June 2, 2022 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
November 11, 2019 | Local, Land
Ukraine buys Canadian sniper rifles – delivery expected soon
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Sniper rifles from PGW Defence Technologies of Winnipeg will be arriving soon in Ukraine.
The company, with support of Global Affairs Canada, sold 50 LRT-3 sniper rifles to Ukraine's military, according to the Canadian Forces.
Ukrainian government officials say the rifles are expected in the country very soon.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Ukrinform, the country's national news agency, that he believes the sniper rifle deal “will open the door to expanding the range of cooperation” between Ukraine and Canada on military equipment.
Ukraine is also seeking armoured vehicles and other equipment from Canada.
Canadian Forces personnel are working with Ukrainian snipers predominantly through a basic sniper course. They are mainly developing the Ukrainian instructors, but do provide some mentorship to the students, noted Canadian Forces spokesperson Capt. Leah Campbell. This is basically through watching and providing feedback to the students, she added.
“Weapons that the students are using are provided or purchased by the Ukrainian Government,” explained Campbell in an email. “CAF personnel are not currently working with LRT-3 .50 caliber rifle. However, we are always responsive to our Ukrainian partners training needs and can adjust as appropriate.”
In December 2017, the House of Commons defence committee recommended the government provide weapons to Ukraine, provided it demonstrates it is working to eliminate corruption at all levels of government. Senior officials from Ukraine's ministry of defence told the defence committee they would welcome arms from Canada, including anti-tank weapons. They told the committee that the Ukrainian military's sniper equipment was obsolete.
On the same subject
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February 16, 2018 | Local, Naval
MDA to provide unmanned aircraft systems to Royal Canadian Navy
MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.), announced it has signed a contract valued at approximately $8 million with Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) to provide maritime miniature unmanned aircraft systems (MMUAS). The contract also includes services to support training, resource and equipment development activities and development and validation of naval tactics and new capability development. The MMUAS will play a critical role by extending the reach of the communication and sensor capability over contentious or hostile areas during maritime security operations. MDA's solution is based on the Puma AE (All Environment) unmanned aircraft built by Aerovironment. The Puma AE system will provide the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) with enhanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The Puma has the ability to carry additional payloads as required for specific missions. The MMUAS is the first UAS project that will see the RCN operate and maintain its own capability and provide a sustainable shipborne, near real-time, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) ISR capability with an expected introduction to the fleet in the summer of 2018 onboard Kingston-class ships. Capable of both ground and water landings, Puma AE's innovative fuselage offers an operational flexibility never before available to the RCN. The Puma AE is operated from the same control station as the Raven UAS which has been provided by MDA to the Canadian Army since 2013. MDA's Canadian-based UAS services group has been providing UAS systems and services to Canada's DND since 2009. Mike Greenley, group president for MDA, said: “We are very proud to once again, expand our unmanned aircraft systems and services to support Canada's Department of National Defence needs. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/mda-provide-unmanned-aircraft-systems-royal-canadian-navy/
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June 7, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
J-model Hercules now flying the SAR mission in Trenton - Skies Mag
As initial operating capability of the CC-295 Kingfisher has been delayed, the RCAF is finding creative ways to address potential gaps in its SAR response. As of late May, the CC-130J Hercules became the primary fixed-wing asset for SAR missions in central Canada.