September 25, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
By: Frank Jordans, The Associated Press
BERLIN — Germany is looking to sell a secondhand surveillance drone that has cost the country more than 700 million euros ($823 million) to Canada — without many core components it needs to fly.
A defense ministry reply to lawmakers from the opposition Left Party states that Germany has decided to "begin concrete negotiations with Canada for the sale of the Euro Hawk aircraft, two ground stations and possibly certain spare parts."
The government response, dated Sept. 19 and obtained by The Associated Press, adds that Germany isn't currently in talks with any other country or organization about the sale of the drone.
In a statement Monday, Germany's defense ministry confirmed talks with Canada were planned, but declined to comment on a possible sales price or date. Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin weren't immediately able to comment.
Germany ordered the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk variant in 2000 to use for long-distance reconnaissance, but later canceled the order because of skyrocketing costs and revelations that the prototype wouldn't be certified to fly in Europe. Then-Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere acknowledged in 2013 that the drone was a write-off, telling lawmakers it was better to have a "horrible end than a horror without end."
Last year, the government acknowledged that the development and procurement of the prototype, a signals-intelligence sensor called "ISIS" and spare parts, and the completion of seven test flights had cost about 681 million euros since 2007. A further 24 million euros were spent on preparing for a resumption of temporary test flights.
According to the government's latest response to Left Party lawmakers, which hasn't been published yet, the drone has already been "demilitarized." This entailed the removal of American-made radio equipment, the GPS receiver and aerials, as well as all encryption and the flight control system. Rather than laboriously delete individual software components, technicians chose to perform a "hardware uninstallation" — removing all hard drives containing sensitive U.S.-made software.
"The question is what a buyer would do with such a gutted aircraft," said Thomas Wiegold, a German journalist who runs the defense website Augen Geradeaus . "Without GPS navigation and in particular without flight control systems, the drone would hardly be able to fly."
Andrej Hunko, one of the Left Party lawmakers who submitted questions to the government, said the drone now only has "scrap value."
"The sale will therefore recoup at best a small portion of the tax money spent," he said. "I expect the loss will amount to several hundred million euros (dollars)."
Hunko, whose party objects to airborne military surveillance, said the drone's ground stations might still fetch a market price.
May 5, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
Team Northern Sentry will provide MRO, engineering support services, cyber material assurance, supply chain management, logistics support analysis, and obsolescence management for the RCAF's CF-18 avionics systems.
April 9, 2019 | Local, Naval
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN MV Asterix is now operating with HMCS Regina in Middle Eastern waters as part of a Canadian-led coalition task force. The Asterix, a commercial ship converted by Davie shipyards in Quebec and leased to the federal government to perform a military supply role, has been going almost non-stop since it was launched. It has refueled both Canadian and allied warships. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there is no need for a second such interim supply ship and the head of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice Admiral Ron Lloyd, says he is happy with having the Asterix as the force's only supply ship until 2023 when the first of two Joint Support Ships, to be built at Seaspan in Vancouver, is expected to be ready. Davie, however, has offered to convert a second such ship, MV Obelix, to the same capabilities of Asterix and lease it to the government. At one point the navy had three of its own supply ships supporting its vessels. Information recently tabled in Parliament indicates that even though Asterix has been going full-tilt over the last year, there was still a requirement for Canadian warships to receive fuel and provisions from supply vessels operated by foreign navies or for Canadian ships to head to port to receive fuel and supplies. Here are the details from Parliament: The Asterix is also at the heart of federal government's case against Vice Admiral Mark Norman. Norman has been accused by the RCMP of warning Davie that Liberal cabinet ministers wanted to derail the Asterix project. That development leaked out to the news media and the resulting embarrassment was one of the factors that forced the Liberal government to back down on its plans and Asterix proceeded. Norman has denied any wrongdoing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had twice predicted that Norman would eventually wind up in court, prompting concerns of political interference and concerns the Liberal government is punishing the officer. Norman's lawyers are in pre-trial trying to get documents they argue are needed so the officer can defend himself. Norman's trial is scheduled for August. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/the-case-for-a-second-interim-resupply-ship-new-stats-show-how-foreign-navies-continue-to-refuel-canadian-navy-ships
March 27, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Si vous êtes un manufacturier canadien ou une entreprise canadienne qui peut aider le Canada à répondre aux besoins en fournitures médicales, votre aide est nécessaire Si vous pouvez répondre oui aux affirmations suivantes, contactez-nous. Vos activités manufacturières sont basées au Canada ou vous avez facilement accès aux intrants nécessaires par le biais de votre chaîne d'approvisionnement. Vous disposez d'équipements pouvant être modifiés ou d'installations qui pourraient être réorganisées rapidement pour répondre aux besoins médicaux, notamment pour fabriquer de l'équipement de protection individuelle comme des gants, des masques et des blouses chirurgicales; des désinfectants; des lingettes; des ventilateurs; et d'autres équipements et fournitures médicaux. Vous avez des travailleurs qualifiés capables de réagir et qui seraient disponibles pour travailler dans les circonstances actuelles. Le Plan canadien de mobilisation du secteur industriel pour lutter contre la COVID-19 soutient directement les entreprises afin d'augmenter rapidement leur capacité de production et en leur donnant les outils nécessaires aux chaînes de production pour concevoir des produits faits au Canada qui aideront à lutter contre la COVID-19. Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici. Ressources pour les entreprises canadiennes Les petites et moyennes entreprises sont la pierre angulaire de l'économie canadienne. C'est la raison pour laquelle le gouvernement du Canada adopte des mesures strictes pour aider les entreprises canadiennes à faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19, qui les touche ainsi que leurs employés et les membres de leur famille. Le gouvernement du Canada et les responsables de la santé publique invitent tous les Canadiens à prendre les mesures suivantes : demeurer à domicile sauf s'il est essentiel de sortir faire preuve de distanciation sociale et d'hygiène adéquate Pour les entreprises, cela peut vouloir dire : de permettre autant que possible des modalités de télétravail souples de préparer votre milieu de travail pour éviter la COVID-19 (en anglais seulement) d'assurer la sécurité de vos employés (en anglais seulement) Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici. Ontario ensemble : aidez à combattre le coronavirus Si votre entreprise ou organisation peut fournir des produits médicaux tels que des ventilateurs, des tampons, des masques et des lunettes de protection. Remplissez ce sondage : ici. Le gouvernement du Canada a également besoin de produits et de services : découvrez ce dont ils ont besoin Si votre entreprise ou organisation peut aider les communautés à résister à la pandémie et que vous avez une solution pour: des services de santé mentale virtuels pour les personnes vulnérables ou vivant dans des communautés éloignées surveillance de la résilience de la chaîne d'approvisionnement planification financière et conseils aux petites entreprises qui peuvent être fournis en ligne à faible coût, y compris des conseils sur les programmes de secours et la façon de postuler Remplissez le formulaire : ici. Si votre entreprise ou organisation a des idées, d'autres produits ou services qui pourraient aider les Ontariens : communiquez votre idée. Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici.