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  July 10, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

  Les Alpha-Jet de la Défense vendus à la société canadienne Top Aces

  Les Alpha-Jet de la Défense vendus à la société canadienne Top Aces. La Défense belge a revendu 25 de ses anciens avions d'entraînement Alpha-Jet à une société canadienne, Top Aces, spécialisée dans l'entraînement au combat aérien au profit de différentes forces aériennes. Depuis la fermeture de l'école franco-belge de pilotes de chasse de Cazaux en France le 11 octobre 2018, les Alpha-Jet ont été retirés du service. Ils sont encore restés un an en France à disposition de l'Armée de l'Air française le temps de solder les comptes de l'AJeTS. Depuis leur retour en Belgique, ils sont stockés sur la base de Beauchevain. La société canadienne Top Aces serait responsable du démontage et du transport des appareils selon l'agence Belga. Le dossier de la vente des Alpha-Jet a été lancé en 2018. Neuf candidats avaient été retenus par la Défense en décembre 2019 et devaient soumettre une nouvelle offre. La société canadienne Top Aces possède déjà une vingtaine d'Alpha-Jet utilisée par la Luftwaffe, l'armée de l'air allemande, plus 7 A-4 Skyhawk et les 3 Learjet 35 (sans compter d'autres appareils civils en plus petites quantités). Des F-16 devraient bientôt les rejoindre pour compléter l'offre. Selon le blog français Lignes de Défense, cet achat n'est pas surprenant car Top Aces fait partie des sociétés choisies par l'USAF, l'armée de l'air américaine, pour le gros contrat d'externalisation des services ADAIR (adversary air). Top Aces se doit donc d'augmenter sa flotte d'Alpha-Jet. D'autres armées de l'air font appel à ses services pour l'entrainement de leurs pilotes (la Luftwaffe, la Royal Canadian Air Force et la Royal Australian Air Force). Ces programmes comprennent tant le combat air-air qu'air-sol (formation de JTAC), la défense anti-aérienne à partir de navire ou encore la réalisation de mission ISR. L'entreprise emploie une quarantaine de pilotes issu des armées de l'air américaine, canadienne, allemande et australienne (dont une grande partie est diplômée de l'école Top Gun). L'Alpha-Jet est un appareil de conception franco-allemande qui a effectué son premier vol en 1973 et qui est entré en service dans différentes armées de l'air en 1979. Il a été un réel succès de l'aéronautique avec plus de 500 appareils construits et une carrière loin d'être terminée. Conçu en deux versions (entrainement et attaque au sol), 12 armées de l'air à travers le monde y ont ou y ont eu recours. La Belgique a commandé 33 appareils, assemblés par la SABCA, et livrés entre 1978 et 1980. Quatre d'entre eux ont été perdus durant leur carrière. Durant presque quinze ans et jusqu'en 2018, 165 pilotes de chasse de la Composante Air ont été formés à Cazaux en France au sein de l'école franco-belge de pilotes de chasse sur l'Alpha-Jet. Avec la décision de ne pas remplacer les Alpha-Jet, la Défense s'est tournée vers l'Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT), une école installée sur la base aérienne Sheppard, dans le nord du Texas, pour former ses pilotes de chasse. La formation est moins coûteuse pour la Défense belge. En 2017, le ministre de la Défense Steven Vandeput estimait à environ 1,3 millions de dollars la formation de 18 mois aux USA. « L'économie pour la Défense est difficile à chiffrer mais, étant donné qu'il n'y aura pas d'investissement dans un nouvel avion d'instruction (le life cycle cost étalé sur 20 ans pour une flotte d'environ 15 avions est estimé à +/- 750 millions d'euros) et qu'on pourra aussi épargner sur les coûts d'infrastructure et de personnel, on peut présumer que celle-ci sera importante », expliquait-il dans une réponse écrite à la député Karolien Grosemans (N-VA). Le personnel détaché est aussi moins important passant de 40 personnes (pilotes, personnel administratif et techniciens) à 10 personnes. En plus d'économies de coût et personnel, le ministre Steven Vandeput défendait ce choix par l'absence de solution alternative au niveau européen, l'Armée de l'Air française n'ayant à cette époque pas encore de solution pour son Fast Jet Training. Actuellement, les élèves pilotes suivent un tronc commun de formation sur les Marchetti à Beauchevain avant de se séparer dans leur filière spécifique. Mais le ministère de la Défense envisage aussi de recourir à l'outsourcing au lieu de remplacer les Marchetti, qui arrivent en fin de vie. Les pilotes d'avions de transport ou d'hélicoptères sont toujours formés en France. Article co-écrit avec Pierre Brassart https://defencebelgium.com/2020/07/09/les-alpha-jet-de-la-defense-vendus-a-la-societe-canadienne-top-aces/

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  January 29, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

  CAE contracted to upgrade NATO E-3A AWACS training devices

  CAE announced it has signed a contract amendment with the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Program Management Agency (NAPMA) to perform avionics updates on the E-3A flight deck simulator and E-3A flight training device located at NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen in Germany. The avionics updates to the training devices relate to the latest standards of the advanced Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems currently being implemented on NATO's fleet of 14 E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The avionics updates to the E-3A flight deck simulator will be complete in 2021. “CAE has supported the training of NATO E-3A aircrews for almost 40 years, and these simulators continue to play a key role in helping ensure the readiness of the E-3A aircrews from 16 nations who carry out a range of critical missions,” said Marc-Olivier Sabourin, vice-president and general manager, Defence & Security International, CAE. “The avionics upgrades we will deliver continue our longstanding support of the E-3A training devices, and we look forward to supporting the NATO E-3A AWACS mission through 2035 as part of the Final Lifetime Extension Program of the fleet.” CAE designed and manufactured the original NATO E-3A flight deck simulator that entered service in 1982. Since that time, the simulator has been continuously upgraded and enhanced to ensure concurrency with the aircraft and enable E-3A aircrews to conduct more synthetic training. The E-3A flight deck simulator is currently qualified to Level D, the highest for flight simulators. The CAE-built E-3A flight training device is qualified to Level II and is used to support familiarization and procedural training for aircrews prior to full-mission training in the E-3A flight deck simulator. CAE is currently responsible for maintenance and support of the E-3A training devices in addition to providing a cadre of instructors and mission system operators to support the delivery of training to NATO E-3A AWACS aircrews. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cae-contracted-to-upgrade-nato-e-3a-awacs-training-devices

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  January 6, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  What AIAC’s Vision 2025 could mean for smaller sized enterprises

  by Chris Thatcher; Skies Magazine Posted on December 24, 2019 When the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada in June released its blueprint for the next five years, Vision 2025: Charting a New Course, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was one of its core themes. Small companies make up over 90 per cent of the sector and the report argued for greater government support to help them scale up, generate more jobs, and enhance their global competitiveness. That could include new funding to pursue digital business transformation, a reduction in the complexity of government contracting, and greater priority in the value propositions of prime contractors chasing defence procurements. “If our small- and mid-sized companies are left at risk, the negative impacts will be felt across Canada's aerospace industry as a whole,” according to the report, prepared by Jean Charest, a former premier of Quebec and deputy prime minister of Canada. Small companies are viewed as the prime creators of aerospace jobs and, in a sector buffeted by changing technology and new players, many may be more agile and better able to adapt than larger counterparts that must answer to corporate headquarters outside of Canada. But support from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and governments is essential to their survival, according to a panel of SMEs at the Canadian Aerospace Summit in November. There is no one-size-fits-all to helping SMEs scale up. Companies at different stages of growth require different types of support, they noted. But help with skilled labour shortages and easier access to government programs are common challenges for all. A solid position on a major platform is critical to initial success, but long-term growth requires diversification, observed Barney Bangs, chief executive officer of Tulmar Safety Systems. Located between Ottawa and Montreal in the small community of Hawkesbury, Ont., the company manufactures protective and safety equipment, associated components and in-flight training products. Traditionally, its focus has been 80 per cent defence — Tulmar has been a supplier to a military platform for over 25 years and benefitted from a strong aftermarket. In recent years, though, the company has sought a better balance between military and commercial customers. “As of last year, we were 65 per cent defence and 35 per cent (civilian) aerospace,” he said. Tulmar has also become more of what he called “a solution provider,” integrating components from other suppliers to provide an OEM with a final, certified piece of equipment such as an aircraft seat rather than just the safety harness or seatbelt. “We are doing more in-house and saving customer-costs for the OEM,” said Bangs. Diversification has also been a priority for Apex Industries, a machining, components, subassembly and structures manufacturer in Moncton, N.B. Twelve years ago, its aerospace business was five per cent defence and 95 per cent civil, much of it geared to Bell Helicopter and Bombardier. “We made a conscious effort to diversify into the military side a lot more,” said vice-president Keith Donaldson. “We are very conscious of not allowing our sales to go too high on one platform or with one customer.” Challenged by cost-savings pressures in commercial aviation contracts, military platforms offer a company like APEX “good visibility,” he said. However, militaries have long been trading quantity for technological superiority, meaning fewer platforms and a relatively short production cycle. And ramping up quickly with people and equipment to meet tight delivery schedules is a challenge for small businesses that need other options to justify and sustain the investment when the contract ends. “It is very tough for a SME like ourselves to invest.” However, defence procurement and government programs can go a long way to supporting the scale-up of SMEs, said Patrick Mann, president of Patlon Aircraft & Industries, a technical sales force for global manufacturers of custom components and systems. The scale-up program must be run by single entity within government committed to the Canadian SME community that would be “funded, independent and have the authority to make decisions.” Mann suggested coping what has worked well in other jurisdictions, noting the success of the United States Small Business Administration's set-aside program. “Within that, there is a small business innovation research program which has been highly successful in scaling up SMEs,” he said. The Vision 2025 report called for a federal scale-up program to “provide advice, coaching, networking, value proposition development and consortium-building support to incentivize growth and build capacity–helping firms expand their global footprints and giving them the means and maturity to support OEMs effectively.” The report recommended the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) within Public Services and Procurement Canada shoulder that responsibility. “Having OSME at the table as a contributor to the development of government procurement strategies and as a champion of small and medium-sized business interests will help ensure government policies and programs recognize the unique characteristics of small firms,” it stated. “We are a pretty good example of a scale-up of an SME using competitive bid government procurement as a mechanism,” said Mann. However, developments over the past 10 years such as single point of accountability and bundling, where multiple small contracts are combined in one larger procurement that is awarded to one contractor, have been “devasting” to smaller suppliers. “It has been a real issue for us. Again, it is an issue where (OSME) can play a role.” OEMs can bolster government programs by mentoring small companies within their supplier base on management and production processes, especially around digitization, added Donaldson. “OEMs have a lot of that knowledge ... [but] I don't think [they] do enough of that.” He and Bangs both cautioned that the ability to scale up will be contingent on resolving talent shortages. Developing and attracting skilled labour is a chronic problem affecting the entire sector, but it is particularly acute for SMEs in more remote locations that don't have the resources to recruit as widely or navigate the immigration system. “Before we launch a scale-up program with support for financing and working capital, we have to make sure we have our skills done first,” said Donaldson. However the Liberal government opts to respond to the Vision 2025 report, the value of investing in SMEs should be clear. Viking Air, KF Aerospace or IMP Aerospace & Defence were once small companies and are “now thriving global participants,” said Mann. “That is the reason why todays SMEs are an important part of our industry.”