Important Notice about CAF Outlooks 2020

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  November 5, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  QinetiQ Target Systems and Canadian UAVs Sign MOU for Commercial and Military UAV Services in Canada

  CALGARY, Nov. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - QinetiQ Target Systems, the largest UAV manufacturer in Canada, and Canadian UAVs (CUAVs), Canada's leading unmanned aviation solutions provider for enterprise and military applications, is proud to announce that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), outlining how the two companies will work together to bring combined 'best of breed' solutions for military and commercial markets. The agreement focuses on providing services to clients requiring long range, endurance and payload capacity primarily with the Skeldar V200, Mosquito UHV-T Group 2 UAV and the class 1 UAV Snyper. With manufacturing and operations facilities in Medicine Hat and Calgary as well as satellite locations across the country including at major naval bases on both coasts, the partnership is perfectly placed to provide direct services for both the commercial, civil and military markets in Canada. "We are thrilled to partner with CUAVs. CUAVs provide outstanding UAV services and expertise, and we are confident that this partnership will meet and exceed the requirements of our existing and new UAV clients in Canada. We are also actively pursuing export opportunities to further leverage our joint capabilities", commented Vincent Malley, Director of Business Development at QinetiQ Target Systems. "Canadian UAVs is delighted to be working closely with QinetiQ Target Systems. They have been a UAV provider to the military for over three decades and we believe our current and future clients will benefit greatly from our comprehensive combined capacity and expertise. We are very excited for the future of unmanned aviation in Canadaand we believe this joint offering will have significant positive implications for the further advance of this industry." said Sean Greenwood, President, and CEO of Canadian UAVs". Notes for Editors: About QinetiQ Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: QQ.L), QinetiQ is a leading science and engineering company operating primarily in the defence, security and aerospace markets. Our customers are predominantly government organisations including defence departments, as well as international customers in other targeted sectors. Visit our website www.QinetiQ.com Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @QinetiQ Consult our privacy policy About Canadian UAVs Canadian UAVs is a Calgary-based solutions provider focused on safety-first data acquisition for unmanned aerial vehicle applications. CUAVs provides a range of custom and innovative UAV solutions for industrial environments where advanced imaging is necessary for surveying on an iterative or fixed point basis. Using advanced technology to monitor and acquire data about industrial assets, the company provides a viable advantage for clients and enterprises seeking to mitigate risk. SOURCE Canadian UAVS For further information: Please contact, QinetiQ Press Office on Tel: +44 (0) 1252 39 3500 or email: PressOffice@QinetiQ.com; Contact: Sean Greenwood (403) 796-5102 or visit our website: http://CanadianUAVs.ca https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/qinetiq-target-systems-and-canadian-uavs-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-for-commercial-and-military-uav-services-in-canada-699634171.html

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  February 14, 2022 | Local, Aerospace

  Ottawa launches lonfyig-awaited competition for purchase of armed military drones

  The federal government has officially launched a competition for the purchase of armed drones after nearly two decades of delays and discussion around whether Canada should buy the controversial weapons. A formal request for proposals was released Friday to the two companies shortlisted to bid on the $5-billion contract, which could see the Canadian Armed Forces launch a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles in the next few years. A formal contract is not expected for another year or two, while the first drone isn't scheduled for delivery until at least 2025, with the last to arrive in the early 2030s. The request does not say how many vehicles the government plans to buy, and instead leaves it up to the two companies to say how their bids will satisfy the military's needs while benefiting the Canadian economy. It does reveal the aircraft will be based at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia and 19 Wing Comox in British Columbia, while the main control centre will be in the Ottawa area. Yellowknife is also identified as a forward operating location. The drone force will include around 240 air force members, with 55 in Greenwood, 25 in Comox and 160 in Ottawa. While delivery is still years away, the fact the military has reached even this point represents a major step forward after almost 20 years of work to identify and buy a fleet of UAVs to conduct surveillance over Canadian territory and support missions abroad. Aside from purchasing a small number of temporary, unarmed drones for the war in Afghanistan – all of which have since been retired – the military has never been able to make much progress on a permanent fleet. That was despite drones taking on an increasingly important role in militaries around the world. A report in the Royal Canadian Air Force Journal in late 2015 said 76 foreign militaries were using drones and another 50 were developing them. One major reason: no federal government had authorized adding drones as a permanent fixture within the military in the same vein as fighter-jet or helicopter squadrons until the Liberal government included them in its 2017 defence policy. The government and military say the unmanned aircraft will be used for surveillance and intelligence gathering as well as delivering pinpoint strikes from the air on enemy forces in places where the use of force has been approved. Some have previously criticized the decision to buy armed drones given concerns about their potential use in Canada and numerous reports of air strikes by other nations, particularly the United States and Russia, causing unintended damage and civilian casualties. The government has also said little about the scenarios in which force might be used, including whether drones could be deployed for assassinations. Officials have suggested they would be used in the same way as conventional weapons such as fighter jets and artillery. “While the (drones) will be a medium-altitude long-endurance system with a precision strike capability, it will only be armed when necessary for the assigned task,” the Defence Department said Friday. “At all times, employment of precision strike capability will adhere to the Law of Armed Conflict, as well as any other applicable domestic or international laws. Use of force will be applied following rules of engagement applicable to the CAF.”

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  March 5, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Budget Officer’s analysis of used Australian F-18 deal to be released Thursday

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Parliamentary Budget Officer will release his report Thursday on the federal government's purchase of used Australian F-18 fighter jets for the Canadian Forces. Yves Giroux's report will be a fiscal analysis of the government's acquisition of the 25 aircraft. Eighteen of the Australian F-18 aircraft will eventually be flying for the Canadian Forces, while another seven will be used for testing and spare parts. The Royal Canadian Air Force are using the jets as interim fighters to boost the capability of the current fleet of CF-18s until a new generation aircraft can be bought. The Royal Canadian Air Force recently received its first two used Australian fighter jets at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta. The first two aircraft were F/A-18A models, which means they are single seat aircraft. The aircraft were flown to Cold Lake, Alberta, from Nellis, Nevada, where they were participating in Exercise RED FLAG. The aircraft will be employed at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake, according to the RCAF. Deliveries of the Australian jets will continue at regular intervals for the next three years, and aircraft will be integrated into the CF-18 fleet as modifications are completed, according to the RCAF. The final aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of 2021. A second group of planes are expected to arrive later this year. Canada is paying Australia $90 million for the aircraft. The federal government originally estimated the purchase of the Australian jets would cost around $500 million, but the Department of National Defence's procurement chief, Pat Finn, said that price reflected every aspect of the associated deal, not just the cost of purchasing the jets. Canada is also acquiring extra spare parts, the Australian jets will have to be outfitted with specific Canadian equipment and software and testing will be needed. The $500-million project estimate also included $50 million in contingency funds to cover any problems and another $35 million for the salaries of all civilian and military personnel involved over the life of the project. An additional $30 million will be spent on new infrastructure over the years needed to accommodate the aircraft. Those costs add up to $360 million, Finn said. But DND also plans to upgrade its existing fleet of CF-18s with new communications gear and equipment required to meet regulations to operate in civilian airspace, improvements which the Australian jets will also eventually receive at a cost of around $110 million, an amount that brought the original estimate to nearly $500 million. The Liberal government had planned to buy 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to augment the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18s until new aircraft can be purchased in the coming years. But in 2017 Boeing complained to the U.S. Commerce Department that Canadian subsidies for Quebec-based Bombardier allowed it to sell its C-series civilian passenger aircraft in the U.S. at cut-rate prices. As a result, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a tariff of almost 300 per cent against the Bombardier aircraft sold in the U.S. In retaliation, Canada cancelled the deal to buy the 18 Super Hornets, which would have cost more than US$5 billion. Instead of buying the new Super Hornets, the Liberals decided to acquire the used Australian jets. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/budget-officers-analysis-of-used-australian-f-18-deal-to-be-released-thursday