October 9, 2018 | Local, C4ISR
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
CAMBRIDGE BAY, Nunavut — The white domes that rise from the tundra look innocuous enough, and yet they play a critical role in protecting millions of Canadians and Americans thousands of kilometres away.
Inside, where photographs are forbidden, they are like a time capsule from the late 1980s, the décor still reflecting the late Cold War era when the Canadian and U.S. governments established the North Warning System, the chain of mostly unmanned radar sites of which the Cambridge Bay facility is a part. Spanning Canada's northern coastline across the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador, the radar sites exist to detect potential threats entering North America's airspace, transmitting a stream of data to military command centres in the south.
At the Cambridge Bay site, dozens of civilian contractors — employees of Raytheon Canada — work around the clock to keep the installation operating in temperatures that can dip to -60 C in January or February. At times during the winter, Arctic storms almost completely cover some of the sites in snow, requiring contractors to climb through hatches in the roofs of the buildings to conduct maintenance work.
But the North Warning System now faces a threat greater than the harsh Arctic environment. In seven years the radar system is expected to be obsolete. The Canadian and U.S. governments are trying to figure out how to upgrade the radars for modern times — opening the door that the sensors could be plugged in to the Pentagon's missile defence system as well as be modernized so they can track a new generation of Russian cruise missiles.
Canada and the U.S. are trying to figure out technological improvements for the early warning system and are in the midst of discussions on the topic. A joint study on continental defence is expected to be finished by next year, Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier told Postmedia. “Following the completion of the study, Canada and the United States will determine the next steps for the replacement of the NWS and update the project timelines accordingly,” he added.
But that could emerge as yet another point of contention between Canada and the Trump administration in the U.S., which has already admonished Canada for not spending enough on defence.
The last time the U.S. and Canada modernized the radar system was during the tenure of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, when relations between the two nations were on a solid footing.
“Negotiating with the Trump administration is going to be a lot different than with the Reagan government,” explained defence analyst Martin Shadwick. “Trump will be the wild card.”
Shadwick said details about funding and what the radars need to do in the future could become sticking points.
The Liberal government has recognized it has to do something about what it calls the capability gaps in the North Warning System. “While the current NWS is approaching the end of its life expectancy from a technological and functional perspective, unfortunately the range of potential threats to the continent, such as that posed by adversarial cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, has become more complex and increasingly difficult to detect,” the government's defence strategy, released last year, pointed out. But the Liberals did not include funding for the modernization of the NWS in that policy, saying it would come later.
Canada is currently responsible for 40 per cent of the cost of the North Warning System, with the remaining 60 per cent falling to the Americans. Canada owns the sites and provides the site operations and maintenance while the U.S. owns the radar and radio equipment.
Ernie Regehr, a senior fellow in Arctic security and defence at The Simons Foundation, has found that while the cost for upgrading the North Warning System is unknown at this time it can be expected to run into the billions of dollars.
Canada and the U.S. share the responsibility for a credible contribution to the defence of North America, Regehr pointed out. “And the American definition of credible is the one that counts,” he wrote in a March briefing for the Simons Foundation.
Full article: https://nationalpost.com/news/modernizing-warning-radars-in-the-arctic-will-cost-canada-and-the-us-billions-of-dollars
April 27, 2021 | Local, Naval
The Royal Canadian Navy needs new, modern vessels to remain relevant as the Halifax Class of ships approaches end of life. Let's stop wasting time and move'¦
April 5, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
Ottawa, ON April 05, 2018 – Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a contract renewal worth up to $20 million in support of the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Airworthiness Program. Calian will provide highly skilled professionals with expertise in 66 different categories of aeronautics to help ensure Canada's military fleet flies safely and effectively. The first year of the contract starts immediately and will run to March 31, 2019. The contract award includes two additional option years, with an aggregate contract value of approximately $20 million over the three years. Calian is initially providing professional airworthiness, engineering and program support services through a team of about 30 specialists, including civilians and veterans. They will provide services in mechanical engineering, propulsion, electrical engineering, weapons safety and cybersecurity. To deliver these services Calian has again partnered with Valcom Consulting Group. “We are honoured to continue providing these critical safety and security services to Canada's military aircraft fleet,” said Donald Whitty, Vice President, Calian Training. “We've been providing this support to the Airworthiness Program for 24 years, which goes far beyond technical reviews and flight test reports. We're protecting flight systems from cyber threats and providing critical security services for weapons, communications and computer systems.” Calian is providing the RCAF with uniquely qualified experts who have sought-after signing authority to endorse changes and modifications to existing aircraft as well as assessments of newly acquired aircraft. RCAF aircraft use complex, interconnected systems, and under the Airworthiness Program any modifications must be reviewed, analyzed and tested to ensure flight safety is not compromised. "This contract win falls directly in line with the first pillar of our growth strategy – customer retention. Customers come back to Calian because of our successful record delivering mission critical services with high satisfaction ratings,” said Jerry Johnston, acting President, BTS Division. “As one of Canada's largest defence companies, I am very pleased to see Calian continue this important partnership supporting the safety of the men and women in uniform.” These Airworthiness services are critical to flight safety and operational readiness for new and modernized aircraft such as the Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Airbus C295W aircraft, Maritime Helicopter Project CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, CP-140 Aurora patrol, CH-146 Griffon helicopter, CH-147 Chinook helicopter, CH-149 Cormorant helicopter, CC-130 Hercules transport and CF-118 Hornet fighter. About Calian Engineering Calian offers full-spectrum systems engineering and technical services, supporting the Department of National Defence (DND), other government departments, and industry for over 30 years. Our engineers and technologists apply expertise in disciplines essential for system development, operation, and maintenance, with capabilities that offer full life-cycle support for soldier systems, major defence projects, electrical and electronic systems, computer systems, naval architecture, and aerospace systems. About Calian Calian employs more than 2,900 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calian's Systems Engineering Division (SED), located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the world's space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America. For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com or contact us at ir@calian.com Jacqueline Gauthier Media inquiries: Chief Financial Officer Simon Doyle 613-599-8600 613-599-8600 x 205 https://www.calian.com/en/calian-group-wins-royal-canadian-air-force-airworthiness-service-agreement-valued-20m
November 23, 2018 | Local, Naval
Murray Brewster · CBC News Move comes after Alion Canada challenged frigate design pick in Federal Court The federal government's decision to select a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada to design and support the construction of the navy's new frigates is now facing a trade challenge, on top of a Federal Court challenge filed last week. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, have asked the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to look into the procurement deal. They're telling the tribunal that Lockheed Martin's design will need substantial changes to meet the federal government's requirements, which would mean higher costs and more delays. The company last week separately asked the Federal Court for a judicial review and an order quashing the decision, which saw Public Services and Procurement Canada select Lockheed Martin Canada as the preferred bidder on the $60 billion program. Alion pitched the De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate, a Dutch-designed warship that is already in service in other countries. More delays? Depending upon how they play out, said defence procurement expert Dave Perry, both challenges have the potential to further delay the frigate program. Federal procurement officials had hoped to nail down a fully fledged design contract with Lockheed Martin by the winter. Perry, who works with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said he expects those negotiations to continue — unless the Federal Court orders them to halt. "Unless there is a compelling reason to stop, they are going to keep going," he said. "There is a recognition of the urgency across the board." That urgency is partly due to the program's legacy of delays, which have stretched the design competition out for almost two years. Public Services and Procurement Canada would not comment on the matter because it is before the courts, but a senior official, speaking on background Thursday, said the federal government has up to 20 days to respond to the court challenge. The official — who was not authorized to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the file — said there is flexibility built into the timeline and the government is optimistic it can meet its goal of an early 2019 contract signing. Perry said there are aspects of both the court challenge and the application to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal that he finds puzzling. Alion claimed in its court filing that the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender. Speed bump The company said, for instance, that the Type 26 cannot meet the mandatory speed requirements set out by the navy and that both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Irving Shipbuilding, the yard overseeing the construction, should have rejected the bid outright. Perry said the criteria cited by Alion were among the first the federal government evaluated. "The rest of Lockheed Martin's bid wouldn't have been looked at if the Crown and Irving was not satisfied that the bid met each of those [initial] criteria," he said. "It's a weird dynamic." Alion's trade tribunal application argues in considerable detail that in order for the Type 26 to meet Ottawa's speed requirement, it will have to undergo considerable redesign. The court application also cites the fact that the design tender was amended 88 times and those changes "effectively diluted the [warship] requirements" and allowed the government and Irving to select "an unproven design platform." Unlike its two competitors, the Type 26 has yet to enter service with the Royal Navy. Competitors have privately knocked it as "paper ship." Navantia, a Spanish-based company, was the other bidder in the competition. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/failed-bidder-files-trade-challenge-against-ottawa-s-frigate-design-pick-1.4916881