Ultra Electronics : awarded Canadian Surface Combatant subcontract to provide Variable Depth Sonar

On the same subject

• 

  May 21, 2019 | Local, C4ISR

  Reflex Photonics will be able to pursue its growth

  The Government of Canada awards $500,000 in funding to this highly innovative Greater Montréal business May 21, 2019 – Kirkland, Quebec – Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) Reflex Photonics is a leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of electronic optics and photonic products for the defence, aerospace and telecom sectors, and for data centres. It supplies rugged embedded transceivers for interconnection in harsh environments. This highly innovative company has posted impressive growth in recent years; in 2018, it invested over $2 million in research and development. To help it maintain its momentum, the company has been awarded a $500,000 repayable contribution from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. This financial assistance will allow Reflex Photonics to acquire specialized state-of-the-art equipment, including an error rate tester and analysis software, as well as process automation equipment. The funding was announced today by the Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, Francis Scarpaleggia. Specifically, this Government of Canada assistance will allow Reflex Photonics Inc. to meet the growing demand of prime contractors, increase its production and ensure better quality control of its products. With a total investment of almost $2 million, this project will also result in the creation of high-value jobs that will help increase economic opportunities for the middle class. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting innovative Canadian businesses. A driving force of the economy, innovation is the key to success because it generates growth that benefits both businesses and communities. This is why we are committed to ensuring that businesses are able to rely on adequate resources to create and market innovative products. Quotes “Support for high-tech companies helps strengthen the Canadian economy, maintain our international competitiveness and generate wealth. High-performing and forward-looking, Reflex Photonics unquestionably contributes to the economic growth of both Montréal and Canada as a whole, and creates jobs for the middle class.” Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis “Our government gives Canadians the means to become more competitive and to thrive in the global economy. The funding announced today for Reflex Photonics is in line with Canada's competitive advantages generated through this company's expansion project, and will boost economic growth.” The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for CED “We are privileged to have loyal, passionate and dedicated employees that have contributed immensely to the success of Reflex in the recent years. Certainly, our strategic partners, both clients and suppliers have also been a source of continuous motivation to develop new products and technology with high added value. I am also very honoured to lead Reflex, which is now recognized internationally as a leader in its industry. The investments from our financial partners, as well as the expansion of our head office, allow the company to continue its growth while adapting to the needs of the markets that we service.” Noël Dubé, President and CEO, Reflex Photonics Inc. https://www.canada.ca/en/economic-development-quebec-regions/news/2019/05/reflex-photonics-will-be-able-to-pursue-its-growth.html

• 

  December 11, 2019 | Local, Naval

  Defence Department Assistant Deputy Minister Chris Henderson to return to Canadian Coast Guard

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Chris Henderson, who is Assistant Deputy Minister for Public Affairs at the Department of National Defence, is heading back to the Canadian Coast Guard. Henderson came from the Coast Guard in October 2017 to fill the ADM PA job at DND. Henderson had been serving as Director General, National Strategies at the coast guard. Sources said Henderson has informed senior DND and Canadian Forces leadership that he will take over as ADM for Operations at the coast guard on Jan. 6. Henderson is a former Royal Canadian Navy officer who had served as a public affairs officer for around 20 years. In 2007, Henderson was appointed as DG, Public Affairs and Strategic Planning, a post he occupied for two years. After leaving DND public affairs Henderson was off to Canada Border Services Agency. Then in 2014 he was named Director General, Strategic Communications in the Privy Council Office during the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In that role, he oversaw a team of strategic communications specialists responsible for the coordination of all Government of Canada public communications. Henderson came into the ADM PA branch at a pivotal time. Many of the old guard public affairs officers were in the process of leaving the military, somewhat discouraged, because of being restrained by the Harper government in communicating with the public and journalists. Much of the communication with journalists was done via email statements. That, however, has not changed much. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/defence-department-adm-chris-henderson-to-return-to-canadian-coast-guard

• 

  June 23, 2020 | Local, Security

  Talon Helicopters AS365 Dauphin ready to fight fires at night

  Talon Helicopters of Richmond, B.C., is ready to take on nighttime fire attack missions with its night vision goggle (NVG) approved Airbus AS365 N2 Dauphin — the only Transport Canada approved NVG night fire attack medium helicopter in Canada. The nine-passenger aircraft, configured with a night vision cockpit and cabin, has been approved for day and night fire attack operations with the Simplex Model 301 belly tank, which can hold up to 901 litres (238 gallons) of water. Peter Murray, president of Talon Helicopters, said the company is taking advantage of the benefits and safety factors of NVGs, and “the ability to not have a grounding time.” Talon's AS365 is approved to fight fires at night with the Simplex Model 301 belly tank, which can hold up to 901 litres of water. Heath Moffatt Photo He added: “With doing initial attack at night... if a fire starts at 11 p.m. and you're on it at 11:30 p.m., of course you're going to reduce the impact the fire makes if you're on it six or eight hours earlier than if you got on it in the daylight. . . . So we're right on the leading edge of all this.” The NVG certification for the Dauphin has been a multi-year project for Talon. Murray said the company has had the capabilities to fight fires at night for just under a year now, but recently received approval from Transport Canada for all part 702/703 operations with NVGs, which includes flying passengers at night. All of the company's pilots have completed basic NVG training, and “the AS365 pilots have done advanced NVG [training],” said Murray, “so they can go into remote areas and land at night with NVGs.” Murray said the Dauphin outfitted with the Simplex tank is 30 per cent faster than other belly tank-equipped mediums. “It's a fast tank for this machine. With the snorkel stowed, it's 140 knots VNE. . . . With the snorkel on its 120 [knots]. If you're going out to do initial attack and go a distance, you're going to go there at 140 knots and you're going to get there faster,” he said. The Simplex tank has an easy install process with four hard points on the aircraft, and can be removed just as easily for a different mission configuration. “You can probably do the whole hook change and remove the tank within 20 minutes or a half-hour,” said Murray. In place of the belly tank, the Dauphin can be equipped with a 350-gallon FAST Bucket for daytime wildfire operations. A multi-mission helicopter, Talon's Dauphin is also used for medevac, search and rescue, aerial lift work and passenger transport operations. “We call it the Swiss Army knife of helicopters because we have a full approved stretcher kit (we got that approved in Canada), and then we have the hoist as well; we're approved for day and night hoisting” using Transport Canada approved crew harnesses and evacuation equipment, and a 300-foot hoist cable with a 600-pound load limit. Along with its night fire attack and nighttime hoist certifications, Talon is approved for night hover entry/exit. The aircraft has a number of STC'd avionics upgrades including the Garmin GTN 750 touchscreen navigator, helicopter terrain awareness warning system, traffic collision avoidance systems, and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. Building on the company's NVG firefighting capabilities, Murray said Talon is looking into collecting data on daytime and nighttime fire attack operations to evaluate the difference in the cost of fighting the fires and the cost of losing resources like trees, as well as structures. For example, “what would happen if we put 20,000 litres of water around one burning tree at nighttime... what would we have in the morning? Would it be a mop up for a couple of days, instead of a two-month production?” he said. While the current Covid-19 crisis has delayed these data-gathering initiatives, Murray said the company is still working to pursue them in the near future. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/talon-helicopters-as365-dauphin-fight-fires-night