September 24, 2019 | Local, C4ISR, Security
Three years ago the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) charged the Canadian army with providing an inventory of all military bases and surrounding infrastructure.
The Americans were looking to spot vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure that could be used in a potential cyber attack.
The several-year-old request was detailed in a letter sent by former Norad Commander and U.S. Admiral William Gourtney to the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, Jonathan Vance.
In the letter Gourtney requested that Canada “identify and mitigate” potential areas of vulnerability on Canadian bases, specifically those “installations that are critical for accomplishing Norad missions.”
The letter was delivered on March 24, 2016. Furthermore, it asked Vance to “advocate developing capabilities to respond to cyber incidents on CAF [infrastructure control systems] and defend CAF if required.”
The request also expanded to identifying civilian infrastructure through cooperation with Public Safety Canada and “developing processes for reporting cyber incidents on the identified civilian infrastructure.”
According to cyber expert, David Masson, vulnerability arises in “operational technology systems” that run tasks in critical infrastructure. Masson claims that these systems are extremely difficult to secure.
“There's lots of them. Look at it as 50, 60, 70 different bespoke communications systems. There's no real standardization because they're so old. Many of them were never expected to be connected to the internet,” said Masson.
Despite this, Masson claims that the systems can be reinforced and secured.
November 28, 2023 | Local, Land, Security
known as Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle by two Standard Missile 3 Block IA interceptors during the test event Vigilant Wyvern, also known as Flight Test Aegis Weapon System-48
August 30, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
L3 MAS announced it has been awarded a contract extension from the Canadian government to provide engineering, repair and overhaul, and publication management services on the CT-114 Tutor aircraft fleet. The company was originally awarded a contract spanning from 2016 to 2018, with three one-year options. The first one-year option has been exercised, and two additional one-year options are still available. “L3 MAS is honoured to be selected once again by the Royal Canadian Air Force to offer a cost-effective and technically superior solution to keep the CT-114 fleet airborne over the coming years,” said Jacques Comtois, vice-president and general manager of L3 MAS. “L3 MAS is proud to continue to support the CT-114 fleet, which it has done for more than 40 years. As the OEM of the aircraft, this contract provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our exceptional in-service support (ISS) capabilities.” L3 MAS is a global leader in providing ISS, system upgrade and life-extension solutions on a broad range of aircraft and helicopter types, and has provided ISS support to Canada, Australia, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. Navy. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/l3-mas-to-continue-services-on-ct-114-tutor-aircraft-fleet/
May 14, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
Chris Thatcher In a two-by-three metre wind tunnel at the National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) aerospace research centre in Ottawa, aerospace engineers are gathering data for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) this week to validate the placement of the sniper pod on the centreline station of the CF-188 Hornet. “For this configuration, we are running at close to takeoff and landing speeds to simulate the take off and landing of the F-18, about 100 metres per second or almost 200 knots,” explained Melissa Richardson, an aerodynamics research officer and the project manager for the testing process, as wind whipped over the inverted nose landing gear and sniper pod. The CF-188 fighter jet has carried a certified sniper pod on the left side of the fuselage, below the engine intake, since the aircraft were upgraded in the early 2000. But lessons from recent operations over Libya in 2011 and Iraq and Syria between October 2014 and March 2016 convinced pilots they would have a better view of possible targets with the centerline placement. “We found a lot of our missions revolved around looking at the ground, monitoring areas of interest and targets for missions that are four to five hours long,” said Capt Tom Lawrence, a CF-188 pilot and the project officer for fighter weapons and equipment. “When [pilots] are manoeuvring their aircraft, there is a chance of the aircraft actually masking the targeting pod. Putting [it] on the centre of the aircraft allows a larger field of regard.” Rather than bank left to maintain focus on a target, the new placement should ensure an uninterrupted view of the ground or target aircraft, “taking that frustration out of the pilot's mind,” he said. “They can just focus on the imagery and the task at hand.” Lawrence said it could also make it easier for pilots to employ weapons and assess battle damage effects. The purpose of the wind tunnel tests is to measure the aerodynamics created by the nose landing gear on the sniper pod mounted behind it at times when it is most exposed to turbulence, said Richardson. Among concerns before the tests began were the effect of significant vibration on the pod and the possibility of debris being kicked up by the wheels and striking its protective glass shield. “[We need to] make sure the aircraft is safe to operate with the sniper pod on this new location. That means it can take off and land without excessive vibration, that the loads are still within acceptable limits,” explained Capt David Demel, the certification authority with the RCAF's Technical Airworthiness Authority. “This is the goal of the current wind tunnel test, to confirm that before we move to the flight test phase in Cold Lake in the September timeframe.” A second a high-speed equivalent test will be conducted by the NRC at its high speed trisonic wind tunnel in about three weeks, using a six per cent scale model, that will include ensuring engine intake airflow is not affected. Test pilots with the Operational Test and Evaluation Unit in Cold Lake will then recertify operational airworthiness of the sniper pod in its new placement. While the testing facilities are being provided by the NRC, the vibration data is being gathered and analyzed by Bombardier, which has provided some of the instrumentation. The sniper pod and landing gear were installed in the wind tunnel by L-3 MAS, which will have the task of mounting the pods in the new location on the entire CF-188 fleet–including the 18 F/A-18 Hornets the government is negotiating to buy from the Royal Australian Air Force–once approved. “We're all collaborating on the project as it goes through each phase, from technical airworthiness to operational airworthiness,” said Lawrence. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-planning-new-sniper-pod-placement-cf-188-hornet/