November 19, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

RCAF participates in highest-level simulated mission circling the globe

by Bill Brown

From Sept. 9 to 20, 2019, personnel from Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Aurora CP-140 fleet participated Exercise Coalition Virtual Flag (CVF) 19-4, which is led by the United States Air Force (USAF). More than 450 joint and coalition warfighters, located at 23 sites and on three different continents, participated.

Canadian participants used the Aurora procedure crew trainer (PCT) mission simulator located in 404 Long Range Patrol and Training Squadron's Thorney Island Simulation Centre at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., to participate in the virtual exercise.

Using distributed mission training (DMT) architecture, the PCT was connected to dozens of combat missions and flight simulators throughout Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. The exercise was hosted by the 705th Combat Training Squadron (CTS) at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

“Coalition Virtual Flag is an opportunity for our coalition and joint partners to get together. It's a theatre-level exercise that we can practice our tactics, techniques and procedures,” explained the United States Air Force's LCol Angela Messing, commander of 705th CTS. “It takes place in the virtual and simulated world with environment generators that replicate the exact threats that we're facing.”

Canadian planning for the annual complex, joint warfare simulation started almost a year ago, with 404 Squadron's modeling and simulation experts working closely with the Royal Canadian Navy's Distributed Mission Operations Centre, the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre's modelling and simulation co-ordination team, and modelling and simulation planners Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland Air Force Base.

404 Squadron and 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron provided two crews to complete the five missions.

Crew planning took place over several days, and included preparing for authentic anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare tasks. The Aurora crews faced a multi-threat, open conflict simulation scenario, and worked alongside allies from the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force.

Exercise Coalition Virtual Flag represents the highest level of training that can be achieved through simulation. The crews must fight together or fail together. Miscommunication on and off their own aircraft can have deadly results, with friendly units engaged by opposing force weapons systems. The Aurora is a very capable surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft and, using its advanced sensors, has abundant tactical information to share with supported fighting forces.

Adding to the opportunity of exercising in a coalition DMT environment, crews conducted tactics development and confirmation for two tactical electronic warfare instructor course mentors. With the centre of excellence residing in 404 Squadron's Simulation Flight, the CP-140 fleet will continue to advance its simulation training capabilities. Several small-scale monthly DMT exercises are planned with the Navy's Distributed Mission Operations Centre and ships' combat teams over the coming months.

https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-participates-in-highest-level-simulated-mission-circling-the-globe

On the same subject

December 26, 2019 | Local, Naval

CAE wins contract to provide German Navy with comprehensive NH90 Sea Lion training solution
Stolberg, Germany, December 19, 2019 – CAE today announced that CAE Elektronik GmbH has signed a contract with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to provide the German Navy with a comprehensive training solution for the NH90 Sea Lion helicopter. The German Navy is procuring a fleet of 18 NH90 Sea Lion helicopters to support search and rescue (SAR) operations and replace the venerable Sea King MK41 helicopter, which has been in operation for over 40 years for the German Navy. The German Navy NH90 Sea Lion training solution will be based near German Naval Airbase Nordholz, which is the home of the German Naval Air Command. “CAE has a long history supporting German naval aviation training at Nordholz on platforms such as the Sea King and Lynx helicopters as well as P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft,” said Niels Kröning, General Manager, CAE Elektronik GmbH. “We are honoured to be selected to continue this longstanding cooperation with the development of a world-class training solution for the NH90 Sea Lion helicopter.” Under terms of the contract, CAE will design and manufacture a suite of NH90 Sea Lion training devices for the German Navy, including: NH90 full-mission simulator capable of compliance to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Level D qualification, the highest for flight simulators; NH90 cockpit procedures trainer; NH90 operational tactics trainer for training rear-crew tactical coordinators (TACCO) and sensor operators, and capable of networking with the full-mission simulator to provide full-crew mission training; NH90 winch and hoist operator trainer, which will also be capable of networking to other NH90 training devices for full-crew training. In addition, CAE will construct an interim training facility just outside the main entrance to German Naval Airbase Nordholz and will provide on-site training support and maintenance services upon delivery. The new NH90 Sea Lion training system is expected to be operational by the second half of 2022. “This contract award for the German Navy NH90 Sea Lion further extends CAE's industry-leading position providing comprehensive training solutions for the enduring NH90 helicopter platform,” said Marc-Olivier Sabourin, Vice President and General Manager, Defence & Security International, CAE. “The German Navy will now join the German Army and other countries including Australia, the Netherlands, Qatar, New Zealand and others in partnering with CAE to provide the training systems and support required to prepare their NH90 aircrews.” The NH90 full-mission simulator for the German Navy will feature a range of CAE's core simulation technologies. These technologies include: six degree-of-freedom (DOF) electric motion system; high-performance vibration platform to replicate vibration cues critical to helicopter pilots; and a high-fidelity CAE Medallion-6000 image generator. The NH90 training devices will also feature the Open Geospatial Consortium Common Database (OGC CDB) architecture, an international standard for the creation of synthetic environment databases that has been adopted on a range of German Armed Forces training systems. About NSPA The NATO Support and Procurement Agency brings together in a single organization NATO's logistics and procurement support activities, providing integrated multinational solutions for its customers. NSPA acts as NATO's premier life cycle management (including acquisition) and services provider, effectively and efficiently delivering a broad spectrum of integrated capabilities for NATO, its nations and partners, including support to operations. About CAE CAE's Defence & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare our customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. We are a world-class training systems integrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of training centres, training services and simulation products across the air, land, sea and public safety market segments. We serve our global defence and security customers through regional operations in Canada; the United States/Latin America; Europe/Africa; and Asia-Pacific/Middle East, all of which leverage the full breadth of CAE's capabilities, technologies and solutions. CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 10,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 220,000 civil and defence crewmembers, including more than 135,000 pilots, and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc and @CAE_Defence View source version on CAE: https://www.cae.com/news-events/press-releases/cae-wins-contract-to-provide-german-navy-with-comprehensive-nh90-sea-lion-training-solution
September 13, 2021 | Local, C4ISR

NATO Innovation Challenge – The invisible threat: Countering cognitive warfare//Défi de l’innovation de l’OTAN – La menace invisible : Contrer la guerre cognitive
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November 18, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security

Des génies d’ici protègent les avions de chasse
Une équipe québécoise d'élite d'une vingtaine d'employés en cybersécurité a inventé un outil informatique pour protéger les avions de chasse de l'armée. « Lorsqu'il y a intrusion, les dég'ts sont majeurs. Ça peut conduire à des écrasements ou à de l'interception d'information très sensible », explique calmement au bout du fil le PDG de StreamScan, Karim Ganame. Fondée en 2011, l'entreprise montréalaise compte parmi ses clients de gros noms des secteurs manufacturier et pharmaceutique connus que son grand patron préfère taire pour des raisons de sécurité. Ces dernières années, StreamScan a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec le Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications (CST) et le ministère de la Défense sur de nombreux projets à l'abri des regards. En gros, son outil détecte des anomalies. Par exemple, lorsqu'il y a des cyberattaques dans les avions, les systèmes informatiques vont se comporter différemment et la firme peut alors les alerter qu'une attaque est en cours. « Confiance en personne » Récemment, la PME a décroché un juteux contrat avec la Défense, qui s'intéresse à son puissant outil d'intelligence artificielle capable de sauver des vies, mais aussi de prévenir le vol d'informations ultras confidentielles. « On s'attend à ce que les alliés collaborent entre eux, mais on est quand même dans la Défense, et les intérêts peuvent varier en fonction de certaines circonstances ou de réalités géopolitiques. Bref, en cybersécurité, on a confiance en personne. Ça peut venir de n'importe où », analyse-t-il. Quand on lui demande si le Québec tire bien son épingle du jeu dans ce domaine, Karime Ganame en a long à dire sur les vice-présidents de grandes compagnies d'ici qui doutaient de sa capacité à fonder une entreprise. « On me disait que l'innovation en cybersécurité vient des États-Unis. J'ai dû leur dire : “Les États-Unis n'ont pas le monopole de la connaissance. Au Québec, on est capable de le faire”. Et on l'a fait », conclut-il. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/11/09/des-genies-dici-protegent-les-avions-de-chasse

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