December 31, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

New fighter jets ‘can’t arrive quickly enough,’ Canada’s top military commander says

OTTAWA—A new fighter jet “can't arrive quickly enough” for Canada's Air Force as it deals with aging CF-18s that are approaching the end of their useful life, the country's top military commander says.

Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, acknowledged that an old fighter and personnel shortages present challenges for the Air Force.

“The F-18 is clearly an aircraft that is one that is coming to the end of its useful life. But it's not at the end,” Vance told the Star in a year-end interview.

“I'm real keen to get the future fighter in place as quickly as possible. Until then we've got the F-18. We're going to have to invest in it to ensure that our aircrew, the RCAF, can continue to ... protect Canada and Canadians and be valued in operations,” he said.

A recent report by the federal auditor general's office put the challenges facing the Air Force into stark focus with its findings that the CF-18s, first delivered in 1982, are increasingly obsolete. But more critically, the report said the bigger challenge was a shortage of technicians to maintain the 76 existing jets and pilots to fly them.

Vance said the military is moving to address its personnel shortages. On the pilot front, the problem isn't attracting new recruits, he said. It's training them and then keeping them in uniform at a time when civilian airlines are dangling the promise of big paycheques and better quality of life.

“I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy,” Vance said.

“There's no way we're ever going to be able to compete with private industry. We never have. You don't join the military for the paycheque,” he said.

But he said the Air Force is considering a number of measures, from better compensation and benefits to addressing complaints about postings and desk jobs that contribute to drive pilots from the ranks.

Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger, RCAF commander, told the Commons public accounts committee in December that pilots quit because of family challenges, tempo of operations, work-life balance and geographic postings.

“My assessment is that it's going to take us approximately five to seven years to grow the crew force. Again, a lot of the considerations are in the future. We have to stave off the attrition we're experiencing today. We're getting at that as a priority in terms of some of the retention ideas we have,” Meinzinger told the committee.

A tortured procurement stretching over several governments, with several false starts, has delayed the purchase of new fighters, leaving the Air Force with the CF-18s, which require 24 hours of maintenance for every hour they fly.

Jody Thomas, the deputy minister of defence, told the Commons public accounts committee in December the government now expects to release a request for proposals next spring with bids submitted in 2020 and a contract award in 2022.

Under that timeline, deliveries of 88 new fighters would occur between 2025 and 2032. “We expect to achieve initial operating capability by 2026 with nine advanced fighters ready to fulfil the NORAD mission,” Thomas said.

That still means the CF-18s have to remain airworthy and combat capable for up to 12 more years to help bridge the transition, a tall order for jets that are already three decades old.

To help augment the fleet and spread the flying hours, the federal government has purchased 18 used F-18s from Australia. The first of those aircraft is expected to arrive late winter. They will require maintenance checks and some upgrades to make them compatible with existing fleet.

National Defence expects to spend almost $3 billion to extend the life of its current fleet and to buy, operate and maintain the interim aircraft.

The auditor general's report noted the CF-18 has not undergone any significant upgrade to its combat capabilities since 2008. That's because the Air Force thought they would be replaced.

Now, analysis is underway on how best to upgrade some of the CF-18s as early as 2020 in the areas of sensors, weapons, self-protection and mission support capabilities.

“Those capability upgrades are sufficient ... to keep the aircraft at an acceptable level of combat capability until the future fleet arrives,” Vance said.

Bruce Campion-Smith is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @yowflier

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2018/12/21/new-fighter-jets-cant-arrive-quickly-enough-canadas-top-military-commander-says.html

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June 10, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Héroux-Devtek announces acquisition of Québec-based Alta Précision Inc.
Héroux-Devtek Inc., the world's third-largest landing gear manufacturer, announced that it has concluded the acquisition of all the outstanding shares of Montreal-based Alta Precision Inc., a manufacturer of high-precision landing gear components. The transaction, which is subject to final purchase price adjustments, is valued at $23 million and was funded through the corporation's credit facilities. Héroux-Devtek, with its head office in Longueuil, Que., has 1,960 employees around the world, of which approximately 800 are located in Québec following the acquisition of Alta Precision Inc. Since its inception in 1942, Héroux-Devtek has grown from a small repair and overhaul facility to a world-class supplier of landing gear and actuation systems, delivering on major platforms such as the Boeing 777 and 777X. This acquisition, along with those of CESA, Beaver and Tekalia announced over the last year, strengthen its leadership position around the world. “The acquisition of Alta Precision Inc. expands our portfolio of commercial products by providing both access to new programs and additional content on existing platforms. It also comes with the backlog and manufacturing capacity necessary to grow the existing business”, said Martin Brassard, president & CEO of Héroux-Devtek. “We would like to welcome the Alta Precision Inc. employees and its president Guillermo Alonso who will join the growing Héroux-Devtek team. Together, we are confident in our ability to add value to Alta Precision Inc.'s operations and meet growing demand for our world-class landing gear offering”, added Brassard. “We are delighted to join Héroux-Devtek, a leading landing gear manufacturer for the global aerospace industry. With its growing customer base in North America and Europe, we will play a strong role in accelerating the growth of the corporation,” said Alonso, president of Alta Precision Inc. Founded in 1980, Alta Precision Inc. is a privately owned company which operates a state-of-the-art 72,000 square foot facility located in Montreal, Que. The company has approximately $18 million in annual revenues and employs 110 highly skilled personnel. Alta Precision Inc. manufactures complex landing gear components and assemblies for large customers such as Embraer, Safran, Liebherr and the United States Air Force. Alta Precision's strong backlog is comprised mainly of commercial aircraft landing gear components for the new E-2 and Airbus A-220 programs and for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A-350, two recent and growing commercial platforms. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/heroux-devtek-announces-acquisition-of-quebec-based-alta-precision-inc/
August 14, 2024 | Local, Aerospace

Ottawa examined as permanent base for new refuelling planes, but ultimately rejected: RCAF documents
The national capital was examined as a permanent base for new CC-330 Husky refueling planes, but was ultimately rejected, documents show.
May 31, 2019 | Local, Land

Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle project expects to wrap up by end of the year
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle project is close to wrapping up, with full operational capability of the equipment set for the end of this year, according to an update from the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence. All 500 vehicles have been accepted by Canada and sent to various bases across the country. CFB Gagetown has 127 TAPVs, CFB Valcartier has 129, CFB Montreal, 25, CFB Borden, 2, CFB Shilo 42, CFB Edmonton, 63, and CFB Petawawa, 112, according to the update. Initial operational capability was achieved in late August, 2017, although some TAPVs were used months before that during the flood relief mission in Quebec, the update pointed out. Since April 2014, there have been 10 incidents when Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles have tipped on to their sides, six where they have rolled over completely, and four where they have caught fire. Pat Finn, the assistant deputy minister in charge of procurement at the Department of National Defence, told Postmedia earlier this year there have been no serious injuries as a result of the incidents. The Conservative government announced the TAPV contract in 2012 as part of its re-equipping of the Canadian Army. Canada bought 500 TAPVs from Textron, a U.S.-based defence firm, at a cost of $603 million. The TAPV is a wheeled combat vehicle that will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, security, command and control, and armoured transport of personnel and equipment. “Upon review of the major TAPV incidents, it has been identified that the most common contributing factors of these incidents tends to be human error due to limited familiarity time operating the vehicles,” the army noted in an emailed statement to Postmedia. The army pointed out that investigations into the incidents did not reveal any design or mechanical faults. The TAPV project will cost taxpayers a total of $1.2 billion, which not only includes the vehicles but also includes the building of infrastructure to house them, as well as the purchase of ammunition and service support for the equipment. There have been a variety of issues related to the fires. See this article here for further details: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/tactical-armoured-patrol-vehicle-project-expects-to-wrap-up-by-end-of-the-year

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New fighter jets ‘can’t arrive quickly enough,’ Canada’s top military commander says

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Ottawa examined as permanent base for new refuelling planes, but ultimately rejected: RCAF documents The national capital was examined as a permanent base for new CC-330 Husky refueling planes, but was ultimately rejected, documents show.

Ottawa examined as permanent base for new refuelling planes, but ultimately rejected: RCAF documents
The national capital was examined as a permanent base for new CC-330 Husky refueling planes, but was ultimately rejected, documents show.