General Dynamics saw $1 billion bump after Canada-Saudi accord

On the same subject

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  December 24, 2018 | Local, Naval

  Quebec's Davie offers second supply ship at reduced cost to entice Liberal government to buy

  David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen Naresh Raghubeer, a senior adviser to Davie Shipyards, said the Asterix sister ship — Obelix — can be ready for missions with the navy within 24 months: 'We've proven already we can do it' A Quebec company is offering the Liberal government a second supply ship at a reduced price as it warns about further delays on a similar vessel being built for the Royal Canadian Navy by a firm on the West Coast. Davie Shipyards delivered its first ship, Asterix, to the government on time and on budget in a deal worth $659 million. It is now offering a second ship at $500 million to entice the Liberals to move ahead with such a purchase. But industry representatives privately say Davie faces an uphill battle as Asterix is at the heart of the trial of Vice Admiral Mark Norman and any government move to buy a sister ship would signal the actions of that naval officer in supporting the original deal was right. Naresh Raghubeer, a senior adviser to Davie, said the Asterix sister ship — Obelix — can be ready for missions with the navy within 24 months. “We've proven already we can do it,” he added. Davie was selected by the previous Conservative government for a sole-source deal to convert Asterix, a commercial vessel, into a naval supply ship. That was done after the military's two existing supply vessels were taken out of service because of damage and age. When the Liberals formed a new government in the fall of 2015 they tried to delay the Asterix project but backed down after Davie warned it would have to shut down its yard. Asterix has been operating for the last nine months, refuelling and resupplying Canadian and allied warships. Norman, who had been head of the navy, was accused of leaking information to Davie about Liberal plans to delay Asterix as well as advocating for the Davie design. He is charged with one count of breach of trust but has said he did nothing wrong as he was following government directives. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer questioned the Liberal government Dec. 12 in the Commons why it was not moving ahead with acquiring Obelix, pointing out the navy needed a second ship. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Scheer of playing “petty politics.” “The armed forces did an assessment,” Trudeau said. “They don't need the Obelix.” Asked about the assessment, the Royal Canadian Navy referred Postmedia to a November 2014 internal document which outlined the requirements of a interim supply ship. The document was produced before a deal was reached on Asterix. The navy's statement noted that the Joint Support Ship being built at Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver “remains a critical component for achieving success in both international and domestic” Canadian military missions. That joint supply ship was supposed to be delivered by Seaspan in 2017. That schedule slipped and the 2019 and 2020 delivery dates were proposed. The latest delivery date for the first of two ships is now 2022-2023 but with the caveat attached “ with risk”, meaning that it could fall further behind schedule, government officials confirmed to Postmedia. The cost of the Asterix project included the conversion of the ship, the lease of the vessel from Davie over a five-year period, and the company's provision of a 35-member civilian crew to run the vessel. The Royal Canadian Navy provides as many as 50 personnel to do the actual at-sea refuelling and resupply of its warships. A similar arrangement could be made for Obelix but the cost would be lower since the engineering for the conversion process has already been worked out, Davie officials pointed out. Raghubeer said Davie could fill the gap in supply ships while Seaspan continues to build the two vessels the government originally requested from that yard. The Davie yard represents 50 per cent of Canada's shipbuilding capability. Currently the firm has 200 employees, down from the 1,400 working in 2017 when Asterix was delivered. Both the Commons defence committee and the Senate defence committee recommended acquiring a second supply ship from Davie. Davie's rival, Irving Shipbuilding, has voiced opposition to the Quebec company receiving any additional federal shipbuilding contracts. https://nationalpost.com/news/quebecs-davie-offers-to-build-second-supply-ship-at-reduced-cost-to-entice-liberal-government-to-buy

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  April 27, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Explainer: What the Canadian military is doing for Canadians during the pandemic

  Canadian Armed Forces members are mobilizing to help provinces and territories Emergencies are first handled by local authorities and municipal services such as firefighters, the police and medical professionals, but when first responders are overwhelmed, provinces and territories can request support from the federal government. After the request is approved, the federal government's response is managed by Public Safety Canada, who may ask the Canadian Armed Forces for help by stepping in under Operation LENTUS, the Canadian Armed Forces response to natural disasters in Canada. The same request process applies to the COVID-19 pandemic, only the CAF is responding under Operation LASER — the activation of Contingency Plan LASER “for the response to a pandemic of influenza-like disease.” Operation LASER consists of four phases. Phase one is pandemic preparedness, involving mitigation planning and monitoring of potential worldwide pandemic threats. Phase two, which began on March 2, is pandemic alert. This includes active monitoring of an evolving pandemic threat and implementing some restrictions. Phase three is the CAF's response to the pandemic. This means the CAF is able to deploy when help is requested and approved from a province or territory. Phase four is post-pandemic restoration, which is the resumption of CAF services and operations to normal levels. Phase one is also resumed. Since March 13 the CAF has been at phase three after the Chief of the Defence Staff, Jonathan Vance, approved the CAF response to the pandemic. Last month the federal government prepared 24,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces, a total of one quarter of their regular and reserve members, to deploy in the event that a province requested their support. Since then, Quebec has requested the CAF's assistance. The province specified that it needed medical personnel to help nursing homes struggling with outbreaks of COVID-19 and staff shortages. Quebec's request was approved by the federal government and CAF medical personnel have arrived at five nursing homes. On April 22, Ontario also requested help from the federal government and the CAF for their long-term care nursing homes, which was approved the following day. CAF medical officers must have completed a medical degree from an accredited university before applying to the Medical Officer Training Program (MOTP). Once completed and accepted into the MOTP, officers are trained within the military to ensure their performance follows under military policies and in environments abroad. This includes the completion of the Basic Military Officer Qualification in Quebec before they can complete the Common Health Services course, which is provided by the Defence Learning Network. They also attend the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Center in Borden, Ontario, where they “are introduced to the organizational structure and history of the Canadian Forces Medical Service and the unique circumstances of practicing military medicine.” Medical officers then can choose to either specialize their medical practice or acquire advanced training in several fields of medicine. CAF members are also helping process materials for Personal Protective Equipment at Public Health Agency warehouses across Canada. In Northern Canada, they are prepared to assist remote communities to combat outbreaks. The CAF has activated three Northern Saskatchewan Ranger Patrols, gathering firewood for residents during their winter season as the pandemic continues. https://runnermag.ca/2020/04/explainer-what-the-canadian-military-is-doing-for-canadians-during-the-pandemic/

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  September 19, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Bombardier livre le premier de trois avions d’affaires Global 6000 pour la flotte de la Luftwaffe

  Bombardier livre le premier de trois avions d'affaires Global 6000 pour la flotte de la Luftwaffe L'avion long-courrier Global 6000 répondra aux besoins de transport diplomatiques et parlementaires allemands Offrant une fiabilité de premier ordre, une technologie de pointe et le vol en douceur emblématique de Bombardier, l'avion Global 6000 est idéal pour les missions gouvernementales et le transport de personnalités Bombardier doit livrer deux autres avions au gouvernement allemand en 2019 MONTRÉAL, 17 sept. 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bombardier a fièrement livré le premier de trois avions d'affaires Global 6000 destinés à être utilisés par la Luftwaffe, les forces aériennes de l'Allemagne. La Luftwaffe, exploitant de longue date d'avions Bombardier, utilisera les biréacteurs d'affaires Global 6000 pour répondre aux besoins de transport des secteurs politiques et parlementaires. « Bombardier est ravie que la Luftwaffe ajoute l'avion Global 6000 à sa flotte », a déclaré David Coleal, président de Bombardier Aviation. « Notre équipe des Avions spécialisés a b'ti des relations de longue date avec des gouvernements du monde entier qui ont confiance en la sécurité et en la performance de nos produits. » La division des Avions spécialisés de Bombardier offre des solutions sur mesure aux exploitants, avec un portefeuille diversifié d'avions qui peuvent assurer les missions de transport aérien les plus exigeantes et les plus critiques en diverses configurations. Les avions Global de Bombardier sont particulièrement intéressants en raison de leur ponctualité de départ, de leur vitesse, de leur agilité et de leur endurance excellentes, ainsi que de leurs coûts d'exploitation optimisés. Propulsés par des moteurs BR710 de Rolls-Royce, développés et construits par Rolls-Royce Deutschland à Dahlewitz, en Allemagne, l'avion Global 6000 a suffisamment d'autonomie pour des vols sans escale intercontinentaux, ce qui est idéal pour les besoins de transport des secteurs politiques et parlementaires. L'avion Global 6000 assure également un vol en douceur qui réduit la fatigue des grands voyages, tant pour les passagers que pour l'équipage, tandis que son poste de pilotage évolué Bombardier Vision est doté d'un affichage tête haute avec la vision améliorée et la vision synthétique, ce qui permet une meilleure expérience de pilotage. La livraison de l'avion resserre les importants liens entre Bombardier et l'Allemagne, où l'avionneur est le principal fournisseur d'avions d'affaires. Bombardier Transport, chef de file mondial de l'industrie ferroviaire, a son siège social à Berlin. http://www.lesailesduquebec.com/bombardier-livre-le-premier-de-trois-avions-daffaires-global-6000-pour-la-flotte-de-la-luftwaffe/