April 16, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Security

Longview delivers first production Viking CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter”

Longview Aviation Services (LAS) of Calgary, Alta., in co-operation with Viking Air Limited of Victoria, B.C., announced the first Viking CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” has been delivered to launch customer Bridger Aerospace Group of Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

Bridger Aerospace became the launch customer for the Viking CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” program after signing a multiple aircraft purchase agreement in May of 2018. The contract with all options exercised is valued at $204 million and covers the sale of six CL-415EAF amphibious aerial firefighting aircraft.

Manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 1081, the first Canadair CL-215 to undergo the major

modification to the EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” configuration, took its inaugural flight on March 9, 2020 outside of program-collaborator Cascade Aerospace's facility in Abbotsford, B.C.

After application of Bridger's livery at International Aerospace Coatings' facility in Spokane, Wash., MSN 1081 flew over the central Rocky Mountain range to Bozeman, Mont., for delivery to Bridger Aerospace in advance of the 2020 North American wildfire season.

Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace Group, stated, “Aggressive initial attack and advanced technology in support of the wildland firefighter are the core of Bridger's ethos. The Viking CL-415EAF is the most capable initial attack asset on the planet and we are proud to be the launch customer for this incredible capability.”

Robert Mauracher, executive vice-president of Sales and Marketing for Viking, commented, “We are very excited and proud to be delivering our first Viking CL-415EAF Enhanced Aerial Firefighter to Bridger Aerospace in time for the 2020 North American wildfire season. The delivery of our first Enhanced Aerial Firefighter is the culmination of a multi-faceted collaborative project originally launched in 2018 and represents the solid partnership that has developed between Viking, LAS, and Bridger over the past 24 months. We are now looking forward to adding a second aircraft to their fleet in the coming months.”

The CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” modification program, announced in 2018 as a collaboration between the two subsidiaries of Longview Aviation Capital, provides an economic boost throughout Western Canada derived from job creation, aerospace manufacturing innovation, supply chain development, academic partnerships, and global export opportunities.

The Viking CL-415EAF modification program forms part of a staged approach to utilize the advancements made with the LAS converted aircraft as the basis for the proposed next-generation Viking CL-515 new-production aerial firefighting and multi-purpose amphibious aircraft.

The Viking CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” is a specially selected CL-215

airframe converted to turbine configuration using Viking-supplied conversion kits. It features a new Collins Pro Line Fusion integrated digital avionics suite, Pratt & Whitney PW123AF turbine engines, increased fire-retardant capacity, and improvements to numerous aircraft systems.

The Viking CL-415EAF represents the evolution of the type, providing best-in-class water drop performance utilizing the higher delivery two-door water drop system combined with a zero-timed maintenance program and a “new aircraft” factory-supported warranty program. All obsolete components impacting the worldwide fleet of CL-215 & CL-415 aircraft are replaced in the CL- 415EAF, and the upgraded aircraft is designed to failsafe FAR 25 certification criteria with no preset life limit.

The very short scooping distance of the CL-415EAF aircraft is expected to outperform competitors from initial attack to sustained major fire suppression, and the combination of safety and longevity represents exceptional value inherent in purpose-built aerial firefighting amphibious aircraft.

The CL-415EAF aircraft is the only aerial firefighter with factory OEM support offered by Viking's Customer Service and Product Support division, including management of all Continuing Airworthiness, warranty items, in-service engineering, initial provisioning, as well as offering Viking's M+ all-inclusive maintenance support program. All improvements and obsolescence issues addressed in the CL-415EAF aircraft will become the new aircraft production standard in the manufacture of an all new, next generation CL-515 multi-purpose amphibious aircraft.

https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/longview-delivers-first-production-viking-cl-415eaf-enhanced-aerial-firefighter

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November 28, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

CAE introduces CAE Rise™ for the defense market
Today at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the world's largest military training and simulation event, CAE announced the launch of CAE Rise™ for the defense market. CAE Rise™ is a data-driven training system designed to enable defense and security organizations to deliver standardized training and give instructors a new approach to objectively assess pilot competencies using live data during training sessions. The system leverages big data analytics to reduce subjectivity in pilot assessment, allows instructors even greater focus on teaching, and helps create more efficient and continually improving training programs. CAE Rise™ is one of CAE's latest digital innovations and has already been deployed for training CAE's airline partners. During I/ITSEC, CAE (Booth #1734) will conduct demonstrations each day with CAE Rise™ integrated on a T-6C simulator. The demonstrations will show how CAE Rise™ gathers data during simulator training sessions, and then provides an instructor with real-time, objective assessments of student performance against pre-determined criteria for specific training tasks. “CAE Rise™ is a prime example of CAE's commitment to investing in the development of digital technologies to revolutionize pilot training,” said Gene Colabatistto, CAE's Group President, Defense & Security. “The aviation industry – both military and civil – faces the long-term challenge of producing sufficient numbers of highly-qualified pilots to meet demand. CAE's focus on aviation training and innovations such as CAE Rise™ will contribute to making pilot training more efficient, standardized and objective, which ultimately helps produce higher-quality and better prepared pilots.” Some of the key features, capabilities and benefits of CAE Rise™ for military pilot training include: Developed on Microsoft Azure Government for cloud computing to meet government cybersecurity and compliance requirements; Facilitating student-centric learning by providing digital lesson plans, real-time feedback and ability to tailor training to each student; Improving instructor performance by facilitating student interaction and reducing administrative burden; Enabling training organization efficiencies such as maintaining electronic records, identifying performance gaps, and implementing closed-loop, adaptive training. https://www.cae.com/news-events/press-releases/cae-introduces-cae-rise-for-the-defense-market
August 20, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

MDA Awarded $7.9 Million for Lunar Gateway Robotics Phase A Contracts
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded MDA two contracts related to the NASA led Lunar Gateway project which is part of the greater Artemis moon program. The contrast are a result of the Deep Space Exploration Robotics (DSXR) request for proposals the CSA had posted in April of this year. The DSXR initiative includes two Gateway External Robotic Interfaces. They include an “exploration large arm” (XLA) and an “exploration dexterous arm” (XDA). The first contract is for the development of robotic interfaces for the “exploration large arm” and is valued at $3,292,136.66. The second contract, also for the development of robotic interfaces, is for the “exploration dexterous arm” and is valued at $4,598,971.26. The Phase A work builds on the heritage of robotics MDA developed for the Canadarm on the Space Shuttles, and the Canadarm2 and Dextre on the International Space Station. The new Canadarm3 program will take robotic tools to another level, merging cutting edge robotic hardware with Artificial Intelligence software. http://spaceq.ca/mda-awarded-7-9-million-for-lunar-gateway-robotics-phase-a-contracts/
October 29, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Heron and MQ-9 drones approved for Canadian military program
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Department of National Defence's Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Project has entered into a new phase with discussions ongoing with two drone manufacturers. The RPAS project entered the definition phase on April 5 and shortly after the federal government determined two qualified suppliers were eligible for the program, Esprit de Corps military magazine reports. Public Services and Procurement Canada determined that both L3 Technologies MAS Inc. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., along with the U.S. government, were qualified suppliers. Under the government's Invitation to Qualify process, L3 Technologies MAS Inc. proposed the Heron TP aircraft from Israeli Aircraft Industries while the U.S. government and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. qualified with the MQ-9 aircraft. “The project team officially initiated engagement with qualified suppliers in July 2019 as part of the Refine & Review Requirements phase,” Defence department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande explained to Esprit de Corps. “As part of the RRR phase, the project team will continue to engage qualified suppliers and develop a Request For Proposal.” Canada's quest for an uninhabited aerial vehicle system has been under way for years. In 2006 the military laid down plans to have such a drone fleet operational by 2009. That was pushed back to 2012. Over the years the Canadian Armed Forces tried other means to buy a fleet of longer-range UAVs. In 2007 the military tried to push a sole source purchase of Predators but the Conservative government decided against that proposal. During the Libyan war in 2011, senior Canadian defence leaders pitched to the government the idea of spending up to $600 million for armed drones to take part in that conflict. That proposal was also declined. For the Afghan war, the Canadian military purchased the Sperwer, and later leased a Heron drone fleet from MDA of Richmond, BC for missions in Kandahar. Timelines have continually been revised for the drone acquisition program, originally called the Joint Unmanned Surveillance, Target Acquisition System or JUSTAS. The contract had been expected in 2018. But Lamirande said the contract for the RPAS project is now to be awarded in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023. She noted that the RPAS project will procure a new fleet of armed, medium altitude, long endurance drones capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and precision strike in support of Canadian Armed Forces operations. The RPAS project will complement existing capabilities, such as the CP-140 patrol aircraft. “This capability will be integrated into a network of systems to enable near real-time flow of information essential to CAF operations, and to support domestic law enforcement and civilian authorities,” Lamirande said. “Additionally, it will significantly expand Canada's ability to contribute to joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations with its allies.” The Defence Capabilities Blueprint puts funding for the project at between $1 billion and $4.99 billion but no further details have been provided Lamirande said the release of that RFP is expected in Fiscal Year 2020-2021. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/heron-and-mq-9-drones-approved-for-canadian-military-program

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