August 17, 2020 | Local, Naval
According to the shipyard, the event was a key milestone in Davie's near 200-year history marking the return of Canada's primary surface combat ships to Québec. Three of the 12 frigate fleet were built at Davie in the 1990s (HMCS Ville de Quebec, HMCS Regina and HMCS Calgary).
The $500 million performance-based contract to carry out an extensive mid-life refit on the Royal Canadian Navy's patrol frigates is for an initial five-year period. It is expected to increase in duration and value as new work packages are added. Davie Shipyard, alongside Seaspan Victoria Shipyards in British Columbia and Irving Shipyards in Nova Scotia are all participating in the $1.5-billion maintenance and upgrade program.
Over the past 12 months a major facility upgrade program was completed at the West end of Davie shipyard and in the historic Lorne drydock to provide a long-term maintenance home for Canada's surface combat fleet and its supporting naval staff.
Davie Shipyard added in a statement that docking maintenance work periods are critical to ensure the RCN has at least 8 of its 12 patrol frigates ready for deployment at all times until the class is replaced by the Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC) in the early 2040s.
According to Timothy Choi, naval analyst at the University of Calgary in Canada, the mid-life refit work will focus on the hull, mechanical, and electrical works that were not included as part of the FELEX upgrades. “The only substantial new component that I'm aware of are the four .50cal remote weapons system” Choi added.
Raytheon Canada Limited was awarded in March 2016 a contract to install up to 58 Naval Remote Weapon Stations (NRWS) on Royal Canadian Navy surface vessels. The NRWS are .50 cal Mini typhoon RWS by Israeli company Rafael, modified and adapted by Raytheon.
HMCS Regina sailing past the Greater Victoria Shoreline en route to Hawaii. Photo credit: MS Dan Bard
The 12 Canadian-built Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigates are considered the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy. They can deploy anywhere in the world in support of the Government of Canada. Under the Halifax-class Modernization / Frigate Life Extension project, the frigates received a number of upgrades to ensure they have the capabilities to meet the new threats and changing operating environments of today. Enhanced capabilities include:
The first modernized Halifax-class frigates were delivered in late 2014, and the last ship in 2018.
Halifax-class specifications
Length: 134 metres
Beam: 16 metres
Complement: 225 personnel
March 29, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
Il aura fallu presque sept ans pour que les libéraux de Justin Trudeau arrivent à la même conclusion que l’ancien gouvernement conservateur de Stephen Harper : les avions de chasse F-35 représentent la meilleure option pour remplacer la flotte vieillissante des CF-18.
September 25, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Shortly before he retired, Pat Finn, the Department of National Defence's procurement chief, told this newspaper there was always a risk that some companies would drop out of the future fighter jet competition but that extra efforts had been made to ensure the process was fair. “We're not getting all kinds of signals that (companies are) losing interest” in bidding, Finn said in an interview July 23. On Aug. 30, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space informed the Canadian government of their decision to withdraw from Canada's future fighter competition. Airbus had been offering Canada the Eurofighter. At the time the Canadian Press news service reported the Eurofighter withdrawal was a surprise. It wasn't. For the last nine months the various competing firms, Boeing, Airbus and Saab have been sounding the alarm about how the fighter jet process is structured and their worry that it is stacked in favour of the Lockheed Martin F-35. The RCAF, which originally selected the F-35 as the CF-18 replacement before that selection was put on hold by the previous Conservative government because of cost and technical issues, came up with the new requirements. Industry representatives say these requirements highlight the strengths of the F-35 such as stealth and a first strike capability. The primary role of the new fighter jets is to protect North America, or so government officials have said. Lockheed Martin's industry rivals question how stealth and a first strike capability fit into that role. Representatives from Lockheed Martin's competitors have also made overtures to federal officials about their concerns about the procurement process but say they received little response. In early July Reuters news service reported that both Airbus and Boeing were considering dropping out. Airbus followed through on its concerns and as noted decided it wasn't worth competing because of how the process was designed. Last year the European firm Dassault informed the Canadian government it would not be competing in the competition. It had been planning to offer Canada the Rafale fighter jet. There were two key changes in the $19 billion procurement that caused Airbus to leave. One was the decision to change the industrial benefits needed for the program. Airbus was willing to outline and guarantee specific industrial benefits for Canada. That was the way previous defence procurements had worked. But that has been changed because of concerns the U.S. government raised for Lockheed Martin. U.S. officials had warned that the F-35 development agreement Canada signed years ago prohibits partners from imposing requirements for industrial benefits. Although Canada is a partner in the development of the aircraft that does not stipulate it is required to buy the F-35. But under the F-35 agreement, partner nations such as Canada are prohibited from demanding domestic companies receive specific work on the fighter jet. Instead, Canadian firms compete and if they are good enough they receive contracts. Over the last 12 years, Canadian firms have earned more than $1.3 billion in contracts to build F-35 parts. But there are no guarantees. The other problem that Airbus and Rafale faced was linked to the requirement that bidders need to show how their aircraft will integrate into the U.S.-Canada system to defend North America. Airbus would have been required to show how it planned to integrate the Eurofighter Typhoon into the U.S.-Canadian system without knowing the system's full technical details, the Canadian Press news service pointed out. Saab, which is offering Canada the Gripen fighter, could be facing the same problem. Boeing, which is considering offering the Super Hornet, would not have such a problem as its aircraft is being flown by the U.S. military. It is still unclear, however, whether Boeing or Saab will even continue in the competition. Bids must be submitted by the spring of 2020 but there is a growing sense among the defence industry that the F-35 will ultimately be selected as the new aircraft for the RCAF. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/will-other-firms-withdraw-from-fighter-jet-competition-leaving-f-35-last-plane-standing
December 6, 2022 | Local, Naval
Bonjour à tous, Nous souhaitons vous inviter à un flash-conférence, en français, organisé par l'Institut militaire de Québec (IMQ) dans le cadre de la tenue du Conseil de la marine à Québec. La conférence virtuelle se tiendra sur Zoom, le jeudi 8 décembre 2022 à 19h00. Le Commandant de la Marine royale canadienne (MRC), le Vice-amiral Angus Topshee, OMM, MSM, CD partagera sa vision de l’avenir de la marine canadienne. Une occasion d’obtenir une mise à jour éclairante sur les activités de la MRC et son implication dans les opérations internationales à venir. Voici les détails de la connexion : No de réunion : 829 4516 7595 Code secret : imq1929$ Lien d’accès direct : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82945167595?pwd=L0JaRmhFbjdtdzJ3VWRpUzRUYXJxUT09 En espérant vous avoir des nôtres (virtuellement)! // Good day, We would like to invite you to a flash conference, in French, organized by the Institut militaire de Québec (IMQ) in the context of the Conseil de la marine in Quebec City. The virtual conference will be held on Zoom on Thursday, December 8, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. The Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, OMM, MSM, CD will share his vision of the future of the Canadian Navy. An opportunity to get an enlightening update on the activities of the RCN and its involvement in upcoming international operations. Here are the connection details: Meeting number: 829 4516 7595 Secret code: imq1929$ Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82945167595?pwd=L0JaRmhFbjdtdzJ3VWRpUzRUYXJxUT09 Hoping to have you with us (virtually)!