October 20, 2017 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR
October 20, 2017 – Ottawa
The All Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) Science & Technology program will support the development of options, over a period of five years, for enhanced domain awareness of air, maritime surface and sub-surface approaches to Canada, in particular those in the Arctic.
Surveillance solutions explored and selected through the ADSA Science & Technology program will strengthen the Government of Canada's ability to exercise sovereignty in the North, and will provide a greater awareness of safety and security issues, as well as transportation and commercial activity in Canada's Arctic.
Canada's contributions to regional Arctic security also form a core part of the Canada-United States defence relationship. Nowhere is this more apparent than in joint efforts to renew the North Warning System (NWS) and modernize elements of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). As the security dynamics in the Arctic evolve, Canada and the United States will continue to work side by side to secure our shared northern air and maritime approaches.
The NWS is a chain of unmanned radar stations in Canada's Arctic that provides aerospace surveillance of Canadian and United States northern approaches.
While the current NWS is approaching the end of its life expectancy from a technological and functional perspective, the range of potential threats to the continent, such as those posed by cruise missiles, has become more complex and increasingly difficult to detect.
To this end, Canada and the United States have already launched bilateral collaboration to seek innovative technological solutions to continental defence challenges including early warning. Studies are ongoing to determine how best to replace this important capability as part of the overall modernization of NORAD.
The ADSA Science & Technology program is part of this bilateral collaboration.
The following are the successful proposals from the first Call for Proposals:
Title: Acoustic Source for Ocean Propagation Experimentation
Supplier: GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Domain: Sub-Surface Surveillance
Project Type: Technology Demonstration
Funding: $4,953,038 (until 31 March 2020)
GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc has been awarded a contract to develop, design, build and test an acoustic source which will support scientific experiments in underwater sound propagation. Such a device may form part of future systems capable of providing long distance underwater communications to support, for example, an unmanned underwater vehicle engaged in open ocean or under ice survey work.
Title: Acoustic Array for Persistent Under-Ice Vehicles
Supplier: GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Domain: Sub-Surface Surveillance
Project Type: Research and Development
Funding: $1,944,175 (until 20 September 2019)
The objective of this project is to design and build a sensor array suitable for towing from an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). The innovative design, employing a fishing line-like cable with acoustic sensors, may be suitable for year-round underwater and under-ice operations, in environmentally hostile Arctic waters.
Title: Development of the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Models (CHAIM)
Supplier: University of New Brunswick
Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Domain: Air Surveillance
Project Type: Research and Development
Funding: $1,165,143 (until 31 March 2020)
Current ionospheric models, used for prediction of radio wave propagation for communications and other applications, have significant shortcomings in Arctic regions. This is due to inaccuracies and limited local ionospheric observations. This project aims to improve this by producing high latitude electron density models at altitudes between 100 and 3,000 kilometres.
Title: Bistatic High Elevation Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air System (UAS) Scenario Study
Supplier: C-CORE
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Domain: Surface Surveillance
Project Type: Study
Funding: $221,000 (until 31 July 2018)
This project is for the study of the potential capabilities of using a high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned air system (UAS) as a receiver in a bistatic configuration with commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions, both current and future. The study will look at how various configurations of transmitters and HALE UAS-mounted receivers can augment current detection and discrimination capabilities, while providing a highly mobile, persistent, all weather surveillance asset that currently does not exist.
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January 28, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
CAE announced on Jan. 24 that the company has been awarded a contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to develop a comprehensive synthetic training system for the United Kingdom's Protector RG Mk1 remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) program. The Protector will be operated by the Royal Air Force and is the U.K.-specific variant of GA-ASI's certifiable MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS, which can meet the most stringent certification requirements of aviation authorities. Under terms of the contract, CAE will design and develop a comprehensive synthetic training system that will include desktop and high-fidelity mission trainers specific to the Protector RPAS. The high-fidelity Protector mission trainers will be based on GA-ASI's certifiable ground control station (CGCS) and will be the first simulators developed for this advanced CGCS. CAE will also provide brief/debrief and scenario generation stations as part of the overall synthetic training system. “We are pleased to continue our global training partnership with GA-ASI to support the U.K. Protector program,” said Gene Colabatistto, CAE's group president, defence and security. “Protector will offer a new level of capability in an unmanned air system and will require well-trained aircrews. We will leverage developments we have made over the past several years creating the highest fidelity training devices for the Predator family of remotely piloted aircraft to produce a world-class synthetic training system for the Protector program.” Initial deliveries of the synthetic training system will be targeted for delivery in 2020 to RAF Waddington, the hub of U.K. Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) that will be the main operating base for the Protector. “MQ-9B SkyGuardian, which Protector is based on, represents the next-generation of remotely piloted aircraft capabilities, including longer endurance and automatic take-off and landing,” said David R. Alexander, president, aircraft systems, GA-ASI. “The Protector synthetic training system will play a key role helping the Royal Air Force develop skilled aircrews, and we are pleased to collaborate with CAE as our training partner on this critical program.” https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cae-awarded-contract-by-ga-asi-to-develop-synthetic-training-system
January 29, 2021 | Local, Land
5 Canadian universities leading cutting-edge research at cost of $9M over 3 years David Burke From chameleon-inspired camouflage to clothing that mends itself when damaged, the Department of National Defence is looking to outfit Canadian troops with next-wave gear that provides better protection — and less detection — on the battlefield. Those are just two technologies in a long list of cutting-edge scientific advancements that DND is spending $9 million over three years to research, spearheaded by five Canadian universities. "Adaptive camouflage would be more like a chameleon where, depending on your background, your camouflage will modify itself. So if you are in front of a dark wall, your camouflage could be darker. If you are in front of a whiter wall, your camouflage would be lighter," said Eric Fournier, director general of innovation with DND. That technology exists and is being worked on right now, he said. Fournier and the researchers working for DND are tight-lipped on details about how effective this kind of technology is and exactly how it works. DND did not supply CBC with any images of the proposed designs. "I'm not sure we're allowed to talk about it all that much yet," said Shona McLaughlin, defence scientist portfolio manager with the federal Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program. Carleton University, Polytechnique Montreal, the University of Manitoba, the University of British Columbia and Université de Sherbrooke are leading the work. They have all received around $1.5 million so far, except for Polytechnique, which is working on two projects and has been given almost $3 million. Researching advanced materials A handful of businesses are also helping with the research, including athletic apparel manufacturer Lululemon Athletica and engineering and manufacturing firm Precision ADM. Each university is researching what's known as advanced materials, which are engineered to perform a variety of specific functions. Some of those materials can be fashioned into clothing that repairs itself. As an example, McLaughlin said a capsule could be embedded in a shirt or armoured vest that, when the garment or gear is damaged, bursts and releases a liquid or foam that solidifies and seals the hole. Research is also being done on new materials that may one day replace Kevlar and ceramics as the chief components of body armour. "Now we're looking at materials where we can actually tune the properties, we can make them lighter weight, stronger and less bulky," said McLaughlin. The goal is to have armour that holds up better to bullets, high-velocity ballistics and shrapnel, and is more comfortable for the wearer. Reducing weight of soldiers' equipment It's innovation that would be extremely helpful to troops on the battlefield, said Randy Turner, a retired special forces soldier with years of experience in combat zones. Turner was part of the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), a highly trained unit that handles complex and risky missions throughout the world. He had tours of duty in Afghanistan and Bosnia. On average, Turner said soldiers carry around 60 to 65 pounds of equipment when they're on duty. "A soldier spends a lot of time on his feet and he's moving in and around vehicles. Anything that could be a little bit smaller, a little bit lighter, would also be a little less taxing on the individual's body," said Turner. The adaptive camouflage and self-repairing clothing are also of interest to Turner. He said anything that helps a soldier blend in is useful. Rips and tears in uniforms and damage to boots are also common, so clothing that repairs itself would be helpful. Still, he's apprehensive about the technology and questions whether wearable tech could distract military personnel from their job. "Has anyone asked, you know, what a soldier needs? Has anyone done a real hard needs assessment on what an infantry unit, for example, requires right now? I'm willing to bet the first thing that comes to mind is not going to be a uniform," said Turner. Other areas of protection He said the $9 million being spent on the research could be used for other things. "That's a lot of money that could be, in my opinion, better utilized to give an infantry unit some bullets so they can train and become proficient with their firearms," he said. "Give some quality training to soldiers, and that is a level of protection." At the universities, research continues with teams experimenting with fabrics that can block radio signals and printable electronics that can be woven into clothing. Printable electronics could perform a number of functions, according to McLaughlin, but she said monitoring a military member's health is high on the list. "It could be for health monitoring, if you want to make sure your soldiers are not overly stressed because they're in a hot environment ... the heat, the blood pressure, the actual stress from the exertion, those things you might want to keep tabs on," she said. Fournier has no doubt these new systems could help save lives. "Our soldiers go all over the world for all kinds of missions," he said. "Just to inform them, for example, [that] they're getting dehydrated ... It could have an impact on how missions would happen, for sure." 'Processing challenges' Teams have been working on this research for a little over a year and while progress is being made, no one has come forward with a finished project. Fournier said work like this can take years and there's no guarantee of a final product. He said the important thing is that researchers are moving the science of advanced materials forward. "In the end, we may not end up with a new protecting gear, but we will have learned a lot about making that protective gear in the future," said Fournier. McLaughlin also said people should temper their expectations. "It's not as simple as throwing everything in a pot, stirring it, and boom — you've got a material," she said. "There's processing challenges that [researchers] have to overcome. So that's one of the big things that they're working on right now ... how to actually create these things and how to evaluate them." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/military-research-technology-combat-protection-1.5889528