Back to news

May 18, 2018 | Local, Naval

Feds OK early start to construction of navy's new supply ships

OTTAWA — The federal government has approved plans to start some work on the navy's new support ships in the coming months in a bid to keep delivery of the much-needed vessels from slipping farther behind schedule.

Seaspan Shipyards is expected to begin cutting steel on some parts of the two vessels in Vancouver this summer during a lull in the construction of two science vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, several sources told The Canadian Press.

The science vessels will still be delivered first, but officials are hoping that the head start will result in the first Protecteur-class joint support ship, as the naval vessels are officially known, being delivered 2022.

That would be a year earlier than the Department of National Defence's current estimate for the ship's completion, which was recently revealed in an annual report tabled in Parliament.

Construction on the first vessel was supposed to start in 2016, with delivery slated for 2019, but the project has been plagued by delays and the government says its $2.3-billion budget is under review.

The navy has been without a permanent support ship since 2015, when it was forced to retire its existing vessels due to an unexpected fire and corrosion issues, though it is leasing a temporary replacement, the MV Asterix.

The Asterix is at the heart of the criminal case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, who has been charged with breach of trust for alleging leaking government secrets about the project to a Quebec shipyard in 2015.

Norman has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges in court.

An official announcement about the plan to start work on the support ships, which are considered essential for supporting a modern navy on international operations, was expected this week but has been delayed.

Seaspan, which is responsible for building the two support vessels as well as four science ships and a polar icebreaker for the coast guard, initially pitched the plan in a bid to prevent layoffs between construction of the science ships.

National Defence publicly backed the proposal last month as a way to save time and it was touted in the department's annual report to Parliament, which was written before the federal government signed off on the plan.

“Current discussions underway between Canada and the shipyard could also result in schedule compression opportunities being exploited,” the report reads, “including the potential to commence the early construction of some JSS components.”

Yet the report also confirmed what many have feared: The project continues to experience delays.

The department predicted last year that the first ship would be delivered in 2021; the new report says it will be delivered in 2023, though officials hope that the advance work will cut that time to 2022.

The cause of the delays has been sharply contested by the government, National Defence, Seaspan and other industry players, with fingers pointed in all directions.

Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said while starting work soon on the support ships has merit, the ongoing delays point to much wider issues with regards to how the entire national shipbuilding plan is unfolding.

“These mitigations keep talking about making something less late than it otherwise would be, not delivering them earlier than planned,” he said.

“It's not really clear, but at a minimum, the Crown hasn't really demonstrated that they've reached any kind of stability in terms of the schedule.”

http://thestarphoenix.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/feds-ok-early-start-to-construction-of-navys-new-supply-ships-sources/wcm/cdc8e162-7d54-4493-90c2-6d883a7b03dd

On the same subject

  • Budget officer says used Australian fighter jets will cost Canada over $1 billion — far more than DND claimed

    March 1, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Budget officer says used Australian fighter jets will cost Canada over $1 billion — far more than DND claimed

    DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The purchase of used Australian jets to boost Canada's current fleet of fighter planes could cost taxpayers more than $1 billion, a figure 22-per-cent higher than the Department of National Defence is claiming, according to a new report from parliament's financial watchdog. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux examined the cost of buying and upgrading 18 used Australian F-18s and flying them to 2032. His report, released Wednesday, puts the final price tag at between $1.09 billion and $1.15 billion — considerably more than the $895.5 million estimate from DND. “We considered the entire life-cycle cost, from project management up until the very end of the disposal phase,” Giroux said in an interview with Postmedia. “We didn't look at whether it was a good deal.” The PBO's costing included weapons, upgrades needed for the aircraft, annual maintenance fees and the fuel that would be needed over the years of flying the aircraft. We didn't look at whether it was a good deal The Royal Canadian Air Force is using the jets as interim fighters to boost the capability of the current fleet of CF-18s until the purchase of a new generation of aircraft. The RCAF will fly 18 of the Australian jets and use the other seven for parts and testing. The RCAF received its first two used Australian fighter jets at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alta. on Feb. 16. Deliveries of the jets will continue at regular intervals for the next three years, and the aircraft will be integrated into the CF-18 fleet as modifications are completed, according to the RCAF. The last aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of 2021 and fly until 2032. Giroux said his office used the same figures that DND had but did its own analysis of those cost estimates. “There's no fundamental reason why we should come up with a different number,” he said. “My only sense is that they voluntary budgeted optimistic numbers. The reason why I don't know for sure.” In a statement Wednesday, DND said its cost figures are close to those determined by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The statement also added that the PBO figures for upgrades of the interim fighter fleet include estimates for CF-18 combat upgrades which the department is still trying to determine. “While we are confident that our methodology is sound, we will continue to work with the PBO, the Auditor General of Canada, and other outside entities as part of our commitment to responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” the statement noted. The Liberal government had planned to buy 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to augment the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18s until new modern aircraft could be purchased in the coming years. But in 2017 Boeing complained to the U.S. Commerce Department that Canadian subsidies for Quebec-based Bombardier allowed it to sell its C-series civilian passenger aircraft in the U.S. at cut-rate prices. As a result, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a tariff of almost 300 per cent against the Bombardier aircraft sold in the U.S. In retaliation, Canada cancelled the deal to buy the 18 Super Hornets, which would have cost more than US $5 billion. Instead of buying the new Super Hornets, the Liberals decided to acquire the used Australian jets. In November 2018 the Auditor General's office issued a report noting that the purchase of the extra aircraft would not fix the fundamental weaknesses with the CF-18 fleet which is the aircraft's declining combat capability and a shortage of pilots and maintenance personnel. “The Australian F/A-18s will need modifications and upgrades to allow them to fly until 2032,” the report said. “These modifications will bring the F/A-18s to the same level as the CF-18s but will not improve the CF-18's combat capability.” “In our opinion, purchasing interim aircraft does not bring National Defence closer to consistently meeting the new operational requirement introduced in 2016,” the report added. The Canadian Forces says it is bringing in new initiatives to boost the numbers of pilots and maintenance staff. https://montrealgazette.com/news/canada/budget-officer-says-used-australian-fighter-jets-will-cost-canada-over-1-billion-far-more-than-dnd-claimed/

  • MHD-ROCKLAND and ESG Aerosystems Keep the P-3 Legacy Alive

    December 1, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval

    MHD-ROCKLAND and ESG Aerosystems Keep the P-3 Legacy Alive

    P-3 Aircrew Training is set to Commence in December ESG Aerosystems is proud to be awarded a $ 64.5 M U.S. Navy Contract for which MHD-ROCKLAND is excited to be the sole-source aircraft Subcontractor. Starke, Fla., November 26th, 2020 – MHD-ROCKLAND Inc. and ESG Aerosystems, announce that ESG Aerosystems has been awarded a U.S Navy Contract valued at $64.5 million, and MHD-ROCKLAND will act as the sole-source aircraft subcontractor. As per the scope of this contract ESG Aerosystems is mandated to develop a curriculum and facilitate training for P-3 aircrew positions including co-pilots, patrol plane commanders, instructor pilots, flight engineers, instructor flight engineers, and flight currency training. This is to support Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity's (NETSAFA) applicable field units and other program offices and stakeholders. The achievement is 100% funded by Federal Republic of Germany funds under the Foreign Military Sales Program to secure the operational readiness of the German Navy P-3C Aircrew. The training is set to start in December 2020 and takes place at the ESG Aerosystems training facility within the MHD-ROCKLAND Flight Ops facilities located at Keystone Heights Airport Fla. Home to five MHD-ROCKLAND P-3 aircraft, the facility is well-equipped to host students and provide hands-on mission ready training. The duration of the training program varies with the type of aircrew position and will include both simulator and live flight training. “We are extremely excited to partner with ESG Aerosystems to deliver comprehensive training solutions for the enduring P-3 Orion platform” said Josh Miller, President, MHD-ROCKLAND. “With over 40 years of experience in legacy aircraft sustainment, our team is ready to add value and offer this unique and essen-tial service to global P-3 fleet operators who require it” he added. “We are delighted to partner with MHD-ROCKLAND,” stated Matthias Weerts, President, ESG Aerosystems, and continued, “We are looking forward to starting the training for the German Navy and then to serving the global P-3 community by delivering efficient, effective, and tailored training to sustain this incredible platform and community.” The new P-3 aircrew training program spearheaded by ESG Aerosystems and MHD-ROCKLAND fills in the gap left by the closure of VP-30. The global P-3 Orion network is extremely resilient and will continue flying their P-3 Orion fleet-many of them well into the 2030's. We are ready to support the P-3 Orion customers including Foreign Military partners and U.S. Government agencies, by providing an extensive program which perfectly matches each operator's needs and requirements. About MHD-ROCKLAND With offices in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, MHD-ROCKLAND Inc. is a privately-held aero-space company that has, for close to 40 years, supplied high-caliber services, training and support to fixed-wing aircraft for military aircraft operators around the globe, including manufacturer support through OEM and other channel partners as well as repair and overhaul within its own facilities. With more than 250,000 square feet of warehouse facilities, the company has one of the largest privately-owned P-3 and C-130 inventories in the world. It's Flight Ops Unit located in Keystone Heights, Fla. is home to five P-3 Orions and four L-188 Electras. For further infor-mation, visit mhdrockland.com. Media Contact: Amna Chishty, Marketing Communications Phone: + 1 (514) 453 1632 Ext: 1293 amna.chishty@mhdrockland.com About ESG Aerosystems ESG Aerosystems Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of the German privately owned company ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH, which is one of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) most trusted and proven partners. ESG was founded in 1967 and established itself as an independent service provider, developing, integrating and operating complex, security relevant electronic and IT systems for the military, public authorities and companies. ESG is a certified aviation company for aircraft for the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) and an aviation engineering company in line with EASA Part 21J, EASA Part 21G and EASA Part 145. To provide excellent P-3 pilot training, ESG Aerosystems Inc. has teamed up with MHD-ROCKLAND, a world class supplier in fixed wing aircraft services and support. Media Contact: William Bushman Phone: (904) 601-9422 William.bushman@esg-aerosystems.com www.esg-aerosystems.com Press release

  • Remplacement des CP-140 | Un front commun pancanadien réclame un appel d’offres

    May 26, 2023 | Local, Aerospace

    Remplacement des CP-140 | Un front commun pancanadien réclame un appel d’offres

    Un front commun pancanadien, parmi lequel on retrouve Bombardier et d’autres entreprises québécoises, interpelle le premier ministre Justin Trudeau dans le dossier du remplacement d’avions de surveillance. L’absence d’un appel d’offres « freinerait inutilement » les avancées technologiques développées ici, plaident-ils dans une lettre obtenue par La Presse.

All news