27 octobre 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Autre défense
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) says it has suspended the delivery of aircraft engines to "countries with unclear usage" in the wake of reports that some of those engines are being used on Turkish combat drones deployed by Azerbaijan in fighting against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Quebec-based company — better known for its Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles — said it became aware late last week that some of the recreational aircraft engines produced by its Austrian subsidiary, Rotax, are being used on Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
"We have recently been made aware that some Rotax engines are currently used in military UAVs, and have started a thorough investigation immediately," Martin Langelier, BPR's senior vice president and the company's spokesperson, told Radio Canada International in an email statement.
"In the meantime, we are suspending delivery of aircraft engines in countries with unclear usage."
Langelier said that all Rotax aircraft engines are designed and produced in Austria exclusively for civilian purposes and are certified for civilian use only.
Canada suspended most exports of defence technology to Turkey in October of 2019 following the Turkish invasion of northwestern Syria.
Michel Cimpaye, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said exports of items on the country's Export Control List require a permit only when exported from Canada.
Controlled goods and technology exported from another country, however, are subject to the export controls of that country, Cimpaye added.
Gabriele Juen, a spokesperson for the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Rotax engines are used in various motorsports and drones could be used "for a multitude of solely civilian purposes."
"The European Union Control List of Dual Use Items does not list the drone engine in question as a dual use good item," Juen said. "As a consequence, no approval permit is required under Austrian legislation that regulates the export of defence-related goods."
Kelsey Gallagher is a researcher with the disarmament group Project Ploughshares who has studied Canadian exports of drone technology to Turkey.
Gallagher said the matter of BRP recreational aircraft engines ending up on Turkish combat drones exposes a serious flaw in international arms control regimes.
"I think this speaks to the fact that components such as engines should more frequently fall under regulations that we see for what we deem to be more conventional weapons," he said. "Frequently, engines are not controlled as weapons systems even though they are integral, like other components, to the operation of a vehicle."
The Bayraktar TB2 drones also feature optical sensors and target designation systems produced by L3 Harris WESCAM in Burlington, Ont.
On Monday, defence officials in Armenia displayed what they claimed are parts of a Bayraktar TB2 drone and its Canadian-made optical and target acquisition systems, as well as its Rotax engine.
A spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Defence said another Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone was shot down by Armenian air defence units during fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on countries that supply components for the Turkish drone program to follow Canada's example and suspend all exports of such components to Turkey.
Fighting in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which is populated by ethnic Armenians, began on Sept. 27. It's the most significant outburst of violence since a Russian-brokered ceasefire paused hostilities in 1994.
Armenia has repeatedly accused Turkey of supplying Azerbaijan with arms — including drones and F-16 fighter jets — as well as military advisers and jihadist Syrian mercenaries taking part in the fighting.
Armenian officials also have accused Azerbaijan of using the Turkish drones to not only target military forces but also to conduct strikes against civilian infrastructure across Nagorno-Karabakh and in Armenia proper.
Turkey and Azerbaijan have denied these reports. The Turkish embassy did not respond to a request for comment
Officials at Global Affairs Canada said they are investigating allegations regarding the possible use of Canadian technology in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and "will continue to assess the situation."
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne suspended the export permits for WESCAM optical sensors and target acquisition systems on Oct. 6.
However, senior Global Affairs officials speaking at Thursday's briefing for MPs on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could not explain why an exemption was made for these exports in the first place, given the embargo announced in 2019 and renewed in April of this year.
Appearing before the standing committee on foreign affairs and international development, Shalini Anand, acting director general for export controls at Global Affairs Canada, said she could not discuss the issue of the permits because of "commercial confidentiality."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau specifically discussed the issue of WESCAM exports to Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone conversation in April, according to sources who spoke with Radio Canada International on condition of anonymity.
The issue was discussed again during their phone conversation on Oct. 16, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/turkey-armenia-azerbaijan-drones-bombardier-1.5775350
29 avril 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
The Canadian government is allocating funding for the next five years to overhaul NORAD amid new-generation threats such as low-flying cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.
16 avril 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Compete for funding to solve our new marine and microplastics challenges from Transport Canada. Compétitionnez pour recevoir du financement de Transports Canada pour résoudre nos nouveaux défis marins et microplastiques. http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/101.nsf/eng/home Development of quiet depth finder technology Mise au point d'une technologie de sondeur silencieux Filtration of Microplastics in Ship Greywater Filtrer les microplastiques dans les eaux grises des navires Protecting the Southern Resident Killer Whale: Reducing Underwater Noise from Escort Tugs Protéger l'épaulard résident du sud : réduire le bruit sous-marin causé par les remorqueurs d'escorte
25 avril 2019 | Local, Sécurité
Avec une base de données suffisante et une intelligence artificielle, il est parfois possible d'anticiper certains incidents. Certaines plateformes, comme Facebook, travaillent sur des algorithmes permettant de repérer les adolescents suicidaires et d'intervenir dans le cas où ils risquent de passer à l'acte. Au Canada, les forces de l'ordre vont utiliser des modèles prédictifs pour prédire les disparitions avant qu'elles n'aient lieu. Selon un rapport du gouvernement, les modèles prédictifs seront basés sur des publications sur les réseaux sociaux, les dossiers de la police et les services sociaux. Les algorithmes se référeront à une dizaine de facteurs de risques communs, comme des antécédents de fugue ou de violence à la maison, afin d'identifier les personnes susceptibles de disparition. L'initiative fait toutefois l'objet de nombre de critiques. Certains experts pensent que l'utilisation de modèles prédictifs à cette fin pourrait conduire à de faux positifs. Le type d'informations à utiliser n'a pas été dévoilé Le document a été publié le mois dernier par la RDDC (Defence Research and Development Canada), une agence rattachée au ministère de la Défense nationale. Selon le rapport, la conception des modèles prédictifs sera assurée par SPPAL (Saskatchewan Police Predictive Analytics Lab). Ce laboratoire est le fruit d'un partenariat entre la police, le ministère provincial de la Justice et l'Université de la Saskatchewan. La police canadienne utilise déjà les réseaux sociaux pour repérer des cas d'infraction, trouver des suspects et résoudre des enquêtes. Toutefois, le rapport n'indique pas les types d'informations qui seront recueillies sur les médias sociaux. Des risques de faux positifs Tamir Israel est avocat à CIPPIC (Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic). Il a reconnu que les modèles prédictifs de SPPAL pourraient être utilisés pour trier les cas suspects selon leur ordre de priorité. Il est en effet nécessaire de distinguer, par exemple, une éventuelle victime d'enlèvement d'une fugueuse habituelle. « Les forces de l'ordre seront invitées à s'appuyer sur les résultats du modèle prédictif » pour décider de la sérieuse prise en charge d'un cas de personne disparue », a-t-il déclaré à Motherbord. Toutefois, il a souligné que ces modèles prédictifs sont souvent opaques dans leur fonctionnement, en s'appuyant sur des facteurs que les policiers eux-mêmes ne peuvent pas évaluer ou deviner. Il a noté que les informations sur les réseaux sociaux ne sont pas toujours fiables et augmentent les risques de faux positifs. Il a également noté que cette méthode pourrait conduire à des résultats faussés lorsque les modèles sont appliqués à des groupes minoritaires. Il craint qu'ils ne fassent pas de différences entre les cultures. « Nous savons que les modèles prédictifs sont loin d'être infaillibles dans des situations réelles et qu'il y aura des faux positifs », a-t-il rappelé. « Les conséquences d'une intervention basée sur un faux positif peuvent être très graves. » http://www.fredzone.org/au-canada-les-policiers-vont-utiliser-les-reseaux-sociaux-pour-predire-les-disparitions-avant-quelles-ne-se-produisent-998 http://cradpdf.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc335/p809812_A1b.pdf