May 8, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
The defence and aerospace industry is abuzz about the letters the U.S. government sent to Canada over the upcoming competition to acquire a new fleet of fighter jets to replace the RCAF's CF-18s.
In short, the Trump administration has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government. If Canada insists that industrial and technological benefits must come from the outlay of $19 billion for a new fighter jet fleet then Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet is out of the race. Full stop.
The U.S. argument is that because Canada is a partner in the F-35 program it cannot ask Lockheed Martin to meet specific industrial benefits for a Canadian competition if the F-35 is selected. Under the F-35 agreement, partner nations are prohibited from imposing requirements for industrial benefits as the work is determined on the best value basis. In other words, Canadian firms compete and if they are good enough they get work on the F-35 program. Over the last 12 years, Canadian firms have earned $1.3 billion U.S. for their work on building F-35 parts.
The U.S. had boldly stated it cannot offer the F-35 for the Canadian competition if there are requirements to meet for set industrial benefits.
But that ultimatum could seriously backfire on the Trump administration.
Trudeau and the Liberal government has never been keen on the F-35 (Trudeau campaigned against purchasing the jet). There have also been a number of negative headlines over the last year outlining the increasing maintenance costs for the F-35s, not a good selling point for the jet.
The U.S. ultimatum may have just given Trudeau a way out of his F-35 dilemma, particularly if the prime minister can say that it was it was the Americans themselves who decided not to enter the F-35 in the Canadian competition.
Trudeau will also be able to point to the other firms ready and keen to chase the $19 billion contract.
Airbus, a major player in Canada's aerospace industry, says it is open to producing its Eurofighter Typhoon in Canada with the corresponding jobs that will create.
Boeing, which has a significant presence in Canada, will offer the Super Hornet.
Saab has also hinted about building its Gripen fighter in Canada if it were to receive the jet contract.
To be sure, if the U.S. withdraws the F-35 from the competition, retired Canadian military officers and the defence analysts working for think-tanks closely aligned with the Department of National Defence be featured in news reports about how the Royal Canadian Air Force will be severely hindered without the F-35. Some Canadian firms involved in the F-35 program may complain publicly about lost work on the F-35 program but companies tend not criticize governments for fear they won't receive federal contracts or funding in the future.
There will be talk about how U.S.-Canada defence relations will be hurt but then critics will counter that U.S. President Donald Trump used national security provisions to hammer Canada in ongoing trade disputes.
And let's face it. Defence issues are rarely a factor in federal elections or in domestic politics.
The Trump administration, which is not the most popular among Canadians, may have just given Trudeau a political gift.
December 3, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
The US$5.9B deal includes 14 P-8A aircraft, with options for up to two more, as well as associated equipment, training devices, and initial sustainment.
May 24, 2022 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Good day! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the DoD Innovation Ecosystem Webinar on March 29th. As promised, please find the following (better late than never): Webinar Presentation Webinar RECORDING Passcode: t.4Z##u6 Q&As (questions asked during the webinar with responses) - attached If you have any problems accessing the Google Doc links, please let me know. In addition to the above, each of us in the cc line, will be sending you individual emails with a report covering each of our territories (as outlined below). Once you've had a chance to review the reports, you will be able to direct any questions to the right Trade Commissioner. There is a lot of great information included in the reports. We as Trade Commissioners, will be reaching out to organizations that we don't have contacts with to learn more about their programming and seek more information to better support Canadian companies. The three reports focus on: New England (Erin Donahue) Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia (Bobby Tate) Southern California and Arizona (Karen Sleiman)
June 12, 2018 | Local, Land, C4ISR
PARIS ― Safran Electronics & Defense unveiled June 12 at the Eurosatory trade show a range of military inertial navigation systems, dubbed Geonyx, aimed at equipping armored vehicles, target acquisition systems and artillery. The Geonyx INS range is a navigation tool designed to allow operators to find their position and aim weapons, a Safran ED executive told journalists. The system is intended to be highly reliable and independent of GPS, which can be jammed. Safran ED presented its Geonyx system to the Direction Générale de l'Armement procurement office and the French Army's Stat equipment assessment department on May 30. Geonyx could be fitted as a replacement of the Safran Sigma 30, which is fitted on the Nexter Caesar 155mm artillery. The resonance technology in the new INS range is “extremely disruptive,” the executive said. The Geonyx is smaller, highly reliable and at “a much lower price” than the Sigma 30, he added, however no price details were available. The three Geonyx models ― SP, HP and XP ― offer a rising level of performance, reflecting a range of operational requirements for an army. The systems are intended to be highly robust to withstand shock from artillery fire. An operational life of 10-15 years is expected, the executive said. Geonyx draws on technology developed on its Crystal gyroscope, an advanced hemispherical resonator gyroscope. The resonance technology will be applied to equipment for space, air, land and sea, both civil and military, Safran ED said in a statement. Northrop Grumman has developed its HRG system, which can be deployed in space. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/eurosatory/2018/06/08/eurosatory-this-navigation-system-by-safran-doesnt-need-gps/