, Australia and Canada. With over 230 MX operators and maintainers in attendance, L3 presented a series of technology sessions, gaining pivotal insight into each customer's direct experience with MX products and a better understanding of future surveillance and targeting requirements. Complementing these customer-centric user groups, L3's global in-service support infrastructure, composed of 13 service centres staffed by a team of dedicated field service support personnel, continued to provide unmatched maintenance and repair solutions to customers who rely on L3's airborne, land and maritime imaging capabilities 24/7. L3 WESCAM also conducted a series of new product demonstrations in the latter half of the year that were overwhelmingly successful, underscoring the company's commitment to anticipating customer needs and achieving the highest levels of performance possible. These trials will help to support future business opportunities moving into 2018 and beyond. L3 WESCAM is a world leader in the design and manufacture of stabilized, multi-spectral imaging systems. https://www.wescam.com/wp-content/uploads/Final_WESCAM_-second-half-2017-results.pdf

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  October 10, 2017 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  THALES SELECTS CANADA AS NEW GLOBAL HUB TO BOOST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EXPERTISE

  oday, Thales announced the creation of the Centre of Research and Technology in Artificial Intelligence eXpertise (cortAIx). Led by Thales, cortAIx, in collaboration with the MILA (Artificial Intelligence Institute of Quebec), the IVADO (Institute of Data Valorization) and the Vector Institute of Toronto, will be located in Montreal, one of the world's leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystems. This investment supports Thales' global strategy of technology leadership. Key Points The creation of cortAIx is another building block of our digital strategy, one of the key initiatives for company-wide growth Investment of 50 new world class experts in AI who will work together to strengthen the use of artificial intelligence in Thales products With the support of our partners, we will empower our customers with better decision making capabilities This new centre supports the creation of approximately 50 new world class jobs of AI researchers and developers. Their mission will be to advance the safe and ethical applications of artificial intelligence across Thales' vast product portfolio. cortAIx will focus on creating solutions to help airlines, satellite operators, air traffic controllers, mainline and light rail operators, armed forces and critical infrastructure managers, make the best decisions in decisive moments – from the bottom of oceans to the depths of space and cyberspace. cortAIx supports Thales' goal of being a world leader in AI while delivering future economic benefits to Canada. Leveraging the combined expertise of MILA, IVADO and the rich ecosystem of AI universities and laboratories, make Montreal and Canada the perfect place to develop cortAIx. With Thales' leadership and the support of our partners, we will leverage Montreal's unique ecosystem of world class talent and creativity to advance the applications of ethical artificial intelligence world-wide. Patrice Caine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thales The biggest challenge faced by AI experts today is to perfect the understanding of the mechanisms behind AI developments, while simultaneously evaluating human behaviors as people interact with these new systems. The key mission of Thales' cortAIx is to build “AI inside” solutions that are safe and ethical while granting full authority to the human decision makers. Building on Thales' recent acquisition of Guavus earlier this year and Vormetric last year, the creation of cortAIx is yet another example of how Thales is strengthening its positioning in one of the key technologies at the heart of global digital transformation. In the last three years, Thales has invested over €1 billion in key digital technologies and recently announced the launch of its high-tech Digital Factory in Paris. This activity brings together leading technology experts who support the injection of big data and artificial intelligence into Thales solutions, while also ensuring data security – a fundamental requirement of the modern digital economy. https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/group/press-release/thales-selects-canada-new-global-hub-boost-artificial-intelligence