May 29, 2024 | Local, Naval
Royal Canadian Navy not considering nuclear-powered subs despite Trudeau claim
The possibility of the acquisition of a nuclear-powered fleet was introduced by Justin Trudeau during a news conference on April 8.
February 13, 2019 | Local, Naval, C4ISR
Radar upgrades for Halifax-class frigates and other news on defence contracts
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Here are some updates on defence and aerospace industry contracts and appointments, that I outlined in the latest issue of Esprit de Corps magazine:
The Canadian government has awarded a contract to Saab Microwave Canada for radar upgrades on the Halifax-class frigates. The $21.7 million contract is to procure a modern electronically-stabilized antenna set for the Sea Giraffe 180 radar, already installed on the frigates. The contract includes an option to acquire 12 more antenna sets, which could bring the total investment to $97.5 million, according to the federal government.
Sea Giraffe 180 is a medium-range air and surface search radar. The upgrades to the antenna set will enhance its performance, increase its reach to up to 180 km, and provide new 3-D detection and tracking capability, according to the government. The frigate to receive the first antenna is currently expected to be HMCS St John's, in early 2021. The installation will coincide with its planned maintenance period schedules.
The first M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) production basic/advanced trainer aircraft built by Leonardo successfully performed its maiden flight at Venegono Superiore airport in Varese, Italy in late December. The Italian Air Force, the launch customer, has a requirement for up to 45 M-345s (designated the T-345A by ITAF) to progressively replace 137 MB-339s, which first entered service in 1982, and to become the Italian Air Force's new aerobatic team airplane. At this point, the Italian Air Force has placed an order for five aircraft and the first will be delivered in early 2020. The new M-345s will integrate the M-346s used during the advanced training phase of the Italian Air Force's pilots.
The new M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) reduces the time required by Air Forces to train pilots, according to Leonardo. It also gives trainees the chance to fly an aircraft that features higher performance characteristics than other basic/advanced trainer aircraft currently in service around the world. The performance of the M-345 allows it to carry out the most demanding mission types found in a training syllabus, delivering high quality training at significantly lower cost.
The M-345 cockpit architecture is the same as the frontline fighters. The M-345 can also perform operational roles, thanks to an extended flight envelope, with a high-speed maneuvering capability even at high altitudes, modern avionics systems, high load capacity and performance.
Rheinmetall recently transferred a new nautical training facility to the German Navy School in Mürwik on the Baltic. One of the most advanced facilities of its kind, the German Navy will use it for training its bridge personnel, the company noted. It will be used for training all German Navy cadets, all future watch officers, and for preparing bridge personnel for nautical operations. The capability spectrum of the facility ranges from basic navigation and nautical training through to crew resource management, according to Rheinmetall.
The facility includes two large and four small bridge simulators, six trainer stations, an auditorium for post-operation briefings as well as additional infrastructure for planning exercises and administrating and updating the database. Every surface combatant now in the German inventory – from minesweepers to supply ships – is modelled in the facility. This applies not only to the physical depiction of various ships and boats, but to their exact performance characteristics, Rheinmetall noted.
In mid-December the Canadian Coast Guard received from Davie Shipbuilding the Captain Molly Kool, its first new icebreaker in the last 25 years. It is the first of three icebreakers that Davie will refit for the Coast Guard to fill a capability gap. The ship is named after Myrtle “Molly” Kool of New Brunswick who went on to become the first woman in North America to become a licensed ship captain.
The federal government has approved a five-year contract extension with Quebec-based firm L3 MAS for the continued maintenance of the Royal Canadian Air Force's fleet of five CC-150 Polaris aircraft. The contract, valued at up to $230 million, is a renewal of the original in-service support contract awarded in 2013 to L3 MAS in Mirabel. The original contract included extension options for two five-year periods. The work will be done at Mirabel and at 8 Wing Trenton, ON where the fleet is based and operated by 437 Transport Squadron.
The CC-150 Polaris is a multi-purpose, twin-engine, long-range jet aircraft that is used for strategic air-to-air refueling and transport. Two CC-150 Polaris aircraft are configured for strategic air-to-air refueling and the rest are used for transport and other roles.
First-level maintenance will continue to take place at 8 Wing Trenton.
The contract secures L3 MAS as the government's CC-150 support contractor up to March 2023, with eligibility for additional years (up to March 2028), subject to satisfactory performance.
On the same subject
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July 22, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
Establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division
July 22, 2022 – Ottawa – Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Today, Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and Brigadier-General Mike Adamson, Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division, participated in a ceremony that marked the establishment of the RCAF's newest Division - 3 Canadian Space Division, at National Defence Headquarters Carling in Ottawa, Ontario. 3 Canadian Space Division is an evolution from the RCAF's Director General Space organization. As the responsibility for space operations has steadily grown over the last decade, the space-focussed team within the RCAF has been re-organized to meet this expanded scope. Building on the space initiatives outlined in Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division recognizes the critical importance of space in all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations and day-to-day activities, and is a step forward in protecting Canadian interests in space. This newest RCAF Division will streamline, focus, and improve how space-based capabilities support critical CAF requirements such as communications, command and control, navigation, weather and situational awareness. The RCAF will remain the functional authority for space for the CAF. Quotes “As the international security environment becomes increasingly complex, space is a critical domain for our national security. The establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division marks an important step forward in our work to build a cutting-edge, innovative military that can anticipate and act in response to tomorrow's threats. We salute the members of the Royal Canadian Air Force for their continued excellence within the space domain.” The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence “Space-based capabilities are vital to modern military operations and as such, space must be integrated across the Canadian Armed Forces and steeped in our operational planning. The establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division marks another step forward in growing the space expertise and capabilities we depend on to successfully and effectively conduct operations.” General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff “The space domain is of critical importance, now more than ever, when considering its role in guiding military operations and enabling a vast range of day-to-day activities for Canadians. The establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division enables the Royal Canadian Air Force to ensure we have the right organizational structure to continually deliver spaced-based effects across the CAF, while also ensuring we are aligned with our allies who have established similar Space Commands.” Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force “It is with great pride and humility that I command 3 Canadian Space Division on behalf of the many dedicated women and men who have long recognized the importance of the space domain to military operations. This is a team that works with endless commitment and enthusiasm to support the Canadian Armed Forces. I know these dedicated space specialists will continue to blaze trails, now and into the future.” Brigadier-General Mike Adamson, Commander, 3 Canadian Space Division Quick facts 3 Canadian Space Division is projected to employ approximately 175 military and civilian personnel once fully grown in the next few years. This is an increase of 85 positions from Director General Space and is synchronized with growth that is supported by the defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged. The establishment of 3 Canadian Space Division will also include the re-establishment of 7 Wing, which will comprise 7 Space Operations Squadron and 7 Operations Support Squadron. 7 Wing will provide space-based data and capabilities in support of CAF operations. The CAF's space-based capabilities are used to deliver communications, command and control, navigation, weather, and situational awareness in support of military operations and activities. Such activities can include search and rescue, monitoring Canada's maritime approaches to reinforce Arctic sovereignty, support to NORAD operations, and support to decision-making in overseas operations. Canada's commitment to the Combined Space Operations Initiative continues to be a priority for 3 Canadian Space Division. This agreement includes Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, and provides opportunities to enhance cooperation on defence space activities. Associated links The Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Joint and Combined Space Program Royal Canadian Air Force Facebook Page Royal Canadian Air Force Twitter Page Contacts Media Relations Department of National Defence Phone: 613-904-3333 Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2022/07/establishment-of-3-canadian-space-division.html
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October 18, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
Maxar's Radiant Solutions Awarded $92 Million Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Expands development of machine learning and crowdsourcing capabilities to augment global GEOINT missions HERNDON, VA, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Radiant Solutions, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced a $92 million contract award on a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract with the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency (NGA) to rapidly develop, prototype, and deploy machine learning and crowdsourcing capabilities to augment a wide variety of NGA missions. NGA exercised the 2019 contract option year and expanded the value over a three year period of performance. The SBIR Phase III program incents commercial firms to apply innovative solutions to pressing national security problems. As outlined in NGA's recently updated commercial GEOINT strategy, the agency is employing a variety of contracting methods to leverage commercial automation capabilities to augment conventional analysis, giving analysts more time to focus on more challenging, mission-critical problems. Through SBIR Phase III awards, the U.S. government can fund logical extensions of SBIR Data and receive a royalty-free license to that technology while protecting commercial industry's ability to make these offerings available to the global marketplace. Radiant Solutions participates in the SBIR Phase III program through its ongoing investment in Signature Analyst™, a predictive modeling engine that applies machine learning to massive amounts of geospatial data to help analysts quickly search broad geographic areas. Since 2006, Radiant Solutions and its subsidiary companies have been awarded eight SBIR Phase III contracts across multiple agencies. Radiant Solutions will advance development of machine learning capabilities, such as its DeepCore Computer Vision SDK and crowdsourcing capabilities, such as Tomnod, to help analysts quickly process large volumes of remote sensing data, understand global patterns of life and enable broad area search. The award also expands support for the NSG Open Mapping Enclave (NOME), a volunteered geographic information operational prototype that enables trusted users on multiple domains to easily create or modify foundation GEOINT to create living maps and enable timely analysis. These capabilities will be available for broad use across the U.S. Government and its global mission partners. "We are excited to expand our SBIR Phase III partnership with NGA and apply commercial innovation in machine learning and crowdsourcing to difficult national security problems," said Tony Frazier, President of Radiant Solutions. "We are fully committed to helping the NGA harness the massive potential of Commercial GEOINT to reveal insights where and when it matters to build a better world." Radiant Solutions has made several recent announcements that reveal how the company is applying Machine Learning and Crowdsourcing to Global GEOINT Missions: Maxar Technologies' Radiant Solutions Awarded Janus Geography Prime Contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Maxar Technologies' Radiant Solutions Partners with NGA to Accelerate Innovation in Machine Learning Technologies Applied to Satellite Imagery SpaceNet™ Team Earns the 2018 USGIF Industry Achievement Award The company will be showcasing a number of these capabilities at the NVIDIA GTC DC event Oct. 22-24. About Radiant Solutions Radiant Solutions provides highly specialized, innovative geospatial multisource data, analytics, software, and services to deliver critical insights and intelligence where and when it matters. Poised to transform how customers support global mapping and intelligence missions at scale, Radiant Solutions harnesses the proliferation of pervasive information-gathering sensors, open-source software, cloud computing, machine learning, and big data analytics. Our combined team of over 1,000 sensor and spacecraft engineers, geospatial analysts, developers, data scientists, and DevOps engineers delivers innovative geospatial solutions that keep our nation safe, protect critical infrastructure, and preserve scarce natural resources. Building on the legacy of MDA Information Systems, RadiantBlue, DigitalGlobe Intelligence Solutions, and HumanGeo, the newly combined Radiant Solutions has a strong track record with its advanced capabilities, open approach, and experience supporting missions that helps customers in the GEOINT community reach critical decisions faster and with greater accuracy. Radiant Solutions is based in Herndon, VA with major offices across Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Michigan, and Colorado. Radiant Solutions is a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR; TSX: MAXR). For more information visit: www.RadiantSolutions.com. About Maxar As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically-integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this release. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this release. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this release or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. Investor Relations Contact Jason Gursky Maxar Technologies 1-303-684-2207 jason.gursky@maxar.com Media Contact Andre Kearns Radiant Solutions 1-703-480-6290 andre.kearns@radiantsolutions.com SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/maxars-radiant-solutions-awarded-92-million-small-business-innovation-research-phase-iii-contract-by-the-national-geospatial-intelligence-agency-697898421.html