Back to news

January 7, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Installing Canadian software on Australian F-18s first order of business when aircraft arrive, says defence official

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN

One of the first things that will be done to the used Australian F-18s that Canada is purchasing is that the aircraft will be outfitted with different ejection seats and software.

The first two F-18s that Canada is buying from Australia will arrive sometime in the spring and will be sent to Cold Lake, Alta, said Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defence.

“They land, they (the Australians) will remove their software and we'll install our software,” Finn explained in an interview. Also to be installed are ejection seats and a lighting system that is used on the CF-18s.

“Ultimately the intent is the 18 aircraft are indistinguishable from our 76 aircraft,” Finn said.

Canada has finalized its deal to buy the 25 used fighter jets from Australia,

Eighteen of the Australian F-18 aircraft will eventually be flying while another seven will be used for testing and spare parts.

The Department of National Defence still has to figure out how to get the aircraft over from Australia. “We would rather fly them over,” Finn said. “Or have them (the Australians) fly them over.”

The Liberal government had originally 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 Trump administration brought in 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. That project would have cost more than US$5 billion.

Instead of buying the new Super Hornets, the Liberals decided to acquire the used Australian jets.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says the extra jets are needed to deal with a “capability gap” as Canada does not have enough fighters to handle its commitments to NATO as well as protecting North America.

But Conservative MPs say the capability gap didn't exist and was concocted by the government to delay a larger project to buy new jets, a competition that might end up selecting the F-35 stealth fighter the Liberals vowed never to purchase.

In November 2018 Auditor General Michael Ferguson issued a report noting that the purchase of the extra aircraft would not fix the fundamental weaknesses with the CF-18 fleet which is the aircraft's declining combat capability and a shortage of pilots and maintenance personnel.

“The Australian F/A-18s will need modifications and upgrades to allow them to fly until 2032,” the report noted. “These modifications will bring the F/A-18s to the same level as the CF-18s but will not improve the CF-18's combat capability.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/installing-canadian-software-on-australian-f-18s-first-order-of-business-when-aircraft-arrive-says-defence-official

On the same subject

  • BAE Systems selects CAE Medallion MR e-Series for Qatar Typhoon simulators

    July 10, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

    BAE Systems selects CAE Medallion MR e-Series for Qatar Typhoon simulators

    Montreal, July 8, 2020 - Today at the CAE OneWorld virtual conference and tradeshow, CAE announced that BAE Systems has selected the CAE Medallion MR e-Series visual system for Eurofighter Typhoon full-mission simulators for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. BAE Systems is the prime contractor responsible for providing 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft along with in-service support and training package to the Qatar Emiri Air Force. “BAE Systems did an exhaustive evaluation of the latest visual display systems available for fighter simulators, and we are excited by their selection of the Medallion MR e-Series to support the synthetic training capability for the Qatar Emiri Air Force,” said Thibaut Trancart, Managing Director, Defence & Security -- Middle East, CAE. “The exceptional realism and immersion offered by the Medallion MR e-Series helps deliver significant training value by allowing complex and challenging fighter aircraft tasks to be rehearsed in a safe virtual environment.” CAE will be providing four Medallion MR e-Series to BAE Systems for the Qatar Eurofighter Typhoon simulators under contracts awarded during CAE's fiscal year 2020 third and fourth quarters. During the CAE OneWorld virtual conference and tradeshow, CAE will be featuring a product presentation and demonstration of the CAE Medallion MR e-Series visual system. CAE OneWorld 2020 (cae.com/caeoneworld2020) began today and is free to all attendees who register (caeoneworld2020.com/registration/). The CAE OneWorld virtual conference and tradeshow will be available online for the next month. About CAE CAE's Defence & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare our customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. We are a world-class training and mission systems integrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of training and operational support solutions across the air, land, sea and public safety market segments. We serve our global defence and security customers through regional operations in Canada; the United States/Latin America; Europe/Middle East; and Asia-Pacific, all of which leverage the full breadth of CAE's capabilities, technologies and solutions. CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 10,500 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 220,000 civil and defence crewmembers, including more than 135,000 pilots, and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc and @CAE_Defence View source version on CAE: https://www.cae.com/news-events/press-releases/bae-systems-selects-cae-medallion-mr-e-series-for-qatar-typhoon-simulators

  • Concerns raised about new Canadian Army trucks

    August 3, 2024 | Local, Land

    Concerns raised about new Canadian Army trucks

    Training with the new Light Tactical Vehicles is to begin later in August and they're expected to be transported to Latvia by October.

  • Canada awards contract to support Halifax-class ship maintenance

    June 30, 2020 | Local, Naval

    Canada awards contract to support Halifax-class ship maintenance

    As outlined in Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is committed to equipping the Canadian Armed Forces with modern and capable equipment needed to support its operations. As outlined in Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is committed to equipping the Canadian Armed Forces with modern and capable equipment needed to support its operations. This includes supporting the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) fleet of combat vessels to ensure they remain operationally effective and capable until the transition to its future fleet is complete. Today, the Government of Canada announced the award of an in-service support contract to Fleetway Inc. of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Valued at $72.6 million for the first six years, with options to extend for up to 22 years, this contract will provide a full range of technical data management and systems engineering support services for the RCN's fleet of Halifax-class ships. This contract will secure an expert team to store and manage thousands of critical ship documents, in addition to producing complex designs to support the installation of new equipment on board the ships. Their specialized knowledge and skills will make sure key information is up-to-date to support maintenance teams, and will enable the maintenance of the Halifax-class operational capability in support of CAF missions. Awarded as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, this contract will ensure that the RCN and supporting shipyards continue to have the technical data required to support ongoing ship maintenance during planned docking work periods, while also providing local economic benefits. Work for the contract began in April 2020, and will continue until the fleet is retired in the early 2040s. This contract is expected to sustain an estimated 140 Canadian jobs. Quotes “The women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces deserve the best equipment and tools available. By investing in our fleet of Halifax class frigates, we will be able to provide our members in uniform what they need to continue advancing peace and security around the world. Our government's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged is delivering real results for Canadians and those who protect us.” The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence “The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to support the members of the Royal Canadian Navy and is reinvigorating the marine industry. This engineering service contract award to Fleetway Inc. of Halifax, Nova Scotia, will help provide our navy with safe, reliable ships to carry out their important work on behalf of the Government of Canada, while also creating jobs and generating significant economic benefits in the regions of Canada.” The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement “Our Halifax-class frigates remain the backbone of our Navy, enabling us to maintain our presence at sea both at home and abroad. As we continue to transition to our future fleet, it is essential that we continue to foster an environment that enables the RCN to keep our frigates floating, moving, and fighting. Fleetway Inc. brings world class technical data management and systems engineering support services which will help to ensure the RCN is ready to help, ready to lead and ready to fight.” Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy “Nova Scotians are deeply proud of the women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces, and it's fitting that companies across the province are providing important support to the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This contract with Fleetway Inc. will keep skilled workers employed here at home, while supporting the Canadian Armed Forces in their work abroad.” Darren Fisher, Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Quick facts An initial contract of $72.6 million has been awarded to Fleetway Inc. for their services. It will be amended over the contract period based on the amount of work required for a total value of up to $552 million. This type of contract is fully compliant with our Sustainment Initiative, which ensures performance, value for money, flexibility, and economic benefits. This contract is one of more than 100 existing support contracts required to effectively support maintenance of the Halifax-class. This new in-service support contract will replace the services provided by Fleetway Inc. through the previous in-service support contract that will expire in October 2020. The new contract was awarded through an open, fair, and transparent procurement process. All technical documentation, manuals, and engineering drawings of ship systems/equipment must be regularly updated to track any changes following maintenance or upgrades. This information is used to help monitor the state of the ship, and is also used by maintenance crews to support ongoing work. Halifax-class ships monitor and control Canadian waters, defend Canada's sovereignty, facilitate large-scale search and rescue activities, and provide emergency assistance when needed. The ships operate with and integrate into the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and coalitions of allied states in support of international peace and security operations. Introduced into service in the 1990s, the Canadian-built Halifax-class ships were recently modernized to remain operationally effective and relevant until the Canadian Surface Combatants enter into service. The Canadian Surface Combatants will replace the Halifax-class frigates and the retired Iroquois-class destroyers, and will ensure the RCN has modern and capable ships to monitor and defend Canada's waters, to continue to contribute to international naval operations for decades to come, and to rapidly deploy credible naval forces worldwide on short notice. https://www.miragenews.com/canada-awards-contract-to-support-halifax-class-ship-maintenance/

All news