Preparing Canada for a New Generation of Security Challenges - War on the Rocks

On the same subject

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  April 30, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  BAE Systems withdraws from Canadian military aircrew training competition

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN BAE Systems is no longer in the running to bid on a new program to provide Canada with military aircrew training services. BAE Systems was on the list of qualified suppliers for the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program when it was established in December 2018. But on April 2, BAE Systems informed Canada of its decision to officially withdraw from the solicitation process, Public Services and Procurement Canada announced Monday. “BAE Systems is therefore no longer a qualified supplier in the competitive process and will not be invited to submit a proposal to Canada for the FAcT program,” Procurement Canada noted in a statement. The Royal Canadian Air Force has a need for ongoing pilot training, as well as training for air combat systems officers and airborne electronic sensor operators and the FAcT program will provide that training, according to the Department of National Defence. BAE Systems has not yet provided comment on its reasons for withdrawing from the competition. Here is the list of qualified suppliers (in alphabetical order) that the federal government originally published: Airbus Defence and Space Babcock Canada Inc. Leonardo Canada Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/bae-systems-withdraws-from-canadian-pilot-training-competition

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  November 10, 2017 | Local, Naval

  Submission of bids delayed again on Canadian Surface Combatant program

  The Canadian government and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. are extending the submission deadline for the request for proposals for the design of the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) fleet to November 30. The previous deadline had been Nov. 17. The Canadian Surface Combatant is the largest, most complex procurement undertaken by the government, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. The ships being built will form the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy. A winning bidder will be announced sometime in 2018 and the start of ship construction remains scheduled for the early 2020s, the government noted in a statement Friday. Bidding has been delayed a number of times now. At one point, construction of the vessels was supposed to start in 2018. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/submission-of-bids-delayed-again-on-canadian-surface-combatant-program

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  November 25, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  CAE upgrades trainers at 15 Wing Moose Jaw

  Ahead of the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the world's largest military training and simulation event to be held next week in Orlando, Fla., CAE announced it has completed major upgrades to the CT-156 Harvard (T-6) and CT-155 Hawk flight training devices (FTDs) used as part of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Sask. The upgrades were done on three CT-156 Harvard FTDs and one CT-155 Hawk FTD that are used extensively for ground-based training elements of the NFTC pilot training syllabus. CAE replaced computing hardware on the simulators, added new visual display systems, updated the instructor operator stations, and upgraded the image generators to the latest CAE Medallion series. CAE will now begin upgrading the CT-155 Hawk FTD located at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., which is used as part of phase IV fighter lead-in training under the NFTC program. “The ground-based training system and use of simulators has become increasingly important for military pilot training,” said France Hébert, vice-president and general manager, CAE Canada. “With the upgraded flight training devices used for NATO Flying Training in Canada, we will now be able to deliver ground-based training that is more immersive and realistic, which in turn contributes to the more effective and efficient delivery of live flying training.” The effectiveness of the upgraded CT-156 Harvard and CT-155 Hawk FTDs is already benefiting student pilots. The new visual systems provide more realism in the synthetic environment and have enabled training tasks such as formation flying and tactical scenarios to be rehearsed in the simulators, thus enhancing the efficiency of performing these tasks during live flying training. As the prime contractor for the NFTC program, CAE operates the NFTC base facilities, delivers the ground-school classroom and simulator training, and supports the live flying training on a fleet of Beechcraft T-6 (CT-156 Harvard) and BAE Systems Hawk (CT-155 Hawk) aircraft. CAE operates the NFTC program out of 15 Wing Moose Jaw and 4 Wing Cold Lake, and the program is designed and delivered in cooperation with the Government of Canada to support pilot training for the Royal Canadian Air Force and allied militaries. The NFTC program combines basic, advanced, and lead-in fighter training as part of the comprehensive military pilot training program. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cae-upgrades-trainers-at-15-wing-moose-jaw