Back to news

September 30, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

RPAS community gathers for Tech Demo 2

Once again this year, nearly 150 players in the aeronautics industry met at the Centre d'excellence sur les drones (CED) for the second edition of Tech Demo, where the remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) community got together to share technological advances.

During this event, which took place on Sept. 25 and 26 in Alma, Que., participants learned more about the latest developments from Transport Canada, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy, and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). They also attended various conferences exploring drone image recognition, multi-mission systems, the niche of excellence in civil and commercial UAVs, ways to reduce time to market through drone simulation and trends in the drone ecosystem.

Guests also had the opportunity to discuss issues related to operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), and take part in three panels about anti-UAV systems and airspace management. Seven system demonstrations were also carried out during the event, including one featuring a mastodon weighing more than 300 kilograms.

“This autonomous system was developed for various surveillance and civil security missions by Quebec company Laflamme in collaboration with the American company General Dynamics. It was the first public technological demonstration of this system in Quebec, which generated a great deal of interest from the stakeholders present,” commented CED director general Marc Moffatt. He also added that, once again this year, the activity welcomed several major manufacturers, including Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, General Atomics, CAE, L3, Leonardo, and many others.

According to CED president Alain Fortin, hosting an event like Tech Demo is very significant for the industry.

“The drone community needs events around which to gather to feed each other. We are obviously thrilled with the scope of this second edition and, above all, very proud of the quality of the speakers in attendance. Several actors who orchestrate the development of drone regulation in Canada were among us over the past two days to listen to what the community had to teach them and to learn more about the potential of the CED,” said Fortin.

“Our speakers come from all over the world, including the United States, England, Italy and even Ukraine. Over the years, the CED and its partners have built a whole regional ecosystem around the drone and we can see now that its strategic role in the development of this sector is recognized and well established,” he added.

Made possible with the financial support from the Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation as well as General Dynamics Missions Systems, Kongsberg Geospatial Ltd. and CAE, the event has become a major annual event that is eagerly awaited by the industry.

https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/rpas-community-gathers-for-tech-demo-2

On the same subject

  • Minister Sajjan Wraps Up 12th Annual Halifax International Security Forum

    November 23, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Minister Sajjan Wraps Up 12th Annual Halifax International Security Forum

    From: National Defence Collaboration and dialogue with the international community is critical for Canada in addressing emerging security threats and ensuring the safety of all Canadians. Canada is committed to upholding the rules-based international order, both diplomatically and through our military deployments around the world, to foster a safer, more peaceful, and prosperous place. Collaboration and dialogue with the international community is critical for Canada in addressing emerging security threats and ensuring the safety of all Canadians. Canada is committed to upholding the rules-based international order, both diplomatically and through our military deployments around the world, to foster a safer, more peaceful, and prosperous place. The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, virtually co-hosted the 12th annual edition of the Halifax International Security Forum (HISF) with the President of HISF Inc., Mr. Peter Van Praagh, from November 20-22. The forum was an opportunity for defence ministers, senior officials from international organizations, representatives from academia and industry, and defence and security experts from over 51 countries to discuss current and emerging issues of global security and prosperity. During the forum, Minister Sajjan underlined the importance of Canada being strong at home, secure in North America, and engaged in the world. Minister Sajjan reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism, as allies and partners balance international commitments with critical needs at home. Discussions covered a broad range of topics including democracy, human rights, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the importance of international cooperation in facing today's challenges. Quotes “The global pandemic is having an impact on virtually everything we do, from running errands to running a country. This makes the conversations we had with our Allies and Partners at HISF this year as, if not more, important than ever before. I am confident that we will continue striking the necessary balance between critical health needs at home, supporting each other with medical supplies and expertise, and defending our sovereignty from adversaries who would do us harm. For me, this really brings home the importance of multilateralism.” The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence Quick facts The Halifax International Security Forum connected more than 250 defence leaders from across the world, including senior government and military officials, policymakers, opinion leaders, academics, and members of the business community from like-minded nations. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are committed to demonstrating leadership in reflecting Canadian ideals of diversity, respect and inclusion, including striving for gender equality, and building a workforce that leverages the diversity and multicultural fabric of Canadian society. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2020/11/minister-sajjan-wraps-up-12th-annual-halifax-international-security-forum.html

  • Canada has no option but pivot away from current Surface Combatants path
  • Report could renew Canadian debate over U.S. missile defence system: defence analyst

    January 16, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

    Report could renew Canadian debate over U.S. missile defence system: defence analyst

    A European report forecasting a surge in billions of dollars worth of missile and missile defence sales worldwide over the next 10 years could renew Canadian debate over signing on to the U.S. missile defence system, a defence analyst says. The forecasting agency based in Amsterdam is offering a market report on missile systems to global defence production companies that forecasts a rise in the value of sales to $93 billion for 2027 — compared to $55 billion in 2018 — for a total of $725 billion in sales over the decade. In the summary of its industry report, ASDMedia BV says the main driver for missile production, including all types of missiles from ballistic to short range and air-to-air missiles, is an increase in “territorial conflicts.” “The market for missile defence systems is anticipated to be the largest category primarily due to the ongoing procurement of missile systems by countries of the Asia Pacific, North American and European regions,” the report says. The report was published recently, during the escalation of tension over North Korean nuclear missile launches, but prior to the missile attack scare from a false alarm in Hawaii on Saturday. The missile spending forecast could also be of interest to participants in an international conference the Canadian government is hosting in Vancouver this week on the North Korean standoff. Senior analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, David Perry, says the market forecast of missile sales reflects a concern the Department of National Defence included about missile proliferation in the Liberal government's first national defence policy earlier this year, which at the same time included no specific plans for a response to the problem. Although the Liberal strategy included references to ballistic missile defence and modernizing northern defence warnings systems along with the U.S., it did not take a position on the long-sensitive question of whether Canada should sign on to the U.S. ballistic missile defence system. “It was one of those strange bits of the policy where there was an identification of an increased concern and a threat, but then not really any specific itemization of what was going to be done about it,” said Perry. Perry, who took part in closed-door consultations with experts in the lead-up to the review, said the market forecasts, along with the ongoing North Korea crisis, indicate ballistic missile defence should be renewed in Canadian defence discussions, following a short-lived flirtation with the idea by the last Liberal government in 2005. This past August, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to almost rule out any chance of discussions with the U.S. over ballistic missile defence, but in September said Canada was not considering the idea “for the time being.” “Based on the comments by the Prime Minister, I'm not expecting any urgent movement on ballistic missiles,” said Perry, who argued for Canadian involvement in missile defence during the policy consultations. “I'm curious in a strategic sense, international market observers are saying there's a growing market for this technology because the potential threat of missiles is proliferating, and you've got that (ambiguous) language reflected in the defence policy,” he told iPolitics. The head of Ottawa's Rideau Institute, founded as an advocate for the rule of international law and disarmament, said Perry's desire to renew ballistic missile defence discussions is a reflection of the defence industry's views. “In my view, there isn't actually a debate,” said Rideau Institute president Peggy Mason. “The defence industry lobby keeps raising it, but I think it's absolutely clear that this government, the Liberal government, the Justin Trudeau government, has no interest in reviewing this issue, so long as President Trump is President,” said Mason. “There are so many good reasons not to review it,”Mason told iPolitics, “but just the difficulty of trying to sell this, getting closer to the U.S. on a very controversial and very costly area while President Trump is in office...” https://ipolitics.ca/2018/01/16/report-renew-canadian-debate-u-s-missile-defence-system-defence-analyst/

All news