With Airbus MRTT, Canada contracts for larger and more flexible refueling fleet - Skies Mag

On the same subject

• 

  July 22, 2019 | Local, Naval

  Victoria Shipyards signs contract to maintain Canada's West Coast-based Halifax-class Frigates

  VICTORIA, July 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards has signed a contract to perform Docking Maintenance work on the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) fleet of Halifax-class frigates. This work has been executed by Victoria Shipyards for the last decade under the Frigate Life Extension (FELEX) modernization program. The maintenance support for Canada's frigates will see Seaspan provide docking work periods for Canada's five Halifax-class frigates stationed on the West Coast. The Government of Canada also announced similar work would be conducted by two other Canadian shipyards for Canada's seven East Coast-based Halifax-class frigates. The initial phase of the contract awarded for Seaspan's work is valued at $500 million and, with contractual extensions, will provide long-term stability for Seaspan's workforce over the next several decades. Work will be conducted at Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards which operates out of the federally-owned Esquimalt Graving Dock. Today's announcement builds on the company's exemplary record as a partner to the Government of Canada on past Halifax-class modernization efforts. With a well-earned reputation for on-time, high quality delivery of large modernization and conversion projects, Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards is a trusted partner to the Government of Canada and a range of commercial customers. This includes engagement as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Canada to perform upgrades to New Zealand's ANZAC-class frigates, the first time that a foreign warship will undergo a modernization in Canada since the Second World War. As a subcontractor to Babcock Canada the shipyard provides ongoing in-service support for Canada's fleet of Victoria-class submarines. The company also continues to make its mark in the commercial sector as one of the few North American shipyards executing work on international cruise vessels and performing the first major vessel LNG duel fuel conversion on two ships. QUOTES "This vital, long-term work demonstrates the government's continued commitment to supporting the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy by providing them with the equipment they need to protect Canadian interests at home and abroad. Together with our shipbuilding partners, we are fulfilling federal fleet requirements, advancing Canadian technological innovation and creating jobs across this great country." The Honourable Carla Qualtrough Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility "Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards has developed a reputation for exceptional reliability in its work as a service provider for both government and commercial clients on complex projects. The award of this contract is the latest vote of confidence from the Government of Canada in Seaspan's role as its long-term west coast partner for shipbuilding and ship repair. This contract will allow our team to build on past experience as we continue to perform vital maintenance work on Canada's fleet of frigates." Mark Lamarre Chief Executive Officer, Seaspan Shipyards "Victoria Shipyards executed the first docking packages on the Halifax Class as they were built and stationed in Victoria, and we are proud and humbled to be awarded a contract that will allow us the opportunity to work these vessels to their end of life. The production-driven team approach we and our DND and FMF partners are committed to will allow Canada's fleet to continue sailing proudly and safely at sea. This contract will continue to generate high wage employment to the men and women working in our trades who remain a core focus of our business. Well done to our Victoria Shipyard team!" Joe O'Rourke Vice President & General Manager, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards QUICK FACTS Maintenance on Canada's Halifax-class frigates is expected to support employment for hundreds of Canadian workers The frigates require a wide range of engineering change work, equipment installations, docking work and corrective maintenance activities to ensure they remain operationally available and relevant through to their end of life With its past work on the Frigate Life Extension Program (FELEX) for Canada's Halifax-class frigates, Victoria Shipyards generated more than 4.5M labour hours To date, Victoria Shipyards has provided docking work periods (DWP): 19 DWP for frigates 3 DWP for destroyers 3 DWP for Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/victoria-shipyards-signs-contract-to-maintain-canada-s-west-coast-based-halifax-class-frigates-805037403.html

• 

  November 23, 2018 | Local, Naval

  Frigate design decision challenged in Federal Court, putting $60B program in limbo

  Murray Brewster · CBC News Winning bid 'incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements,' says Alion Canada One of the losing bidders in the competition to design the navy's next generation of warships has asked the Federal Court to overturn the recent decision to award the contract to a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, asked for a judicial review on Friday — a challenge that could mean more delays to the $60 billion program. The company had pitched the Dutch-designed De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate as their solution for the Canadian navy. It's asking the court to set aside an Oct. 19 decision to select Lockheed Martin Canada the preferred bidder and to prevent the federal government from entering into negotiations with the company, which has offered up the BAE Systems-designed Type 26 frigate. In their court filing, Alion officials argue that the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender. Notably, they say the Type 26 cannot meet the mandatory speed requirements set out by the navy and that both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Irving Shipbuilding, the yard overseeing the construction, should have rejected the bid outright. Alion said it "submitted a fully-compliant and conforming bid at enormous expense" and argued it "has been denied the fair treatment (it was) owed." The court application also points out that the design tender was amended 88 times during the 22 months it was under consideration and that the changes "effectively diluted the [warship] requirements" and allowed the government and Irving to select "an unproven design platform." Rising cost estimates Over two years ago, the Liberal government said it wanted to select a "mature design" for the new frigates, rather than designing a warship from scratch. Former public works minister Judy Foote said it would be a faster, cheaper solution. Unlike its two competitors, the Type 26 has yet to enter service with the Royal Navy and competitors have privately knocked it as "paper ship." Navantia, a Spanish-based company, was the other failed bidder. It headed a team that included Saab and CEA Technologies and proposed the F-105 frigate design, a ship in service with the Spanish navy. The Liberal government plans to build 15 new warships and hoped to get construction underway in the early 2020s. The program, which has been beset with delays and rising cost estimates, is intended to replace the navy's aging Halifax-class frigates, the backbone of the nation's maritime fighting force. Federal procurement officials had hoped to nail down a complete design contract with Lockheed Martin by the winter. The court challenge now puts that timeline in doubt. It also has enormous implications for Irving, which has been concerned about a slowdown in warship production between the current Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship program and the frigate replacements, which are formally titled 'Canadian Surface Combatants'. No one at Public Works or Lockheed Martin was immediately available for comment on Wednesday. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/frigate-design-decision-challenged-in-federal-court-putting-60b-program-in-limbo-1.4915501

• 

  April 13, 2021 | Local, C4ISR

  Canada cancels permits for high-tech arms exports to Turkey | CBC News

  The federal government has cancelled arms export licences for Turkey’s high-tech drone systems after a review found “credible evidence” that Canadian technology was diverted to Azerbaijan without Ottawa’s consent and was used in fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh last fall, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said today.