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  January 29, 2021 | Local, Naval

  Canadian Surface Combatant

  The Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project is the Royal Canadian Navy's acquisition programme to build 15 CSC multi-role ships which will replace both the retired Iroquois-class destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates. The Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project is the Royal Canadian Navy's acquisition programme to build 15 CSC multi-role ships which will replace both the retired Iroquois-class destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates. The project is estimated to cost between $56bn and $60bn and the new warships are being built by Irving Shipbuilding at its Halifax Shipyard. The CSC has the capacity to conduct air, surface, sub-surface and information warfare missions simultaneously on both open ocean and highly complex coastal environments. The multi-mission combatant can be deployed in a range of missions such as delivering decisive combat power and supporting the Canadian Armed Forces. It can also conduct counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, interdiction and embargo missions for medium intensity operations. Canadian Surface Combatant development details The Canadian Surface Combatant project is part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy and is the biggest shipbuilding activity in the country since the World War II. Irving Shipbuilding was appointed as the prime contractor for the CSC project definition and implementation phases in January 2015. The Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding awarded a sub-contract to Lockheed Martin Canada for the design of CSC fleet in October 2018. In February 2019, the design of BAE Systems' Type 26 Global Combat Ship, the most advanced and modern anti-submarine warship, was selected for the CSC vessel. BAE Systems opened the first visualisation suite for the CSC vessel in Ottawa, US, in November 2020. The visualisation technology will create a virtual prototype which helps in better understanding of the vessel and offers detailed view of the ship's design from all angles. Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence facility based in Peterborough, Ontario was expanded for supporting the CSC acquisition project. Design and features of the Royal Canadian Navy's CSC ships The CSC will have a length of 151.4m, beam of 20.75m and a navigational draught of 8m. With a displacement of 7,800t, the warship will accommodate up to 204 crew members. The warship can carry a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and provide facilities for embarking remotely piloted systems. It will also feature reconfigurable mission and boat bays including a 9m rescue boat, two 9-12m multi-role boats, Rolls Royce' mission bay handling system, and modular mission support capacity. The Canadian Surface Combatant will also house a medical facility and dedicated gym/fitness facilities. Weapons The weapons suite for the CSC will include 127mm main gun, two stabilised rapid fire 30mm naval gun systems, LMC MK 41 missile vertical launch system, 32-cell MK54 lightweight torpedoes, twin launch tubes, and MBDA Sea Ceptor close-in air defence system. The warships can be armed with a wide range of missiles including Raytheon Standard Missile 2, Raytheon Evolved Sea Sparrow point defence missile, and Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile. Command and control of Canadian Surface Combatant The warship will be installed with various command and control systems including Lockheed Martin Canada's (LMC) CMS 330 combat management system with Aegis combat system, USN cooperative engagement capability, integrated cyber defence system, OSI integrated bridge and navigation system, and L3 Harris' internal and external communication suite. Sensors and countermeasures The LMC SPY-7 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar will be installed for continuous surveillance and protection against modern threats. The combat ship will also be fitted with MDA's solid state AESA target illuminator, X- and S-band navigation radars, electro-optical and infrared systems, laser warning and countermeasures system, radio frequency and electronic jammers, and electronic decoy system. Underwater warfare capabilities of CSC ships The Royal Canadian Navy's future combat ships will be equipped with an integrated underwater warfare system, which includes Ultra Electronics' S2150 hull-mounted sonar, towed low frequency active & passive sonar, and SEA SENTOR S21700 towed torpedo countermeasures. General Dynamics' sonobuoy processing system and expendable acoustic countermeasures will also be installed aboard the vessels. Propulsion and performance of Canadian Surface Combatant The CSC combat ship will be powered by a combined diesel-electric or gas propulsion system (CODLOG) integrating two GE electric motors, a Rolls Royce MT 30 gas turbine, and four Rolls Royce MTU diesel generators. The vessel will be able to sail at a maximum speed of 27k and achieve a maximum cruising range of 7,000nm. Contractors involved Lockheed Martin Canada is collaborating with BAE Systems, CAE, L3Harris, MDA and Ultra Electronics for the design of the global combat ship. MDA signed a $2.99m contract with Lockheed Martin Canada for the initial phase of design work of the Canadian Surface Combatant ships in April 2019. Lockheed Martin will also be responsible to provide the electronic warfare suite system. Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems will lead the integration of sensors with sonobuoys and other capabilities for wide-area underwater battlespace surveillance. https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/canadian-surface-combatant/

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  October 25, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  An Investment in Capability

  If you're planning to become hopelessly lost, my advice is to do it in Norway. That was the author's conclusion after Skies was invited to the Leonardo Helicopters facility in Yeovil, England, to fly the latest variant of the AW101 search and rescue (SAR) helicopter. The machine was brand new, pending delivery to Norway, but represented a configuration that Leonardo has proposed to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as an upgrade for Canada's fleet of CH-149 Cormorant SAR helicopters. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RCAF The CH-149 Cormorant entered RCAF service in 2002. While not an old airframe by Canadian standards, the subsequent evolution of the model has left our version somewhat dated, and Leonardo maintains that obsolescence issues are beginning to adversely affect operational availability Team Cormorant is an industry consortium composed of Leonardo Helicopters, IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE, GE Canada and Rockwell Collins Canada. The group's unsolicited proposal to the Air Force is intended to guard against creeping obsolescence and ultimately to reduce the cost of operating the helicopter. Under Team Cormorant's proposal, the RCAF would also acquire a training facility with a modern full-mission simulator, likely to be installed at 19 Wing Comox, B.C. The machine on offer to Canada is an extensively upgraded version of the RCAF's existing airframe, based upon the AW101-612 configuration; 16 of which are destined for Norway under its Norwegian All-Weather SAR Helicopter (NAWSARH) program. Team Cormorant's proposal to Canada also seeks to take advantage of nine former VH-71 Kestrel airframes from the cancelled U.S. presidential helicopter program, acquired by the RCAF in 2011. These would be used to augment the Cormorant fleet from the current 14–widely acknowledged as inadequate for Canadian SAR requirements–up to potentially 21 machines. Enhanced fleet size would allow the RCAF to base the Cormorant at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont.; a move that would improve SAR capability in the vast Trenton SAR region. Compared to in-service CH-149 Cormorants, the upgrades on offer include new, more powerful, full-authority digital electronic-controlled (FADEC) General Electric CT7-8E turboshaft engines; a more modern Rockwell Collins cockpit and avionics suite; improved aircraft management system; and a newly designed, four-axis dual-duplex digital automatic flight control system (AFCS). The sensor package promises the biggest capability upgrade, and includes an electro-optical surveillance system; a multi-mode active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar; cell phone detection and tracking system; and marine automatic identification system (AIS) transponder receiver. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMPARISON In 2016, Skies dispatched me to fly the CH-149 Cormorant with RCAF's 442 Squadron at CFB Comox. It was an opportunity for this former Air Force CH-113/A Labrador SAR pilot to see first-hand how the Cormorant had changed the job I did decades ago in those same mountains. I recall that the Cormorant brought a lot of new technology to the SAR business, but the basic mission, like the mountains around us, was unchanged. After that flight, I reported: “Flying SAR was still a matter of cautious and skillful flying, using maps and looking out the window.” That experience left me with great regard for Air Force SAR crews and for the operational capability of the Cormorant, but also bemused to find that the business of searching still basically relied upon the “Mark 1 eyeball.” A flight in the latest variant of the AW101 was a terrific opportunity for a more contemporary comparison. The experience would demonstrate that leading-edge systems–particularly electro-optic sensor technologies–offer SAR capabilities that are as much a generational improvement over the current Cormorant as the Cormorant was over my beloved ol' Labrador. A CANADIAN FLIES A NORWEGIAN HELICOPTER IN ENGLAND Leonardo Helicopters test pilot Richard “Russ” Grant kindly offered me the right seat for our demonstration flight. Veteran flight test engineer (FTE) Andy Cotton served as sensor operator. Conditions were ideal, under a clear sky with a warm (24 C) gentle breeze along the century-old former-Westlands grass runway. Our test helicopter was the sixth production machine destined for Norway, operated by Leonardo under U.K. Ministry of Defence registration ZZ015. The helicopter's empty weight was 11,039 kilograms with much of its SAR interior yet to be fitted. Adding 2,000 kilograms of fuel (roughly half its 4,150-kilogram capacity) and three crewmembers brought the takeoff mass to 13,517 kilograms, which was well below the maximum allowable gross weight of 15,600 kilograms. The Cormorant that Skies flew with RCAF's 442 Squadron, although fully equipped for SAR with a standard fuel load of 2,400 kilograms and a crew of six, had a gross takeoff mass of 13,800 kilograms, which was below the maximum allowable gross weight of 14,600 kilograms. Direct comparison is difficult to establish, but the Norwegian machine is both heavier with installed systems and has more installed power than the CH-149, so the net result may be expected to be about the same operational power margin. Rapid dispatch can be facilitated by starting the auxiliary power unit (APU) while strapping in. Grant talked me through the engine starting procedure from memory. Air Force crews will use a checklist, but the procedure was quick and straightforward Engine controls consisted of three rotary knobs on the overhead panel in place of engine condition levers. I monitored the start, but Grant advised that in the event of a start-up malfunction the FADEC would shut down the engine faster than the pilots could react. We started the No. 1 engine first to power the accessory drive, providing hydraulic and electric power and bleed air. Starts of engines No. 2 and No. 3 were done simultaneously. Pre-flight checks and initialization of the aircraft management system (AMS, but think “master computer”) took Grant only minutes. Despite the functional similarity of the cockpit to the CH-149, the impression that I was amidst unfamiliar new technology was immediate. As ground crews pulled the chocks and busied themselves around the helicopter, the onboard Obstacle Proximity LIDAR System (OPLS, where LIDAR is light detection and ranging, since I needed to ask, too) annunciated their presence around the turning rotors. This system, which Grant described as being like the parking sensors in a car, provided a pop-up display and discretely-pitched audio cues depicting the range and azimuth to obstacles around the helicopter. Having come from a generation where we squinted into a landing light beam to guesstimate rotor clearance from obstacles, all I can say is, I want one! Full article: https://www.skiesmag.com/features/an-investment-in-capability

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  August 27, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  RCAF to get 2 more CH-149 Cormorants as part of fleet modernization

  The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is to get at least two new Leonardo CH-149s as part of the Canadian government's $1.39 billion mid-life upgrade for its Cormorant fleet. Announcing the move Aug. 22 in Comox, B.C., Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the upgrades to the existing fleet of 14 Cormorants, which are primarily used for search and rescue (SAR) operations, would extend their life to at least 2042. The upgrade program will bring the Cormorants to the latest AW101-612 standard, currently being delivered to Norway to provide that country's new search and rescue fleet. The capability enhancements and equipment improvements in the upgrade include upgraded avionics in a new glass cockpit; new sensors, radar and search enhancement technology; more powerful digitally-controlled engines; wireless in-cabin communications; LED lighting; and rescue hoist upgrades. “Canadians rely on the women and men of the Royal Canadian Air Force to conduct successful search and rescue operations in challenging circumstances,” said Sajjan. “These enhancements to the CH-149 Cormorant fleet will ensure that search and rescue crews have the right equipment to continue providing these life-saving services.” The upgrade program also includes synthetic training solutions delivered by CAE, including Canada's first AW101 full motion simulator. Other companies working to deliver the upgrade include IMP Aerospace and Defence, GE Canada (which will provide the new engines), and Collins Aerospace (which will provide the new cockpit displays and avionics). “Every year, the Royal Canadian Air Force flies about 1,000 missions in support of search and rescue, a core mission of the Canadian Armed Forces,” said LGen A.D. Meinzinger, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force. “These upgrades to the CH-149 Cormorant, and an increase in fleet size ensures the RCAF will continue to deliver search and rescue services in the challenging Canadian environment.” Canada's Cormorant fleet began service in 2000, and are currently based at 19 Wing Comox, B.C,; 9 Wing Gander, N.L.; and 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S. In 2005, CH-149s from the Trenton main operating base were redistributed to those three bases, but with the addition of at least two CH-149s to the fleet, the type will return to Trenton and replace Bell CH-146 Griffons in the SAR role. Leonardo said the upgrade program will be delivered with “no interruption or reduction” in Canada's rotary search and rescue capabilities. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-to-get-2-more-ch-149-cormorants-as-part-of-fleet-modernization/