6 mai 2020 | Local, Aérospatial

Canada invests another US$70M in F-35 development despite no commitment to buy

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

Sur le même sujet

  • Rheinmetall Acquires Provectus, a Canadian Robotics Specialist

    1 août 2019 | Local, Aérospatial, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Rheinmetall Acquires Provectus, a Canadian Robotics Specialist

    The takeover of the Canadian company Provectus Robotics Solutions Inc. expands Rheinmetall's technological capabilities in the field of robotics and autonomous driving. In future, both halves of the Group – Automotive and Defence – will benefit from the know-how of the newly acquired robotics specialist. Automation and digitization are among the vital Group-spanning technology clusters which Rheinmetall is systematically working to expand, concentrating knowledge and capacities in order to exploit additional future growth potential. Effective 1 June 2019, Rheinmetall Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group, took over a 100% stake in the Ottawa-based company. Founded in 2010, Provectus Robotics Solutions is a young company specializing in the development of advanced robotic systems and software. Though now owned by Rheinmetall Canada, Provectus will continue to operate under its previous managing director, Paul Rocco. In recent product presentations, Rheinmetall has generated great interest with its Mission Master unmanned multi-mission vehicle, which is based on Provectus technology, modified for military use by Rheinmetall Canada. Everything points to unmanned ground vehicles playing an increasingly important role in future military operations on land, much like unmanned air vehicles in an aviation context. Some will serve in an unarmed logistic or reconnaissance role; others will function as mobile weapon platforms. “We have already been working closely with Provectus in our unmanned ground vehicle project. This vertical integration gives us a decisive advantage in the field of autonomous mobility technology", said Stéphane Oehrli, president and CEO of Rheinmetall Canada. “Since this capacity is also a key enabler for the Automotive division, the whole Rheinmetall Group will hence benefit from Provectus' expertise. The automation of other Rheinmetall mobile platforms is actually an innovation we are already thinking of.” As Paul Rocco from Provectus, explains, “Rheinmetall Canada is the ideal platform for accelerating our growth while simultaneously strengthening our presence in Canada as well as internationally. This is a unique opportunity for the Provectus team to significantly improve our market potential in the world of autonomous driving and to take advantage of new opportunities.” The buyout is part of Rheinmetall's strategy of positioning itself as a preferred supplier of cutting-edge technology – around the world but particularly in Canada, where the Group is a longstanding, tried-and-tested partner of the country's armed forces. Rheinmetall is eager to apply expertise from Provectus Robotics Solutions in implementing ISTAR, a major project of the Canadian armed forces now underway. (The acronym ISTAR stands for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance.) http://www.canadiandefencereview.com/news?news/2708

  • Investing in Canadian Solutions for COVID-19//Investir dans les solutions canadiennes pour combattre la COVID-19

    8 mars 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Investing in Canadian Solutions for COVID-19//Investir dans les solutions canadiennes pour combattre la COVID-19

    Investing in Canadian Solutions for COVID-19 In the spring of 2020, IDEaS pivoted to capitalize on the novel ideas of Canadian innovators in the fight against COVID-19. We are proud to report that 48 contribution agreements were awarded in the past few months, valued at $8.64 million, and were recently announced by Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan. The new contribution agreements will support research and development efforts in the realm of COVID-19 in four specific challenge areas: sanitization of workspaces; pandemic decision making; re-using protective equipment; and moral trauma on the frontline. You can read the news release and see the full list of recipients here. Investing in Defence & Security Capabilities: Read the 2019-2020 IDEaS Annual Report See how some of your IDEaS have come to life! IDEaS has invested significantly in Canadian S&T over the last year, and organizations have been transforming their innovative thinking into tangible solutions for CAF and DND. We wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate our collective efforts and achievements in the IDEaS 2019-2020 Annual Report IDEaS has been able to continue building on the success achieved in 2019-2020. To date we have funded over 440 defence and security solutions and invested more than $160M in Canadian innovators. See the full list of IDEaS funded recipients. And some of these solutions are already being delivered to defence & security stakeholders! Investir dans les solutions canadiennes pour combattre la COVID-19 Au printemps 2020, IDEeS s'est orienté pour capitaliser sur les nouvelles idées des innovateurs canadiens dans la lutte contre la COVID-19. Nous sommes fiers d'annoncer que 48 accords de contribution, d'une valeur de 8,64 millions de dollars, ont été signés et annoncés récemment par le ministre de la Défense Harjit S. Sajjan. Les nouveaux accords de contribution appuieront les efforts de recherche et développement dans le cadre de la COVID-19 dans quatre domaines de recherches spécifiques: • désinfecter les espaces de travail; • prise de décisions dans le cadre d'une pandémie; • réutiliser l'équipement de protection; et • traumatisme moral en première ligne. Vous pouvez lire le communiqué de presse et voir la liste complète des récipiendaires. Investir dans le développement de capacités en défense et sécurité: Lisez le rapport annuel 2019-2020 du programme IDEeS Regardez comment certaines de vos IDEeS ont pris vie ! IDEeS a investi considérablement dans la Science et la Technologie canadienne au cours de la dernière année, et les organisations ont transformé leur pensée novatrice en solutions concrètes pour les FAC et le MDN. Nous voulions profiter de l'occasion pour célébrer nos efforts collectifs et nos réalisations dans le rapport annuel 2019-2020 du programme IDEeS. IDEeS a pu continuer à miser sur le succès obtenu en 2019-2020. À ce jour, nous avons financé plus de 440 solutions de défense et de sécurité et investi plus de 160 millions de dollars sur des innovateurs canadiens. Consultez la liste complète des récipiendaires financés par IDEeS. Et plusieurs de ces solutions sont en train d'être transférées à nos partenaires de la défense et de la sécurité.

  • Canada was left out of key trilateral defence pact. That's a problem, says report from U.S. think-tank | CBC News

    10 mai 2023 | Local, Autre défense

    Canada was left out of key trilateral defence pact. That's a problem, says report from U.S. think-tank | CBC News

    Canada was left out of the trilateral defence and security pact known as AUKUS ? and a?new report by a respected American think-tank?says Ottawa?must overcome its apparent indifference to the deal or risk being left behind by allies.

Toutes les nouvelles