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April 6, 2021 | Local, Aerospace

New NATO Innovation Hub challenge: Improving space domain awareness//Nouveau défi du pôle d'innovation de l'OTAN: améliorer la connaissance dans le domaine spatial


Similar to IDEaS, the NATO Innovation Hub is a community where experts from around the world collaborate to tackle NATO challenges and design solutions.

The Hub has recently launched a challenge seeking innovative solutions that address ways to improve space domain awareness. Solutions will collect and analyze relevant open source information contributing to space domain awareness, assess and prevent disruption or denial of space based capabilities, or visualize and present space domain information in order to facilitate quick and efficient decision making.

Compete for an $8,500 prize, stage-time to pitch your idea, and the opportunity to have your solution developed.

Register before May 22, 2021. Abstract submissions due May 23, 2021.

More info: https://www.innovationhub-act.org/challenge-intro


If you have questions, contact the NATO Innovation Hub by email: contact@InnovationHub-act.org

Semblable à IDEeS, le Centre d'innovation de l'OTAN est une communauté où des experts du monde entier collaborent pour relever les défis de l'OTAN et élaborer des solutions.

Le Centre a récemment lancé un défi recherchant des solutions innovantes qui abordent les moyens d'améliorer la connaissance dans le domaine spatial. Les solutions collecteront et analyseront les informations de sources ouvertes pertinentes contribuant à la connaissance du domaine spatial, évalueront et empêcheront les perturbations ou le déni des capacités spatiales, ou visualiseront et présenteront les informations du domaine spatial afin de faciliter une prise de décision rapide et efficace.

Rivalisez pour un prix de 8 500 $, le temps de présenter votre idée et l'opportunité de développer votre solution.

Inscrivez-vous avant le 22 mai 2021. Soumission des résumés le 23 mai 2021.

Plus d'informations: https://www.innovationhub-act.org/challenge-intro

Si vous avez des questions, contactez le Centre d'innovation de l'OTAN par courriel : contact@InnovationHub-act.org

On the same subject

  • Minister Anand announces Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade and Simulator Solution Contracts Award to ensure continued Search and Rescue capabilities

    December 23, 2022 | Local, Aerospace

    Minister Anand announces Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade and Simulator Solution Contracts Award to ensure continued Search and Rescue capabilities

    December 22, 2022 - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces – Ottawa, Ontario Today, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, on behalf of Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Helena Jaczek, announced the award of two contracts to support the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter fleet and ensure the continued contribution of the fleet to Canada’s search and rescue (SAR) operations. The two contracts for the Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade and its simulator solution, valued at up to $1.24 billion (taxes included), were awarded to CAE Inc. of Montreal, Canada and to Leonardo U.K. Ltd of Yeovil, United Kingdom. The CH-149 Cormorant fleet has been providing reliable and crucial service to Canada since 2001 and requires upgrades to remain operationally effective. Through the contract with Leonardo U.K. Ltd., we will upgrade our current fleet to the most advanced version of the helicopter, and acquire additional airframes/parts to increase our fleet size from 13 to 16 aircraft. This will ensure that we can continue to perform SAR operations from Comox, B.C., Gander, N.L., Greenwood, N.S., and add to the SAR capacity from Trenton, Ont. Moreover, this project addresses the need for an improved training solution. By providing a domestic flight simulator configured to our modernized aircraft, our aircrews will have dedicated training capacity in Canada that is representative of our modernized fleet; and will no longer need to travel to the United Kingdom to train on simulators that may not be consistent with our aircraft. As outlined in Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is making investments to ensure the members of the Royal Canadian Air Force have the equipment they need to fulfill their domestic and international missions, including SAR operations here at home. Quotes “The top item in my mandate letter from the Prime Minister is to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces has the capabilities, equipment and culture needed to implement the objectives in our Defence Policy. The CH-149 Cormorant helicopter is a critical asset for search and rescue operations in Canada – and these contracts provide the best solution for Canada to upgrade its fleet and provide the accompanying training tools to our aviators so that they can continue to keep Canadians safe – now, and in the years to come.” - The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence   “I am pleased that today’s contract award announcement to CAE Inc. and Leonardo U.K. Ltd will enable our government to continue to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force and its members with the advanced equipment they need to do their job, at the best value for Canadians.”  - The Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement “Through these contracts, our government will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment it needs while ensuring long-term economic benefits for Canadians. This procurement will advance Canadian innovation in our world-class defence and aerospace industries while creating jobs and contributing to economic growth in Canada” - The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts These contracts are valued at $1.168 billion for the helicopter upgrades, and $78 million for the training solution (taxes included). Capability enhancements and equipment improvements will be implemented on the CH-149 fleet to improve service to Canadians and meet the operational availability requirements to support the national 24/7 SAR service. With this project the CH-149 fleet will be upgraded to the most advanced version of the helicopter, the AW101 612; the same model Norway has recently procured to conduct its rotary-wing SAR missions. Using this already established configuration accelerates the project considerably. Training solutions will also be acquired under the project to move aircrew training home to Canada. Additional airframes/parts will be acquired from Leonardo U.K. Ltd to increase the fleet size from 13 to 16 helicopters. These additional aircraft, will be produced with predominantly new parts and some used parts in inventory from the VH-71 and current CH-149 fleets which include transmissions, landing gears and control surfaces to reduce costs and ensure value for money. CH-149 Cormorant aircraft are currently based at 19 Wing Comox, 9 Wing Gander, and 14 Wing Greenwood and the addition of aircraft will enable a return to 8 Wing Trenton. Delivery of these upgrades and training systems are expected to begin in 2026, and anticipated to be fully operational in 2029.  The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy will leverage economic benefits for Canadian industry equal to the value of the contracts. Leonardo U.K. Ltd and CAE Inc. are working with several Canadian companies as part of their industrial commitments to Canada including in Key Industrial Capability (KIC) areas such as defence system integration, training and simulation, aerospace systems and components.  Through the application of Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy, both CAE Inc. and Leonardo U.K. Ltd will enter into high quality business activities within the world class Canadian aerospace and defence industry.  https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2022/12/minister-anand-announces-cormorant-mid-life-upgrade-and-simulator-solution-contracts-award-to-ensure-continued-search-and-rescue-capabilities.html

  • Peraton Canada announces launch of new website

    June 23, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

    Peraton Canada announces launch of new website

    Peraton Canada Corp., a supplier to the aerospace and defence industry for more than 35 years, announce the launch of its new website. As the trusted partner and prime contractor for avionics sustainment for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-188 fighter platform, Peraton Canada's new website is scheduled to go live on Canada Day and will showcase a comprehensive list of the company's industry capabilities and services. “We are very pleased with the release of our new website,” said Jim Gillespie, vice-president of Peraton Canada. “The site identifies our core capabilities and wealth of experience in the Canadian market. It will provide visitors with a view of the full range of our services, and current contracts serving our growing customer base.” Peraton Canada's new website will feature the company's scope of world-class mission sustainment, through its reliable supply chain management, comprehensive maintenance and repair services, and innovative engineering solutions, including, automated test equipment (ATE) development, logistics support analysis, program management, and proactive obsolescence management. “The new Canadian website is a big step forward in increasing the brand awareness of Peraton Canada and provides our customers and partners with a central location for information on our offerings,” said Marie Darling, Canadian director, Business Development. “The timing is perfect, as we have scheduled our launch date for the new site on Canada Day.” As a leader in in-service support/integrated logistics support (ISS/ILS), Peraton Canada is proud to have completed over 50,000 repairs to-date on Canada's current fighter fleet. The company leads all avionics, electronic systems, and ATE under the CF-188 Avionics Optimized Weapon System Support contract. Offering a robust and scalable sustainment model, Peraton's platform-agnostic ISS/ILS services are designed to optimize program performance and can be readily replicated for any defence program or platform — air, land, or sea. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/peraton-canada-announces-launch-of-new-website

  • Erratic flight path: Canada’s fighter procurement plan

    October 4, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Erratic flight path: Canada’s fighter procurement plan

    by Alan Stephenson The path towards procuring a replacement fighter for the CF-188 Hornet has been one with many twists and turns due to political gamesmanship and strategic business marketing, causing much public misunderstanding. This short article aims to put a few things into perspective as the competitors complete their analysis and response to the government's request for proposal (RFP) issued July 23, 2019, for the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP). Eligible suppliers Of the original five qualifying suppliers, only the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III, Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, and Saab Gripen E fighters remain in the competition. The Dassault Rafale and Airbus Eurofighter Typhoon were both pulled from consideration, with company officials citing “that NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States-Canada 2-EYES community.” Given that the Canadian government identified the first two principal roles of the Canadian Armed Forces as ensuring Canadian sovereignty and the defence of North America, the requirement to be fully functional and integral within NORAD is mandatory. The reality today is that fighters are not simply weapons platforms, but flying computers that also function as airborne sensors that are designed to be integrated into command and control computer networks. Thus, the challenge for non-American manufacturers is to overcome both sensitive commercial and U.S. national security concerns when they are required to integrate and support U.S. information-sharing equipment in their platforms. A second reason given for Airbus's departure was the eleventh-hour modification to the RFP that relaxed the expected industrial technological benefits (ITB) obligations. To attract more than three suppliers and ensure a competition, the government originally stuck to its standing ITB policy of “requiring the winning supplier to make investments in Canada equal to the value of the contract.” However, this effectively eliminated the F-35 due to the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program agreement – signed by Canada – that forbade such a demand. To provide latitude to all bidders, the final RFP was modified into a two-phased proposal to allow non-American companies to address 2/5-EYES challenges up front, while also applying rated criteria for economic offset potential of stated ITB requirements, to keep the F-35 within the bidding process. Additionally, five per cent was shifted from cost to economic criteria to compensate for changes in the original draft ITB policy. The proposals will now be assessed on 60 per cent technical merit, 20 per cent cost and 20 per cent economic benefits. Current bidders In recent years, the Saab Group expanded globally by offering industrial partnerships that combined local production and capital-heavy ventures with national customer partners. Saab's approach with the Gripen E bid in Canada follows this successful formula of maximizing national economic benefits with an economical product; however, Saab also faces the challenges that Airbus determined to be too difficult to overcome. Additionally, the Gripen E is still in development; its first production flight occurred on Aug. 26, 2019, meaning issues of proven performance and systems maturation need to be factored in during bid evaluation. According to the firm, this first fighter will be used as a test aircraft in a joint Swedish/Brazilian test program, the only two customers for the Gripen E to date. Given that the Eurofighter bid was sponsored by the U.K. government, a member of the 5-EYES community that decided it could not meet the information-sharing requirements, Saab will need to be innovative and cost-conscious in its proposal if it is to surmount this mission-critical criteria. As for the Super Hornet, Boeing promised to invest $18 billion in ITBs under the failed 2017 purchase agreement for 18 fighters, and it is anticipated that the company will follow its established approach to investing in Canada as per previous ITB commitments. Concern over the so-called Boeing Clause, “to allow only companies that it deems ‘trusted partners' to bid on major capital programs,” has faded away and Boeing is confident that it can mount a competitive bid, particularly now that the U.S. Navy's (USN) commitment to future purchases will keep the production line open until 2033. By incorporating leading-edge technology into the Block III to meet adversarial advances, Boeing has ensured the Super Hornet will meet Canadian requirements. Although still in development as well, a major question for government decision-makers has to do with sustainability. At present, only the USN and Kuwait will operate the Super Hornet Block III, while Australia has plans to upgrade their Block II version. As Australia expects to retire its fleet in the early 2040s and the USN in 2045, the challenge for Boeing will be in meeting the stated lifecycle expectancy of Canada's future fighter in a cost-effective manner. Since 2015, the much-maligned F-35 has proven itself in combat and counts Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the three U.S. services as customers. As the only fifth generation fighter, it contains technological advances that are designed into the aircraft and cannot be replicated in fourth generation platforms. The overall architectural concept regards the F-35 as more than just a weapons platform, but also as a forward sensor that is fully integrated into the developing multi-domain command and control system. Initial airframe costs have been significantly reduced and early sustainment issues are being resolved; however, the F-35 remains the most costly platform to own and operate at the moment. With a projected lifetime production run of over 4,000 fighters, lifecycle support is guaranteed, and Canadian industry stands to gain substantially from Canada's early investment in the co-operative JSF Program. However, according to reports, manufacturers will lose points in the ITB element formula scoring system if they do not make a 100 per cent commitment to the contract value, which Lockheed-Martin is prohibited from doing by JSF contractual agreement. Arctic Interestingly, all remaining competitors can lay claim to being Arctic platforms. Canada has already proven the F/A-18's credentials in the high North, the U.S. will base two combat F-35 squadrons in Alaska, and Sweden has developed the Gripen with Arctic operations in mind. The issue of one versus two engines has never been a significant issue for Arctic operations except in Canada. Originally, two engines was one of the many discriminators used in choosing the F/A-18 over the F-16 in 1979. Recently, the Standing Committee on National Defence's shaping of the narrative in 2016 to promote the sole-source purchase of the Super Hornet reintroduced the idea that operations in the Arctic demanded two engines. As with commercial aviation where transatlantic flight once required four-engine passenger planes, the advancements in engine technology have led to standard two-engine models today. Engine reliability is not a concern with any of the competing fighters. However, operations in Canada's Arctic are unique and risky in an inhospitable region that is 11 times the size of Sweden. Other discriminators, such as continuous communications and tracking, become equally or more important to survival. Stealth One of the unfortunate aspects of American F-35 global marketing efforts with respect to the FFCP is the issue of stealth technology. Although the idea of penetrating, first strike operations sells well in the U.S., stealth is a much maligned and misappropriated concept in Canada. Stealth technology is all about maximizing self-protection and increasing survivability by disrupting the ‘kill-chain' through low observability. This concept is no different from the tactical advantages that I used while flying the CF-104 in Germany during the Cold War. The Starfighter had a one-square-metre cross-section nose-on, making the adversary's initial radar detection difficult and target acquisition and identification questionable, delaying force commitment to the target. This complicated the decision and order to attack the target, and finally upon weapons release, the low radar cross-section shrunk the available radar weapons envelope needed for destruction of the fighter. The CF-104's speed significantly exacerbated the adversary's kill-chain difficulties. The CF-188 Hornet I flew later required a Defensive Electronic Countermeasures suite that masked the larger aircraft radar cross-section, and electronically intervened and complicated a more advanced kill-chain. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) will significantly decrease ambiguity and decision-making time in the near future. Whether built into the design or strapped on later, some form of self-protection is required to protect the pilot and the fighter asset that will either be defending Canadian territory or operate in foreign contested airspace when the government commits its fighter force. The question is one of application and the cost effectiveness of self-protection measures used by each platform and how they are expressed in the bid proposal. Costs Costing is a nebulous exercise outside evaluation of the final bids due to the many variables. Although airframe costs are most often thrown around, the government must consider the airframe, operating, infrastructure, sustainment and other related costs as a package, balanced against the capability being purchased. A good example of the intricacies involves the way the fighter fleet is bought. The Super Hornet must be purchased through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, where the U.S. government acts as the broker. Generally, a 30 per cent mark-up is charged for research and development (R&D) and administrative fees. In the case of the F-35, as a JSF partner, these costs are reduced for Canada through common funding. The costs for R&D have already been shared by the membership pool, and partners pay the same price for the weapons system as the U.S. services. Future upgrades become additional FMS expenses for the Super Hornet, whereas upgrade developments are shared by JSF members. Each of the competitors is being asked to provide 88 fighter aircraft within the $19 billion funding envelope and the old adage of “you get what you pay for” is very applicable. Each of these platforms brings a different level of current and future combat capability that needs to be judiciously weighed. If the fighter is to reach the government's goal of flying until 2060, each needs to be flexible and adaptative to evolving technology. More significantly, 70 per cent of lifecycle costs are in sustainment and therefore the fighter chosen must be cost-effectively supported for the next 40 years. The next leg In the lead-up to the RFP, it has been evident that national security factors have been competing with economic benefit interests. With the election this fall, the next government (whatever form this takes) will no doubt want to review the project and put its own stamp of approval on the process that it has inherited. Hopefully this will not further delay the decision on the replacement of the CF-188 fleet and the Royal Canadian Air Force will finally be able to move ahead with the best fighter aircraft Canadians can provide to the women and men who are putting their lives in harm's way. https://www.skiesmag.com/features/erratic-flight-path-canadas-fighter-procurement-plan

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