Top Aces sees expanded role for red air as Air Force training evolves

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  May 31, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Procurement minister defends rule change for F-35 as necessary for competition

  The Canadian Press, Lee Berthiaume OTTAWA — The federal procurement minister is defending the government's plan to loosen procurement rules for the F-35 stealth fighter in the face of questions and concerns from companies that make competing jets. Speaking at the annual Cansec arms-trade show Thursday, Public Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough insisted the move is needed for a robust competition to replace Canada's aging CF-18s. That competition is expected to result in a $19-billion deal for a new fleet of fighters. “The innovations and modifications we are adopting will enable participation from all eligible suppliers while applying the same rules to everyone on a level playing field,” Qualtrough said during a breakfast speech. “This is a complex process. As complex as any the federal government has ever conducted.” The government's plan involves lifting a long-standing requirement that companies legally commit to putting some of their contract money back into Canadian industry if they win a defence competition. The proposal followed U.S. complaints that the requirement violated an agreement Canada signed in 2006 to become one of nine partner countries in the development of the F-35, which is being built by Lockheed Martin. While partner countries can buy F-35s at a discount, they must also contribute money to the planes' development — in Canada's case, more than $500 million to date. Partners are also forbidden from requiring economic benefits as a condition for buying the plane. Companies in each partner country instead compete for contracts associated with the aircraft, with Canadian industry having won $1.5 billion so far. But representatives from Boeing and Saab, which make the Super Hornet and Gripen fighter jets, respectively, said Wednesday the previous policy worked well in ensuring defence contracts benefit Canada economically. And they warned abandoning the requirement that bidders commit to reinvesting in Canada could hurt the country's aerospace industry, which would in turn make it more difficult for the military to support its new jets. Industry sources say representatives for the Eurofighter Typhoon, the fourth aircraft expected in the competition aside from the F-35, Super Hornet and Gripen, have expressed similar sentiments. Qualtrough, offering the government's most extensive defence of the plan to date, insisted that despite letting bidders choose not to make contractual obligations to re-invest, the government is committed to ensuring the largest economic benefits possible. Under the new process, bidders can still guarantee that they will re-invest back into Canada if their jet wins the competition and get full points — which is the likely approach for Boeing, Saab and Eurofighter. Those like Lockheed Martin that can't make such a commitment will be penalized and asked to establish “industrial targets,” lay out plans for achieving those targets and sign a non-binding agreement promising to make all efforts to achieve them. “No one should misunderstand this: our government remains committed as strongly as ever to the (industrial benefit) policy in this competition,” Qualtrough said during her speech. “We're getting the fighter jet for the RCAF's needs, at the right price, and with the right economic benefits for Canadians.” The government has said it plans to launch the long-overdue formal competition to select Canada's next fighter jet in July, nearly four years after the Liberals were elected in 2015 on a promise to hold an immediate competition. Companies are expected to submit their bids next winter, with a formal contract signed in 2022. The first plane won't arrive until at least 2025. –Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/procurement-minister-defends-rule-change-for-f-35-as-necessary-for-competition

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  October 21, 2018 | Local, Naval

  Feds give Lockheed Martin first shot at $60-billion warship contract

  By Canadian Press OTTAWA — The federal government is giving U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin the first crack at inking a contract to design Canada's $60-billion fleet of new warships. Government officials say Lockheed's proposed design beat out two rival submissions in what has been a long and extremely sensitive competition to design replacements for the navy's entire frigate and destroyer fleets. While the announcement marked the start of an important new phase in the largest and most expensive military purchase in Canadian history, it could also prove to be extremely controversial as some had questioned why the bid was allowed in the first place. Still, Lockheed executives may not be popping the champagne just yet. Negotiators for both sides as well as Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding, which will actually build the vessels, must now work out details — including the final cost — before an actual contract is awarded. The stakes will be high for both sides, with hundreds of millions of dollars in play as well as pressure to make up for lost time as numerous delays — including in the design competition — have pushed the schedule for construction. Irving has warned that it could be forced to lay off hundreds of employees if work on the warships is not ready to start by the time it finishes building the navy's new Arctic patrol ships in 2021 or 2022. The Defence Department's head of military procurement, Patrick Finn, acknowledged the need for urgency. But he also noted the need for care as whatever decisions are taken during the negotiations could have ramifications on the navy and taxpayers for decades. “So it behooves us to stop and make sure we do the final checks in all of the areas,” Finn said this week in an interview. Lockheed's victory is likely to be contentious as the federal government had originally said it wanted a “mature design,” which was widely interpreted as meaning a vessel that has already been built and used by another navy. But the Type 26 frigate, upon which Lockheed's proposal is based, is only now being built by the British government and has not been used on operations. The federal government has reserved the right to walk away from the talks — if Lockheed drives too hard a bargain — and negotiate with the second-place bidder, which was not identified. However, officials hope that won't be necessary and a contract will be signed this winter. “We have notional time frames allocated,” said Andre Fillion, who oversees military and naval projects with Public Services and Procurement Canada. “And should everything go according to plan, we're looking at winter 2019 for the award of the contract. If it doesn't go according to plan, then we go to Plan B — and obviously that would take longer.” Lockheed's design was up against a pitch by U.S.-based defence company Alion, which proposed a design based on a Dutch frigate, and Spanish firm Navantia's proposal, which was modelled on a frigate used by the Spanish navy. One of the big questions heading into the negotiations will be how much of Lockheed's design will need to be changed to reflect the navy's needs and how much the navy will have to shift its requirements because changing the design will take more time and money. Government negotiators are also facing a potential battle over the amount of intellectual property that Lockheed will be required to hand over, which Ottawa wants so it can operate and maintain the vessels on its own after they are built. Companies had originally been told that the winner would be required to turn over the full blueprints, but after significant resistance the two sides agreed the matter would be negotiated before a contract is awarded. Officials remain focused on getting “the intellectual property access and rights that we need to not only build the ship but also to operate and maintain it for its entire life cycle,” Fillion said. — Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter https://ipolitics.ca/2018/10/19/feds-give-lockheed-martin-first-shot-at-60-billion-warship-contract/

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  March 25, 2024 | Local, Aerospace

  Astronaut Joshua Kutryk shares updates about Boeing Starliner mission, personal mission patch  - Skies Mag

  Kutryk was in Kingston, Ont., on March 23, presenting to the students and faculty of his alma mater, the Royal Military College of Canada.