DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
My Postmedia colleague Christie Blatchford reports the Canadian military is looking for a new camouflage uniform for its 95,000 regular and reserve force members – potentially at a cost of as much as $500 million to taxpayers.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance favours one originally developed for the U.S. military, according to documents obtained by Blatchford.
In a seven-page briefing note on Vance's recent visit to Halifax, the general's senior staff officers last month wrote, “The CDS stated his desire to replace” current uniforms with the new “MultiCam” pattern now being used by the force's Special Operations Command.
As Blatchford wrote, except for special forces, most Canadian soldiers now wear “CADPAT,” short for “Canadian Disruptive Pattern,” a Canadian-developed digital camouflage print that comes in several varieties, depending on the environment (desert, temperate, Arctic, etc.) and for which the Canadian government has a copyright and trademark. The uniforms are manufactured by a number of Canadian companies.
Full Article: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/vances-plan-to-buy-u-s-made-uniforms-for-canadian-military-raises-issues
February 16, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
12 février 2022, par Arnaud. Même si le futur vainqueur semble malheureusement assez logique la compétition a le mérite d'exister, au moins sur le papier. En ce mois de février le
May 6, 2020 | Local, Aerospace
OTTAWA — The federal government has made another multimillion-dollar investment into the development of the F-35 stealth fighter jet, even as it weighs a new extension to the $19-billion competition to replace Canada's aging CF-18s. Canada made the annual F-35 payment to the U.S. military last week, spending US$70.1 million to remain one of nine partner countries in the fighter-jet project. Each partner is required to cover a portion of the plane's multibillion-dollar development costs to stay at the table. Staying in the program has advantages, as partners get a discount when purchasing the jets and compete for billions of dollars in contracts associated with building and maintaining them. The F-35 is being built by U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin. While the new payment brings Canada's total investment in the F-35 to US$541.3 million since 1997, the government says Canadian companies have also secured US$1.8 billion in work related to the stealth fighter. “This participation provides Canadian industry with contract opportunities that are only available to program participants,” Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in an email. “Our membership will also allow us preferential pricing and sequencing in the build schedule should the F-35 aircraft be successful in the current future fighter capability program.” Canada actually started to shoulder more of the development costs last year. That is because the Liberal government increased the number of new fighter jets that Canada plans to buy to 88 from 65, even though it has not committed to buying the F-35. News of the payment comes as the federal procurement department confirmed it was considering another extension to the $19-billion competition to replace Canada's CF-18s. The F-35 is one of three planes in running along with Boeing's Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen. The extension was recently requested by one of the three fighter-jet makers. Public Services and Procurement Canada did not confirm which company asked for the extension, but Boeing had previously left the door open to a request because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can confirm that we are currently evaluating a request from industry to extend the deadline for preliminary proposals,” Public Services and Procurement Canada spokeswoman Michele LaRose said in an emailed statement. “We remain committed to providing members of the Royal Canadian Air Force with the fighter aircraft they need to do their jobs, and ensuring the best possible value for Canadians.” The three companies were originally supposed to submit their bids at the end of March, but that was pushed back to June 30 following a request by Saab. Despite the pandemic, the federal procurement department insisted last month that it still expected companies to meet that deadline. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2020. https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/canada-invests-another-us70m-in-f-35-development-despite-no-commitment-to-buy
February 18, 2020 | Local, Aerospace
The Quebec government is defending its decision to invest $30 million in a project to build blimps or airships to transport heavy equipment and supplies to remote areas of the province that lack roads. In June, the government announced it was buying a minority stake in French blimp manufacturer Flying Whales that plans to build a production facility in the Montreal area within five years. The French company is developing a 150-metre-long airship capable of carrying up to 60 tonnes of cargo. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Quebec will join France and China as shareholders in the company founded in 2012. Flying Whales is working with Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) on a propulsion system that would be adapted from existing helicopter turbines. A spokesperson for PWC confirmed the company is a partner in the project, but said it is still too early in the process to add further comment. “I'm not even sure we've signed a contract with Flying Whales, but it's something very different than what's out there and we're always looking to be involved in advanced projects,” said Catherine Cunningham, assistant director, Public Relations and Communications at PWC. However, Quebec opposition parties are demanding access to a study that supports the project, claiming it's not economically feasible. In 2017, the previous Liberal government declined to partner with Flying Whales for a similar project. But the current Quebec government claims the new project is better laid out and is supported by many sources that were not identified. This isn't the first time a company has tried to build airships in the province. In 2015, LTA Aerostructures, a Montreal-based company with American and Canadian backers, announced plans to build a $60 million production facility in Mirabel to build airships capable of transporting up to 70 million tonnes of cargo. However, the plant was never built and the company's website is no longer active. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/quebec-defends-30-million-flying-whales-investment