March 3, 2020 | Local, Aerospace
Saab today confirmed the four corporate partners that will be part of its bid for Canada's Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP), which aims to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's ageing fleet of CF-188 Hornet's with 88 new-generation fighters. Saab is leading one of three supplier teams currently involved in the procurement competition, which centres around the Saab Gripen E, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.
Branded as Gripen for Canada Team, Saab's corporate team members for the bid include IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE, Peraton Canada and GE Aviation. “We have assembled a dynamic roster of innovative leaders within Canada's aerospace industry, across multiple regions to offer the best solution for Canada's future fighter,” said Jonas Hjelm, senior VP and head of Business Area Aeronautics. “Saab is committed to securing long-term relationships in Canada that will create a significant number of highly skilled, sustainable jobs for Canadians within domestic and international supply chains.”
Canada's evaluation criteria for its Future Fighter procurement is based on technical merit (60 per cent), cost (20 per cent) and economic benefits (20 per cent). In late-February 2020, the federal government announced it would extend the FFCP submission deadline from March 30 to June 30, but maintained its schedule to choose the winning bid in 2022 and have the first aircraft delivered by 2025.
The 20 per cent weighting toward economic benefits is ultimately defined by dollar-for-dollar obligations – meaning, the fighter supplier provides Canadian companies with revenue opportunities equal to value of the purchased fighters.
Defence Investment: Strong, Secure and Engaged
Saab explains IMP Aerospace & Defence would contribute with in-country production and in-service support for the life of the Canadian Gripen fleet. CAE would provide training and mission systems solutions, while Peraton Canada would provide avionic and test equipment component maintenance, repair and overhaul, and material management. GE Aviation would provide and sustain the fighter's engines in Canada.
https://www.wingsmagazine.com/saab-partners-for-canadas-ffcp-bid/
December 17, 2023 | Local, Security
Canada will send four CH-146 Griffon helicopters to Latvia and periodically deploy CH-147F Chinooks there starting in fall 2025, as part of a NATO mission.
November 5, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Troy Crosby has been appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Materiel at the Department of National Defence. His appointment is effective Nov. 11. The ADM Materiel position opened up in August when Pat Finn decided to retire. At that time, Crosby (pictured above) assumed the role of Acting ADM(Materiel). In addition, Rear Admiral Simon Page will retire from the Royal Canadian Navy and will be appointed Chief of Staff Materiel. Page will start in that position starting Dec. 16th. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/troy-crosby-named-new-assistant-deputy-minister-of-materiel-at-dnd
December 23, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
December 22, 2022 - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces – Ottawa, Ontario Today, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, on behalf of Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Helena Jaczek, announced the award of two contracts to support the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter fleet and ensure the continued contribution of the fleet to Canada’s search and rescue (SAR) operations. The two contracts for the Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade and its simulator solution, valued at up to $1.24 billion (taxes included), were awarded to CAE Inc. of Montreal, Canada and to Leonardo U.K. Ltd of Yeovil, United Kingdom. The CH-149 Cormorant fleet has been providing reliable and crucial service to Canada since 2001 and requires upgrades to remain operationally effective. Through the contract with Leonardo U.K. Ltd., we will upgrade our current fleet to the most advanced version of the helicopter, and acquire additional airframes/parts to increase our fleet size from 13 to 16 aircraft. This will ensure that we can continue to perform SAR operations from Comox, B.C., Gander, N.L., Greenwood, N.S., and add to the SAR capacity from Trenton, Ont. Moreover, this project addresses the need for an improved training solution. By providing a domestic flight simulator configured to our modernized aircraft, our aircrews will have dedicated training capacity in Canada that is representative of our modernized fleet; and will no longer need to travel to the United Kingdom to train on simulators that may not be consistent with our aircraft. As outlined in Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is making investments to ensure the members of the Royal Canadian Air Force have the equipment they need to fulfill their domestic and international missions, including SAR operations here at home. Quotes “The top item in my mandate letter from the Prime Minister is to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces has the capabilities, equipment and culture needed to implement the objectives in our Defence Policy. The CH-149 Cormorant helicopter is a critical asset for search and rescue operations in Canada – and these contracts provide the best solution for Canada to upgrade its fleet and provide the accompanying training tools to our aviators so that they can continue to keep Canadians safe – now, and in the years to come.” - The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence “I am pleased that today’s contract award announcement to CAE Inc. and Leonardo U.K. Ltd will enable our government to continue to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force and its members with the advanced equipment they need to do their job, at the best value for Canadians.” - The Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement “Through these contracts, our government will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment it needs while ensuring long-term economic benefits for Canadians. This procurement will advance Canadian innovation in our world-class defence and aerospace industries while creating jobs and contributing to economic growth in Canada” - The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts These contracts are valued at $1.168 billion for the helicopter upgrades, and $78 million for the training solution (taxes included). Capability enhancements and equipment improvements will be implemented on the CH-149 fleet to improve service to Canadians and meet the operational availability requirements to support the national 24/7 SAR service. With this project the CH-149 fleet will be upgraded to the most advanced version of the helicopter, the AW101 612; the same model Norway has recently procured to conduct its rotary-wing SAR missions. Using this already established configuration accelerates the project considerably. Training solutions will also be acquired under the project to move aircrew training home to Canada. Additional airframes/parts will be acquired from Leonardo U.K. Ltd to increase the fleet size from 13 to 16 helicopters. These additional aircraft, will be produced with predominantly new parts and some used parts in inventory from the VH-71 and current CH-149 fleets which include transmissions, landing gears and control surfaces to reduce costs and ensure value for money. CH-149 Cormorant aircraft are currently based at 19 Wing Comox, 9 Wing Gander, and 14 Wing Greenwood and the addition of aircraft will enable a return to 8 Wing Trenton. Delivery of these upgrades and training systems are expected to begin in 2026, and anticipated to be fully operational in 2029. The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy will leverage economic benefits for Canadian industry equal to the value of the contracts. Leonardo U.K. Ltd and CAE Inc. are working with several Canadian companies as part of their industrial commitments to Canada including in Key Industrial Capability (KIC) areas such as defence system integration, training and simulation, aerospace systems and components. Through the application of Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy, both CAE Inc. and Leonardo U.K. Ltd will enter into high quality business activities within the world class Canadian aerospace and defence industry. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2022/12/minister-anand-announces-cormorant-mid-life-upgrade-and-simulator-solution-contracts-award-to-ensure-continued-search-and-rescue-capabilities.html