Peter MacKay: The urgent need to fix Canada's military — and how to do it

On the same subject

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  April 6, 2022 | Local, Aerospace

  Arcfield Canada Awarded $50M CF-18 Avionics Optimized Weapon System Support Contract Extension

  CALGARY, Alberta, April 6, 2022— Arcfield Canada Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield, has been awarded a two-year contract extension by the Department of National Defence to provide support services for the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) CF-18 Avionics (AVS) Optimized Weapon System Support (OWSS) program. The award, which represents follow-on work for the company, has a total value of $50 million. Under the contract extension, Arcfield Canada will continue to provide support for the entire CF-18 avionics suite and associated support equipment through the end of March 2024. As a leader in avionics sustainment, Arcfield Canada administers the complete lifecycle management, engineering support services, supply chain management, and maintenance, repair and overhaul of avionics systems for the RCAF. To date, the company has completed more than 70,000 repairs on the CF-18 avionics. “We are pleased that the Department of National Defence and the RCAF has trusted Arcfield to continue its service for the CF-18 aircraft,” said Jacques Comtois, director of Canadian operations, Arcfield Canada. “For 35 years, our organization has been a dedicated and valued partner to the Canadian Armed Forces supporting Canada's fighter fleet, and we look forward to continuing that partnership through this contract.” As the prime contractor on the CF-18 AVS OWSS program, Arcfield Canada Corp. has been providing comprehensive in-service and integrated logistics support for the RCAF's CF-18 fighter aircraft for more than three decades. “This extension is a testament to the expertise and value we have provided on the OWSS program over the last several decades,” said Kevin Kelly, chief executive officer and chairman of Arcfield. “As a company that is built on a foundation of always putting our customers' missions first, we are honoured to continue this mission-critical work for the Department of National Defence.” This extension also comes after the company received an additional two-year task order to upgrade the CF-18 fleet with a new two-way data link capability, valued at $28 million. About Arcfield Canada Corp. Arcfield Canada has been a trusted partner to the Canadian Armed Forces for more than 35 years; supplying world-class in-service and integrated logistics support through its expertise in supply chain management, maintenance and repair, and engineering solutions. Arcfield Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield, a global defense and security solutions provider to the U.S. government and its allies. The company has more than 60 years of proven experience providing advanced engineering and analysis, and IT capabilities to support our nation's most critical national security missions. With 16 offices around the world, Arcfield employs approximately 1,200 engineers, analysts, IT specialists, and other professionals who put our customers' missions first, helping them solve their most complex challenges through innovations in modeling, simulation and analysis, and digital transformation. Visit arcfield.ca for more details. Press Contact: Deborah Lovegrove Arcfield Canada Sr. Manager, Marketing and Communications 613-818-5411 Deborah.lovegrove@arcfield.com

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  October 27, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

  Saab signs partnership agreement with Canada’s CRIAQ

  Saab and the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Saab and the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The partnership agreement is expected to boost collaboration with Canadian industry, universities and other research organisations. CRIAQ CEO Alain Aubertin said: “We are very pleased with this signing as we continue to develop our aerospace industry, adding a new global player to our ecosystem. “I am convinced that CRIAQ's academic, industrial and SME community, and the Quebec economy as well, will clearly benefit from this international collaboration.” This agreement also deepens the commitments of Saab to the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy of Canada in the future. Introduced in 2014, ITB is an economic commitment made by bidders to the country. It requires companies that are awarded defence procurement projects in invest and undertake business activity in the country. In July 2019, Saab submitted a proposal to include 88 Gripen E fighters for Canada's Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP). Saab Aeronautics business area vice-president and head Jonas Hjelm said: “The quality and breadth of aerospace research and innovation in Canada is globally recognised, with the Quebec region home to many excellent companies and institutions. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/saab-signs-partnership-agreement-with-canadas-criaq/

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  November 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  French firm Dassault pulls out of fighter-jet competition: Sources

  By Lee Berthiaume The long effort to replace Canada's aging fighter jets took another surprise twist on Tuesday, as multiple sources revealed that French fighter-jet maker Dassault is pulling out of the multibillion-dollar competition. The decision comes just over a week after the federal government published the military's requirements for a replacement for Canada's CF-18s as well as a draft process by which a winning supplier will be chosen. Dassault had repeatedly pitched its Rafale aircraft to Canada over the years as successive governments in Ottawa have wrestled with selecting a new fighter jet. Dassault's pitch included significant promises, including that it would assemble the planes in Canada. But sources tell The Canadian Press that Dassault's decision to withdraw was related to the fact France is not a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which counts the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada as members. The five members have very specific requirements for how their equipment works together. The French government, which had been closely working with Dassault as the most recent iteration of Canada's fighter-replacement program has inched along over the past year, was preparing to notify Ottawa of the company's withdrawal. The move leaves four companies — U.S. aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, European competitor Airbus and Swedish firm Saab — competing for the $19-billion contract to replace Canada's 76 CF-18s with 88 new fighters. A contract isn't expected to be awarded until 2021 or 2022, with delivery of the first new aircraft slated for 2025. In the meantime, the government is planning to upgrade its CF-18s and buy 25 used fighters from Australia as a stopgap. Dassault faced several significant challenges in meeting Canada's requirements for a new fighter, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and while they weren't insurmountable, they would have cost time and money. Those challenges included meeting those Five-Eyes intelligence-sharing requirements, which Perry said put Dassault at a distinct disadvantage in the competition when compared to Lockheed Martin, Boeing and, to a certain degree, Airbus. "For any of the non-American companies, solving the Five-Eyes interoperability issues is going to be challenging," he said, noting that the U.S. in particular is very sensitive about data-sharing. "And it costs companies a lot of money to mount and pursue bids. So if they think at this point in time that it's not a realistic prospect, then pulling out is pretty understandable." That could explain why Dassault never established a strong presence in Canada during the many years when it was trying to sell the Rafale as a replacement for the CF-18, he added. The CF-18s are about 35 years old. Canada's attempts to buy a new fighter jet have dragged on for nearly a decade after the previous Conservative government announced in 2010 that Canada would buy 65 F-35s without a competition, with the first to be delivered in 2015. But the Tories pushed the reset button in 2012 after the auditor general raised questions about the program and National Defence revealed the jets would cost $46 billion over their lifetimes. After campaigning on a promise not to buy the F-35s, the Trudeau Liberals announced in November 2016 they would take their time with a competition to replace the CF-18s, and buy 18 "interim" Boeing Super Hornets without a competition because Canada needed more fighter jets badly. But then Boeing's trade dispute with Canadian rival Bombardier saw the Liberals scrap their plan to buy Super Hornets and instead begin talks to buy 18 used fighter jets from Australia. A contract for those used planes is expected in the coming weeks. The formal competition to replace the CF-18s is scheduled to begin next spring. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/07/news/french-firm-dassault-pulls-out-fighter-jet-competition-sources