The selection of a vessel that doesn’t yet exist has contributed to the risk of building Canada’s new warship fleet, but the parliamentary budget officer acknowledges he’s at a loss on why the price tag keeps rising. Parliamentary budget officer
March 17, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
ITPS Canada has invested in a new Advanced Aircraft Simulation Centre that takes realistic test pilot and tactical training scenarios to a whole new level.
March 25, 2020 | Local, C4ISR
Rome, March 23, 2020 - Leonardo, through its German subsidiary Leonardo Germany GmbH, is proud to inform on the successful results of the official “Mid-Project Status Report” for the “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project” published by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The “Mid-Project Status Report” is established and updated on a yearly basis and summarizes the verification of the conformity between project execution and scheduled targets by the end of each year under review. The “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project”, which was awarded to Leonardo in 2016, comprises the design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning and training, as well as maintenance and technical support during the warranty phase, for twenty Klystron S-Band weather radars – plus thirteen additional radars in options - including infrastructure for existing and new radar sites running from Holyrood on the East Coast to Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada. Seven of the thirteen weather radars originally in options have meanwhile been placed as orders by ECCC. According to the “Mid-Project Status Report” recently published, project execution is fully in line with the scheduled time and cost frames. Twelve weather radars including infrastructure and agreed accessories were delivered. All radars were installed and put into operation precisely according to plan. Additional requirements for safety and increase in performance that had been set by ECCC during the design phase, were successfully implemented by Leonardo. Training and documentation were delivered, and maintenance works performed as scheduled. The cost-management proceeded within the frame of the agreed budget. Prior to the report, Leonardo's performance had been objectively assessed and evaluated according to ECCC's vendor performance evaluation system. The evaluation was conducted by the CWRRP/ECCC team in conjunction with PSPC Contracting Authority, including criteria Quality of Workmanship, Time, Project Management and Health and Safety. In the overall rating, Leonardo achieved a score of 83 of 100 possible points and with this result, one of the highest scores ever awarded in any Public Works and Government Services Canada contract up to now. The pleasantly positive overall results stated at Mid-Project term underpin Leonardo's strengths and excellence in contract execution even in most challenging weather radar projects. The “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project” is one of the largest and – especially in terms of technological complexity, infrastructure and environmental requirements - most demanding projects ever awarded to the weather radar industry. Canada is a key market for Leonardo, with interests and opportunities spanning from helicopters to airport solutions such as parcel handling systems and air traffic control systems. A major contract was signed in 2016 to replace the legacy Air Traffic Control (ATC) radars at 12 major Canadian airports including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary. LEONARDO Germany GmbH Leonardo Germany GmbH is the technology leader in weather radar systems worldwide, providing best-in-class systems in C-, S- and X-Band. Over the last 20 years, more than 500 high-end systems of the company's METEOR product line have been put into operation for leading meteorological service providers in over 80 Countries worldwide. Environment and Climate Change Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and renewable resources. The Meteorological Service of Canada is a division of Environment and Climate Change Canada which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. View source version on Leonardo : https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/23-03-2020-mid-project-status-report-published-leonardo-led-canadian-weather-radar-replacement-project-fully-on-schedule
April 16, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Security
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