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  July 26, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Viking to put special missions aircraft on tour - updates on defence industry developments

  By DAVID PUGLIESE Viking Air Limited of Victoria, BC has announced its plans to hold a world demonstration tour for its Guardian 400 aircraft, the special missions variant of the Viking Series 400 Twin Otter. The world tour will include detailed briefings and demonstration flights in Europe, Africa, Middle East, India, South East Asia, Oceania, and North America, according to Esprit de Corps magazine. The company unveiled the special mission variant last month at the 2019 Paris International Airshow. Here are more details of what I wrote for Esprit de Corps: For the past six months, a production Series 400 Twin Otter has been undergoing modifications to transform into Viking's Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft for the proposed world tour, the firm noted. It will feature a left-hand SCAR pod with Hensoldt Argos EO/IR imaging turret, multi-spectral HDTV camera, mega- pixel HD Thermal imager, laser range finder, multi-mode auto tracker, and Remote Image Bus (RIB) video feed for display on the cockpit MFD or crew workstation. The demonstrator will also feature a right-hand SCAR pod with Leonardo Osprey Radar System and Sentient Vidar Camera system. In addition to its mission sensor package, the Guardian 400 prototype will be equipped with an Airborne Technologies' tactical workstation with high-definition touchscreen monitors, data/voice/video recorder, Mission Management Unit (MMU), mission radio communications, intuitive hand controller for MCU & SLR camera targeting, CarteNav AIMS mission system software, Kestrel MTI targeting software, and IKHANA ergonomic mission seat for optimized crew comfort. The prototype will also be equipped with Viking conformal bubble windows, left and right wing-mounted hard points by IKHANA, Thunder Bay Aviation stretcher racks, and an aft lavatory for crew comfort. The tour is expected to start in September. It will end in May 2020 at CANSEC 2020 to be held in Ottawa. Nexter has been selected by the Canadian government to supply the Canadian Army with 88 multi-purpose robots. The deal includes the delivery of 79 NERVA-LG and nine NERVA-XX robots. It is worth $6 million. The medium-sized robot can be controlled from any standard PC, tablet or smartphone, according to the company. Nexter Systems is the prime contractor and will work with Nexter Robotics and ECA Robotics. Deltic Group of Oakville, Ontario will handle in-service support. Leonardo announced that it has signed a contract with QinetiQ to provide a number of PicoSAR Active Electronically Scanned Array radars for the Canadian military's new drones. The firm noted that the PicoSAR radar is ideally suited for installation aboard the Canadian Forces new system, which is based on the lightweight UMS Skeldar V-200 Unmanned Aerial System. The radar will provide all-weather ground mapping and surveillance capability for missions. Seaspan Shipyards has awarded BCS Automation Ltd. a contract for work on the Canadian government's new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV). BCS is the most recent supplier to partner with Seaspan in its work on the OOSV program. BCS is a family owned Canadian small business located in Belleville, Ontario, Seaspan pointed out. The firm is supplying a state of the art ship control and monitoring system for the OOSV. The system is designed to provide ship personnel with all the basic alarms and status information they require in order to maintain the safe and efficient operation of the machinery, auxiliary systems and other relevant equipment. The system features built-in self-diagnostics, an intuitive, user-friendly interface and a fail-safe redundant network to enhance safety and reliability. BCS has previous experience working on NSS projects having been subcontracted by Hawboldt Industries to design and build the winch drive system for the Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV). Two NATO member nations have opted to purchase Rheinmetall's ROSY rapid smoke/obscurant system for protecting their vehicle families. This versatile modular system thus continues to expand its presence in the global force protection market. The two orders are worth several million euros. Delivery of 126 systems to Spanish defence contractor URO Vehículos Especiales S.A. (UROVESA) has already begun. UROVESA will be installing these systems in 126 out of 139 VAMTAC protected patrol vehicles purchased by the Portuguese armed forces in July 2018, according to Rheinmetall. Delivery of the systems will be complete in March 2020. Pre-series delivery in response to another order begins in May 2019, this time from Belgium. Here, Rheinmetall is acting as subcontractor for the British company Jankel, which is supplying the Belgian Army with the Light Troop Transport Vehicle, or LTTV. All 199 of the vehicles are being prepared for integration of the system, in addition to the supply of control units and launchers for 167 vehicles. Series production commences in February 2020 and will be complete the same year. These two orders mean that ROSY will soon be in service in no fewer than eleven countries. ROSY provides protection from surprise attacks by creating a wall of smoke/obscurant that renders vehicles invisible to the enemy. Unlike conventional smoke/obscurant systems, it not only produces an instantaneous, extensive, multispectral interruption in the line of sight, but also generates a dynamic smoke screen that provides moving assets with long-lasting protection. Ocean Industries Inc. will build four tugs for the Royal Canadian Navy. The firm from Isle‑aux-Coudres, Quebec, was awarded the contract for $102 million under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The new tugs will provide towing, firefighting and other critical support services to the Royal Canadian Navy. They will replace the navy's five civilian-crewed Glen-class large tugs and two Fire-class rescue boats. Two of the tugs will go to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in British Columbia. The other two will be delivered to CFB Halifax in Nova Scotia. The first two tugs are scheduled to be delivered in 2021. The last two tugs will be delivered in 2023. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/viking-to-put-special-missions-aircraft-on-tour-updates-on-defence-industry-developments

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  January 15, 2020 | Local, Security

  RCAF still dealing with legal issues on new rescue aircraft name – military doesn’t know when it will be able to announce a name

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Updated: January 13, 2020 The RCAF is still working its way through various legal issues as it tries to come up with an official Canadian name for the Airbus C-295 aircraft, the service's new fixed wing search and rescue plane. The new name was supposed to be selected by November at the earliest and December at the latest. But now the RCAF says it doesn't know when it will announce a name for the planes. “The list of possible names for the CC-295 has been further narrowed down, and those names are currently undergoing legal, contractual, and trademark vetting,” RCAF spokesperson Major Jill Lawrence explained to Defence Watch. “Once the process is complete, and when appropriate, the RCAF will formally announce the new name. At this time, there is no anticipated date for that announcement.” No details were provided on the new shortlisted names. The RCAF first consulted the operational search and rescue community which came up with ten names, later narrowed down to five. After that, the public was asked to vote on the names. Around 33,000 people voted, according to Lt.-Col. Steve Neta, the director of RCAF public affairs. Another 1,600 comments were left on various RCAF social media sites. The RCAF then went back to its search and rescue personnel for more consultation. The RCAF published the five names being considered and an explanation for each name: CANSO II: Canso aircraft served with 11 RCAF squadrons during the Second World War. They operated from both coasts and were employed in coastal patrols, convoy protection and submarine hunting. After the Second World War, Cansos served with the RCAF in photo reconnaissance and search and rescue roles until they were finally retired in November 1962. GUARDIAN: A guardian is an entity that protects a community under a set of values. IRIS: Iris refers to the faculty or power of seeing. Iris was also the goddess of sea and sky in ancient Greek mythology. KINGFISHER: Found all across Canada, this bird patrols up and down rivers, constantly searching for prey. Within the First Nations of the Northwest, the kingfisher has long been recognized for its speed and agility, as well as its keen searching and hunting skills. A kingfisher was depicted on the 1986 Canadian five-dollar banknote in the “Birds of Canada” series. TURNSTONE: Turnstones are one of the migratory marvels of the Arctic bird world. They have been known to fly more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) in a single day. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/rcaf-still-dealing-with-legal-issues-on-new-rescue-aircraft-name-military-doesnt-know-when-it-will-be-able-to-announce-a-name

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  January 14, 2019 | Local, Land

  New logistics trucks delivered to Valcartier

  January 14, 2019 – Valcartier, QC – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Today, Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, visited members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) at 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier to see Canada's new logistics trucks delivered to the base. These trucks support Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, in delivering the modern equipment the women and men of the CAF depend on to do their jobs. Support vehicles like these trucks form the backbone of ground transportation for our Regular and Reserve forces. They are at the heart of nearly every domestic and international CAF operation, moving critical equipment, personnel and supplies to wherever they need to be. Whether helping Canadian communities deal with severe flooding or other national disasters, or supporting NATO operations in Latvia and throughout Eastern Europe, these new trucks will serve our women and men for decades to come. Of the over 1500 trucks purchased, nearly 450 will be based in Quebec, to be used by CAF units, including Reserves. The trucks will come in five variants ranging in use and size from regular cargo to cargo trucks with a material handling crane. The cabs can also be swapped out for an armoured cab for use in high threat environments. The purchase of these trucks is subject to Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy, which means that for every dollar the government spends on major defence purchases, the winning contractor must put a dollar back into Canada's economy. Through this policy, the government's purchasing power is being used to support innovation and create well-paying middle-class jobs. Quotes “Through our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, we are providing the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to do their jobs. Logistics trucks are essential component for how our Canadian Armed Forces members conduct their important work. That is why I am pleased to see these new and modern vehicles being delivered to Valcartier and other locations across Canada to replace and modernize the current fleet of medium weight logistic trucks that have reached the end of their service life.” – Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan “I am very pleased to see these new trucks being delivered to Valcartier for use by a number of Quebec-based units. Whether for overseas operations or to provide support to local communities during spring flooding, these trucks will help our Canadian Armed Forces members get the job done." – Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos Quick facts In July 2015, the Government of Canada awarded two contracts to Mack Defense, valued at a total of $834 million, to deliver new trucks, trailers, armour protection systems and in-service support. Across Canada, more than 1500 trucks, 300 trailers, and 150 armoured protection systems are expected to be delivered over the next two years. The new trucks have the ability to carry up to 9.5 tonnes. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2019/01/new-logistics-trucks-delivered-to-valcartier.html