Media Registration – Canadian and Korean defence and foreign ministers to meet in Ottawa

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  December 10, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Québec Invests $350,000 in Zetane to Support Collaboration with Rheinmetall Canada to Develop Artificial Intelligence in Predictive Maintenance

  [Montreal Canada; December 10, 2020] Technology to avoid costly repairs and foresee critical equipment breakdowns for heavy-duty vehicles aims to go mainstream in Québec thanks to government support of a multi-phase innovation initiative. Specializing in the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in industry, the Montreal-region tech start-up Zetane Systems announced today funding to establish AI-powered predictive maintenance solutions with the defence contractor, Rheinmetall Canada , headquartered in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Investissement Québec (IQ) of the Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation (MEI) contributed $350,000 in non-refundable financing--accounting for half the project costs--to support the first phase of the innovation project. “By employing artificial intelligence, Zetane contributes to reducing the costs related to the maintenance of heavy-duty vehicles and reduces our ecological footprint. Several sectors, such as aerospace and construction, will be able to gain important advantages from the technology developed by this innovative fledgeling company. It's innovation initiatives like this that reaffirms Québec's leadership in artificial intelligence,” highlighted the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon. Gaining funding support for such initiatives requires a highly competitive application process and detailed evaluation by experts in government and industry. Thanks to the collaboration of the Québec government, the project will serve to introduce new technologies and industrial processes with significant potential to improve economic, social and environmental factors in Québec. Of particular focus, funding of innovation initiatives serves to encourage the advancement of high-risk innovation projects that have much potential in ensuring Québec industry remains competitive. “Funding opportunities from the Québec government merit fervent support. They make collaboration between leading innovative companies such as Rheinmetall within reach, even during difficult economic times. Government investments in innovation are always a smart allocation of our resources that will ensure promising Québec startups with global appeal remain competitive and build further prosperity for all of us,” said the CEO and co-founder of Zetane, Guillaume Hervé. A more efficient means to foresee and prevent mechanical problems Several major industries--such as construction, aerospace, municipal works and mining--require managing fleets of heavy-duty vehicles. Whether it be trucks, planes or trains, ensuring these vehicles are well maintained avoids accidents and project delays. Being well maintained also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring that vehicles function at peak performance. A challenge these industries face today is an inability to customize maintenance schedules for individual vehicles, as well as an inability to predict equipment breakdowns with accuracy. AI provides a new means to analyse past maintenance requirements and process data from sensors on vehicles in order to predict mechanical wear-and-tear before problems arise. AI-powered machine vision technology also enables the automation of certain tasks in routine vehicle inspections. Zetane's particular strength in the project stems from the company's provision of a software platform designed specifically for a more intuitive and streamlined development of enterprise applications of AI. Once delivered, Rheinmetall Canada will gain unique AI technologies to better serve its clients with more efficient, accurate and less costly maintenance services and supply more performant transport vehicles. “Our strengths at Rheinmetall Canada stem from our embrace of technological change. Partnering with intrepid start-ups like Zetane not only gives us access to cutting-edge yet practical AI tools developed for enterprises, but also enables us to rapidly execute experimental proofs of concept that address specific customer needs” said Roger Bolduc, Senior Director of Engineering at Rheinmetall Canada. Benefits beyond innovation This innovation project aims to optimize Zetane's capacities to introduce predictive maintenance to diverse industries. Once complete, Zetane will use their experience with Rheinmetall to market AI predictive maintenance to new clients, enabling the Québecois start-up to expand service offerings both here and internationally. Additional future benefits of the project identified in the funding application include important social and environmental factors. One benefit is retaining and expanding rewarding job opportunities in technology both in Montreal and in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Environmental factors include lowered greenhouse gas emissions due to better-maintained vehicles. Health and safety factors include the possibility for safer work environments thanks to expected decreases in accidents caused by equipment failures. In addition to reducing operating costs in the for-profit sector, savings accrued from predictive maintenance for municipal vehicles have the potential to reduce the costs of tax-payer funded municipal works and civic services. About Zetane Systems Zetane Systems is a software technology company specializing in artificial intelligence. Our proprietary software easily integrates into existing AI platforms and provides a visual, intuitive workspace for building technology products in the AI subdomains of machine learning; the Zetane software provides a digital workspace to produce AI innovations. Zetane aims to make AI development more accessible and promote the technology industry's abilities to explain the inner workings of AI innovations. We do this by making AI more available to diverse professionals and industry verticals through our easy-to-learn-and-use software that complements and works with current popular AI development tools. About Rheinmetall Canada Rheinmetall Canada is a proud member of Germany's Rheinmetall Group, Europe's foremost supplier of army technology and a longstanding partner of armed forces. As an internationally recognized systems integrator, Rheinmetall Canada creates technologically advanced, fully-customised solutions for the global defence and security market. Located in its facilities in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Ottawa, and other locations throughout the world, over 375 employees put their expertise to work and push back their limits to ensure innovation and the success of each mandate. Ministry of Economy and Innovation on social media Facebook : facebook.com/EconomieQc LinkedIn : linkedin.com/company/économie-québec Twitter : twitter.com/economie_quebec Press contact: Jason Behrmann Director of Marketing and Communications info@zetane.com

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  February 6, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  More than 100 military procurements facing delays: Defence Department

  The delivery dates for new or upgraded equipment, some of which is needed urgently, have been pushed several years into the future by Lee Berthiaume OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence has identified delays in more than 100 planned military purchases and facility upgrades, most of which have flown under the radar as attention has focused on the government's problems buying new fighter jets and warships. While some of the schedule setbacks revealed by the Defence Department are relatively minor, others are significant, with the delivery dates for new or upgraded equipment — some of which is needed urgently — pushed several years into the future. Those include new engineering vehicles and machine-guns for the army, new drones for the navy to hunt mines and satellite hookups for its submarines, and upgrades to the air force's aging fighter-jet and surveillance aircraft fleets. More than half the list of 117 delayed projects is infrastructure projects on military bases, including health facilities, maintenance and storage hangars, armouries and ammunition depots. The list was produced by the Defence Department and recently tabled in the House of Commons in response to a request from the official Opposition Conservatives. Federal officials have to get better at setting “predictable” schedules when it comes to purchasing new equipment, Troy Crosby, whose job as assistant deputy minister of materiel is to oversee procurement at the Defence Department, acknowledged in an interview. Yet Crosby believes much of the frustration around military procurement is the result of unrealistic expectations born of a lack of understanding and appreciation for how the system, which is dealing with more projects than at any time in recent history, actually works. “The complexity of what it takes to bring a new piece of equipment into service is extraordinary, and early, early, early in a process, when we don't even know what it is we're going to buy or from where, there's a lot of uncertainty around those schedules,” he told The Canadian Press. “I think people will understand ... you can't nail a date down to a month in a year specifically. And then if you're two days late or two months late or what have you, are you really late or was there just an amount of uncertainty around those schedules to begin with?” As an example, Crosby pointed to the delayed delivery of new search-and-rescue airplanes, where the air force has been wrangling with the manufacturer Airbus over the level of detail that must be in the aircraft's technical manuals before the military will accept the planes. “Three years into the contract, we're behind 18 days,” he said. “That's not a failure. If the standard is perfection, will defence procurement ever be not broken? I'm not sure. I think you're holding us to a pretty amazing standard.” At the same time, Crosby noted that the air force's Buffalo and Hercules airplanes, which have been performing search-and-rescue missions in Canada for decades, continue to operate despite being long past their replacement dates. “Do we want to get (the Forces) even better equipment so they can be even more effective at the job using modern technology? Yes,” said Crosby. “But the Buffalo and those (search-and-rescue) crews are delivering for Canadians now. So I wouldn't want to leave the impression there that suddenly these capabilities don't work.” Yet there have been several examples in recent years of the military either doing without because equipment got too old to use or the government investing taxpayer dollars to keep old gear going longer than anticipated. Those include the navy having been without destroyers for the past few years, the government spending nearly $700 million to lease a temporary supply ship and plans to spend more than $1 billion to keep CF-18 fighters from the 1980s flying to 2032. While some of those problems were caused by political dithering or mismanagement, they nonetheless underscore the real cost of delays. The list of delayed projects produced by the Defence Department included brief explanations for why each procurement has been delayed. Some, such as the purchase of new machine-guns, related to problems with industry and fell outside government's control. Others were afflicted with unforeseen technical issues and many of the delays were the result of “detailed schedule analysis” by government officials, suggesting the original timeframes were unrealistic or otherwise inaccurate. There were also several delays, such as a plan to upgrade the sensors and weapons on the air force's Griffon helicopters, attributed to a shortage of procurement staff and other internal government resources. Despite the delays, Crosby said he felt military procurement is “in a good place,” listing the recent delivery of new armoured vehicles and trucks for the army and the pending arrival of new Arctic patrol ships for the navy and the search-and-rescue planes for the air force. “A lot is moving out,” he said. “There's a lot of movement.” Conservative defence critic James Bezan, however, suggested the delays were the result of Liberal government mismanagement. “The Trudeau Liberals continue to dither and delay when it comes to procuring new equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces,” he said in an email. “It is clear that the Trudeau Liberals repeatedly fail when it comes to procuring and upgrading equipment for our military heroes.” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's press secretary Floriane Bonneville defended the Liberals' record on procurement. “Overall, 90% of procurements are delivered within their planned scope and budget,” she said in a statement. “Our defence plan, Strong, Secure, Engaged, helps build strong, healthy communities and secures well-paying middle class jobs for Canadians. From boots to ships, we will continue to ensure Canada's military is well-equipped for the task at hand.” https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/manufacturing/more-than-100-military-procurements-facing-delays-defence-department-246478/

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  June 13, 2019 | Local, Other Defence

  Harris Corporation Awarded $51 Million Delivery Order to Provide Leading-Edge Tactical Communications Equipment to Central European Nation

  ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has been awarded a $51 million Foreign Military Sales delivery order to provide Falcon III® radios to a Central European nation – delivering advanced narrowband and wideband networking capabilities and offering greater interoperability with U.S. and NATO allies for coalition operations. Under the award, Harris will provide Falcon III® AN/PRC-158, AN/PRC-160, AN/PRC-152A and AN/PRC-117G manpack and handheld radios as part of the country's modernization program. Key radios features include: AN/PRC-158 multi-channel manpack: features a two-channel, software-defined architecture with integrated cross-banding between waveforms, providing new advanced capabilities while maintaining backward interoperability with legacy radios. AN/PRC-160 wideband HF/VHF manpack radio: the only stand-alone solution that, in the absence of satellite communications, provides long-range communications at data speeds up to 10 times greater than any existing high frequency radio. AN/PRC-152A multiband handheld: a wideband networking handheld radio that provides simultaneous voice, video and data in a small form-factor, with mobile ad-hoc networking capabilities. Harris has delivered more than 45,000 AN/PRC-152A radios worldwide. AN/PRC-117G manpack: a combat proven, software-defined radio that is easily upgradeable with new waveforms, such as MUOS; also is NINE Suite B encrypted, allowing users to securely and easily interoperate with U.S., NATO and regional partners. More than 50,000 AN/PRC-117G radios have been delivered to customers around the world. “Our customer requires advanced, highly secure communication networks that provide interoperability with their NATO partners,” said Christopher Aebli, vice president and general manager, International Tactical Communications. “These modern, software defined radios meet our customer's current requirements and are upgradeable to address future evolving needs.” About Harris Corporation Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers' toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems. Learn more at harris.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about the value or expected value of orders, contracts or programs and about technology capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190612005516/en/