Government of Canada awards in-service support contract for new manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for Canadian Armed Forces

On the same subject

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  August 22, 2018 | Local, Naval

  Government of Canada makes long-term investments to protect Canadian ships and sailors with modern and efficient equipment

  News release August 17, 2018 – Esquimalt, B.C. – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Through Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the Royal Canadian Navy remains an agile, multi-purpose and responsive naval force. In support of this commitment, Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, highlighted the award of two contracts related to maritime equipment today. The contracts will acquire, upgrade, and sustain defensive systems for the Royal Canadian Navy. These long-term investments will enhance and improve the Royal Canadian Navy capabilities and sustain more than 50 jobs annually for many years to come. The two contracts are as follows: A $94.2-million contract to Lockheed Martin Canada to maintain and overhaul, the Reprogrammable Advance Multimode Shipboard Electronic Countermeasures System (RAMSES). A $21.1-million contract to Rheinmetall Canada to procure and install a third launcher on the frigates, improving the current MASS configuration. RAMSES is an electronic attack system that protects the modernized Halifax-class frigates against radio frequency guided missiles. It employs jamming signals to track and distract anti-ship missiles from hitting the ship. MASS is an integral part of the anti-ship missile defence suite. It is a firing system used to launch decoys to project vessels against anti-ship missiles guided by radio frequency, laser and infrared seekers. Both contracts will help naval combat operators continue to protect Canadian ships and sailors with modern and efficient equipment, while helping to bolster our Royal Canadian Navy across its fleets. Quotes “These investments in our Royal Canadian Navy will provide our women and men in uniform with what they need for successful missions, and deliver jobs, both here in British Columbia and across Canada for years to come. Our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, promised an agile, multi-purpose Navy and we are delivering on that promise with today's $115 million investment.” Harjit S. Sajjan, Defence Minister “Our Government is committed to building a more agile, better-equipped military, while ensuring the best value for Canadians. These systems will provide the frigates of the Royal Canadian Navy with the modern equipment they need to do their jobs safely and securely in various environment, at home or abroad.” – Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Disability Quick facts The RAMSES contract will be valid until the late 2030s, If all options are exercised, and will ensure maintenance of the Halifax-class frigates' electronic attack capability. The MASS replaced the obsolete SHIELD system. The installation of a third launcher will enable 360° anti-ship missile defence coverage for the Halifax-class frigates. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2018/08/government-of-canada-makes-long-term-investments-to-protect-canadian-ships-and-sailors-with-modern-and-efficient-equipment.html

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  February 4, 2024 | Local, Naval

  Military was warned some Cyclone helicopter blades are defective, could rip apart in flight | CBC News

  Air force technicians are being forced to perform more frequent inspections of Canada's trouble-prone CH-148 Cyclone helicopters after the U.S. manufacturer found a defect related to the main rotor blades, says an internal report.

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  June 22, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  Aerospace firm drops lawsuit against DND as defence officials award it multibillion-dollar contract

  David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen An Italian aerospace firm dropped a lawsuit against Canada over what it claimed was a rigged aircraft purchase shortly before the federal government awarded it a new sole-source deal potentially worth billions of dollars. But the Canadian Forces and officials with Italian defence company, Leonardo, say the ending of the legal action in May had nothing to do with the company being picked for a new project the same month. Leonardo has been selected by the Royal Canadian Air Force to upgrade its Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters and provide seven additional aircraft. It is estimated the project will cost taxpayers between $1 billion and $5 billion, a price tag that includes the purchase of simulators and support equipment. Leonardo had been fighting the Canadian government in Federal Court over its 2016 decision to award its rival, Airbus, a contract to build fixed-wing search-and-rescue planes as part of a $4.7-billion program. The company was asking the court to overturn the contract to Airbus and instead award the lucrative deal to Leonardo and its Canadian partners. It alleged the Airbus aircraft failed to meet the government's basic criteria. But that legal action was stopped in May just as the Canadian government was awarding Leonardo the new helicopter deal. The Department of National Defence suggested the decision to drop the lawsuit was not related to its decision to select Leonardo for the sole-source deal. “The Government of Canada's priority is to select a best-value package for the Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade,” the DND noted in an email. “Decisions related to this procurement were made based on consultations with industry and our subject matter experts and follow standard procurement reviews.” But the sole-source deal to Leonardo caught the aerospace industry by surprise. The RCAF had asked companies just last year for informal proposals on how Canada's future search and rescue helicopter needs could be met. One firm, Sikorsky, went as far as launching a campaign to promote its civilian S-92 helicopter as a cost-effective solution. It proposed that it was cheaper to buy new helicopters than to upgrade the older Cormorants. The federal government acknowledged that it has now received correspondence from aerospace firms raising issues about the sole-source deal with Leonardo. “We have received some responses,” Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Canada, stated in an email. “PSPC officials are currently reviewing the responses, in collaboration with the Department of National Defence and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.” “Once this review is complete, officials will determine appropriate next steps and inform respondents accordingly,” Bujold added. But defence industry insiders say the review is simply for the sake of appearances and it is expected the deal with Leonardo will proceed. Leonardo officials said their decision to drop the lawsuit was made in April but it took until the next month before that process could be completed. The Cormorant fleet entered service in the year 2000 and the modernization would allow the helicopters to operate for another 25 years at least. One of Leonardo's subsidiaries was the original manufacturer of the Cormorants. The decision to sole-source the deal moved through the federal system quickly. On April 20, RCAF spokesman Maj. Scott Spurr stated the air force was still examining options on how to proceed and that the next phase of the project wouldn't come until 2019. But on May 24 the Canadian government announced it had decided to go with Leonardo on the exclusive deal. Department of National Defence officials say it was determined that it was more cost effective to stay with the Cormorant fleet as it is a proven aircraft the RCAF knows well. The upgrade program is expected to include the latest avionic and mission systems, advanced radars and sensors, vision enhancement and tracking systems. http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/aerospace-firm-drops-lawsuit-against-dnd-as-defence-officials-award-it-multibillion-dollar-contract