Government of Canada invests in responsible artificial intelligence research at the Université de Montréal

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  March 9, 2023 | Local, Aerospace, Other Defence

  Minister Anand updates National Defence stakeholders on progress to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces for tomorrow’s security challenges

  March 9, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces As the international security environment changes, the Government of Canada is continually working to equip our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel with the tools that they need to protect Canada. To that end, as outlined in Canada’s defence policy, we are increasing our defence investments by over 70 percent between 2017 and 2026, and we are making additional targeted investments in continental defence and other priority areas. Today at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, Defence Minister Anita Anand updated industry partners, stakeholders, and defence experts on our work to protect Canadians, by announcing that Canada will be acquiring Portable Anti-X Missile systems, Counter Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, and Air Defence Systems as Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs). The urgent procurement of these capabilities will improve the self-protection of military members deployed in Eastern Europe as part of Operation REASSURANCE. The Portable Anti-X Missile systems (PAXM) – Urgent Operational Requirement project will provide PAXM systems including missiles, simulators and associated support to empower the CAF personnel deployed with the Canada-led multinational NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia with training and the capability to destroy main battle tanks. As part of this streamlined procurement process, it is expected a Request for Proposal will be issued in the coming months with a contract award in mid-2023. The Counter Uncrewed Aircraft System – Urgent Operational Requirement (CUAS UOR) project will provide a CUAS capability that will provide protection measures against hostile Class 1 UAS for CAF personnel deployed in the Operation REASSURANCE theatre of operations. A Request for Information was issued on March 2, 2023. The project will be executed with a phased implementation approach. A contract award for Dismounted Equipment and Fixed Site Systems is estimated for Fall 2023. A contract award for Vehicle Mounted, Fully Integrated Systems is estimated for early 2024. The Air Defence – Urgent Operational Requirement (AD UOR) project will acquire a soldier portable Very-Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD) for the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia in order to defeat attack aircraft and Class 1 UAS within its area of operations. A Request for Information is expected to be issued in March 2023 and a Request for Proposal is expected during Summer 2023. The timeframe for contract award is currently estimated for early 2024. Minister Anand also announced today that Canada has awarded a contract for the Redwing space domain awareness microsatellite project, valued at $15.8 million. Through this project, the Department of National Defence (DND) is investing in research and development to monitor objects orbiting Earth with a new agile microsatellite designed, built, and operated in Canada. To help reduce future risks to Canada’s space infrastructure from space debris or human-caused interference, the Redwing microsatellite will monitor objects in congested orbits and will be able to record and transmit tracking data from anywhere in its orbit. Redwing will also be able to take images of nearby space objects and monitor space objects performing unexpected maneuvers. The Redwing project is directed by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) with design, manufacturing, and operations led by Magellan Aerospace (Winnipeg, Manitoba). The ground stations will be located in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and Happy Valley Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. The design phase is expected to be complete by fall 2024 with the microsatellite built and tested by 2026. Launch is planned for late 2026. Finally, Minister Anand invited attendees, other stakeholders, and all Canadians to participate in ongoing consultations for Canada’s Defence Policy Update (DPU). The DPU builds on Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) and will help ensure that the CAF is able to meet any threat in the changed global security environment. Canadians are invited to contribute to the consultations through a new web form where they can provide comments and feedback in response to the DPU’s focus areas until April 30, 2023. Since the announcement of the review of Canada’s defence policy in Budget 2022, DND has undertaken targeted engagements with Canadian industry leaders and Canadian defence and security companies, Canadian defence and security experts, including academics, Members of Parliament and Senators, and Indigenous leaders. Internationally, DND has also engaged with Allies and partners, including NORAD, Five Eyes, and NATO– many of which are also undergoing similar review processes. Quotes “As our world grows more complex, we are making the necessary investments to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment that its members need to keep Canadians safe. Modernization is a team effort, and that is why we are working concurrently to update Canada’s defence policy in consultation with industry partners, experts, and Canadians. We are continuing to build a modern military that can protect our country from a range of new and emerging threats.” The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence Quick facts  Following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, an analysis of the Canadian Armed Forces’ urgent needs led to the designation of air defence, counter-uncrewed aircraft system, and anti-tank weapon system capabilities as Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) for the Canadian Armed Forces. The UOR is a procurement mechanism that can be used to procure essential equipment on an accelerated timeline.  The Redwing research and development microsatellite will perform space domain awareness observations of Earth-orbiting space objects in low-earth orbit , geosynchronous orbit  and near Cislunar altitudes with a view toward protection of Canada’s space infrastructure. DRDC will direct operations with Royal Canadian Air Force  support through 3 Canadian Space Division. The initiative is funded by DRDC, using the Canadian Safety and Security Program call for proposal competitive contracting mechanism through Public Services and Procurement Canada. On March 9, 2023, Minister Anand announced the opening of Defence Policy Update (DPU) consultations to all Canadians. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2023/03/minister-anand-updates-national-defence-stakeholders-on-progress-to-modernize-the-canadian-armed-forces-for-tomorrows-security-challenges.html

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  February 8, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security

  For CAE the future means expansion in cyber, space and more defense acquisitions

  By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — With defense budgets around the globe expected to fall, simulation and training firm CAE is moving to diversify its defense and security portfolio, with an emphasis on space and cyber capabilities. Dan Gelston, who took over CAE's defense and security business unit in August 2020, told Defense News that his team is also looking to partner with defense primes during the early stages of new competitions, a shift which could require CAE investing in research and engineering efforts. Over the last two decades, CAE was “very focused” on traditional platforms, particularly planes and unmanned aerial vehicles, Gelston said. Now, he expects the future of the company to involve “a real focus on space and cyber, not only for that customer, but also for CAE. And those are areas that we need to augment our capabilities to make sure that we're providing the best product, the best service to help our customers.” The full interview will air as part of CAE's OneWorld event Feb. 9. CAE reported just over $1 billion in defense revenues in 2019, which made it the highest-ranked Canadian company on the annual Defense News Top 100 list. Currently, Gelston's unit makes up about 40 percent of the company's overall business, but he sees a chance to hit a “much larger” market going forward. Gelston's plan includes increasing the “security” part of the company's “defense and security” portfolio by aggressively pursuing contracts for government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration. This would competing for what he describes as a “multi-hundred-million dollar opportunity with TSA here in the next few months” for training security forces for airports. “With space assets ability to target, with cyber assets ability to attack anywhere and everywhere, it's not just the Pentagon, it's critical infrastructure, it's a lot of what we traditionally have separated into DHS. So that security element is crucial,” he said. “We could really bring a lot of our research and development, our capabilities in machine learning and AI and virtual reality and augmented learning management systems” to DHS, which “you could categorize a little more of a traditional time phased approach to training.” As the company seeks to expand into the non-defense security realm, Gelston said the company is keeping an eye out for potential merger and acquisition options, saying “I certainly would like to think in the next 18 to 24 months a property would come along, that's particularly attractive to me.” 2020 was a rocky year for CAE, which was hit particularly hard given its ties to the commercial aviation space. But the company worked quickly to shave costs, and toward the end of the year issued a public offering, with the goal of raising roughly $2 billion Canadian ($1.56 bn American). The plan, as Gelston said, was to have enough “dry powder to make sure that we're coming out leaning forward out of the COVID crisis. We don't want to be hunkering down just trying to survive. We want to take advantage of this.” While not discussing specifics, Gelston emphasized that “I'd love to get a little more robust training capability in the cyber realm... that's an area that that I can certainly see augmenting with potential acquisition here in the next 18 to 24 months if the right property comes along, I think we would be positioned to potentially pursue that.” Teaming with defense manufacturers That focus on new areas doesn't mean the company is turning away from traditional defense projects, but it does come with a greater focus on teaming up with prime contractors early in the process to offer the DoD and other customers a package solution from the start, as opposed to bidding on training and simulation contracts after a design has been selected. He pointed to the surprise rapid test-flight of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) demonstrator from last September as an example of how defense acquisition is speeding up. “Our defense acquisition officials are really looking for skin in the game from industry” early on, he said. “We don't have the time for the classic cost-plus development work, years and years and multiple phases” of a project. “No company, even the big OEMs, have unlimited research and development budgets. No company, even Lockheed Martin, has unlimited engineering assets,” he continued. “So if I can partner with these OEMs on these major next generation platforms now and start co developing as they develop the platform, I'm codeveloping the training in the simulation experience, and sharing some of that burden, adding skin into the game for research and development engineering — It's not just money, it's also time, and time, arguably right now is our is our biggest enemy — I can really help those OEMs and give them a true discriminator in their offering.” “And certainly at the end, that international or us customer is going to be much better off as they've got a fully baked, fully integrated training and simulation solution with that new platform.” In addition to looking into NGAD, Gelston said the company plans to pursue nearer-term contracts related to the F-35 joint strike fighter, MQ-9B drone, and the Army's Future Vertical Lift competition, while also continuing ongoing efforts like its C-130H business, which was awarded in 2018. https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2021/02/08/for-cae-the-future-means-expansion-in-cyber-space-and-more-defense-acquisitions

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  August 30, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Airbus pulls out of Canada's fighter jet competition

  by Murray Brewster One of the companies in the race to replace Canada's aging fleet of CF-18 jet fighters has dropped out of the competition. Airbus Defence and Space, which was pitching the Eurofighter Typhoon, notified the Liberal government Friday that it was not going to bid. The decision was made after a detailed review of the tender issued by the federal government in mid-July. The move leaves only three companies in the contest: Lockheed Martin Canada with its F-35; Boeing with the Super Hornet; and Saab, which is offering an updated version of its Gripen fighter. Simon Jacques, president of Airbus Defence and Space Canada, made a point of saying the company appreciated the professional dealings it had with defence and procurement officials. "Airbus Defence and Space is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Government of Canada, and of serving our fifth home country's aerospace priorities for over three decades," Jacques said in a statement. "Together we continue in our focus of supporting the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, growing skilled aerospace jobs across the country and spurring innovation in the Canadian aerospace sector." Airbus decided to withdraw after looking at the NORAD security requirements and the cost it imposes on companies outside of North America. It also said it was convinced that the industrial benefits regime, as written in the tender, "does not sufficiently value the binding commitments the Typhoon Canada package was willing to make." A controversial evaluation process After complaints from the Trump administration, the Liberal government revised the industrial benefits portion of the tender to make it more fair to Lockheed Martin. The changes to the evaluation process irked some competitors. Under long-established military procurement policy, the federal government demands companies spend the equivalent of a contract's value in Canada as a way to bolster industry in this country. The F-35 program is not structured that way. It allows Canadian companies to bid on the aircraft's global supply chain contracts. There is, however, no guarantee that they'll get any of those contracts. The recent revision ensures that Lockheed Martin will not be severely penalized for having a different system. DND staff warned to keep mum while attending air shows during fighter jet competition F-35 demo team returns to Canada this fall as fighter jet makers jockey for position Airbus, Boeing may pull out of fighter jet race they say is rigged for F-35 Last spring, Boeing executives voiced their concerns publicly during a defence trade show in Ottawa. "I was surprised by the recommended changes," said Jim Barnes, the director of business development in Canada for Boeing Defence, Space & Security. "We believe we can put a really compelling offer on the table. "You have a policy that's been in place for decades that has been very successful. The minister has mentioned this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, so why would you deviate from a policy that has been so successful to accommodate a competitor?" https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/airbus-canada-fighters-1.5265665