20 décembre 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
Murray Brewster
The audacious attack on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq refinery and the Khurais oil field last September sent shivers down the spines of some Canadian military planners.
The stunning damage caused by a swarm of drones and cruise missiles — launched either from Iraqi or Iranian territory — proved to be an almost perfect illustration of the kind of vulnerability the Canadian Army faces in the rapidly evolving modern battlefield.
It's been seven years since the army retired the last of its ground-based air defence systems. By all indications, it will be another eight years before the Department of National Defence acquires a replacement system.
The Liberal government's defence policy talks about buying new anti-aircraft equipment — and perhaps now anti-drone technology — but the project is still only in what defence officials call the "options analysis" phase.
The commander of Canada's army said restoring that anti-aircraft defence is one of his top priorities.
"Air defence is right at the top of the pile of stuff I want to get in," Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre told CBC News earlier this month.
"It is a capability shortfall right now. And as you see the emerging threats out there, it is one that concerns me."
Eyre, who recently served as deputy commander of the United Nations Command in Korea, described the technology used to attack the Saudi facilities as "an emerging threat" that Canada's soldiers need to be prepared for, especially "the swarming tactics of unmanned aerial vehicles."
For more than 15 years, Canadian military planners — hip-deep in fighting a counter-insurgency war in Afghanistan — were unconcerned about updating Cold War-era equipment meant to shoot down low-flying aircraft. The Taliban had no air force.
The last of the Canadian army's air defence equipment — the Oerlikon Air Defence Anti-Tank System (ADATS) — was retired in 2012 after an aborted attempt to modernize the vehicles. At the time, the federal government under then-prime minister Stephen Harper was cutting $2.1 billion out of the defence budget.
But the threat picture for Canadian soldiers changed dramatically when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. That event launched a new era of state-to-state tensions — one where Canadian troops again face attack from the air.
At the moment, the Canadian Forces' solution for deployments — such as the current mission in Latvia — is to pair Canadians with allied forces that have air defence capabilities.
"We do it as part of a coalition to make sure somebody has that capability, but [the threat] is constantly evolving and we need to be on top of that," said Eyre.
The use of drones in the Saudi attack — and the prospect of artificial intelligence linking unmanned vehicles into a more lethal swarm in the near future — is not something Canadian military planners were looking at until fairly recently.
"One of the stressors in the security environment is the acceleration of technological change. How do we stay abreast of that?" said Eyre. "How do we get equipment into the hands of our soldiers that is advanced as some of our potential adversaries might be?"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anti-aircraft-canadian-forces-1.5399461
14 septembre 2017 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR
L3 WESCAM has won a series of MXTM-Series electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) product and inservice support contracts valued at more than $200 million USD during the first half of 2017. http://www.asdwire.com/press-release-9331/L3-WESCAM-Wins-Contracts-Valued-at-More-Than-US-$200-Million-During-First-Half-of-2017.htm
25 février 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
News release February 25, 2020 - Gatineau, Quebec - Government of Canada The Government of Canada is 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. At the request of industry, the March 30 deadline for preliminary proposals for the Future Fighter Capability Project has been extended. Eligible suppliers now have until June 30, 2020 to complete and submit their proposals. This extension supports our commitment to conduct an open, fair, and transparent competition. Procurements of this magnitude are complex, and submission of a good proposal is important for suppliers and for Canada. This extension allows eligible suppliers to address recent feedback on their security offers, ensuring that Canada receives competitive proposals that meet its technical, cost and economic benefits requirements. Quotes “The government set out an aggressive timeline to implement this very complex, high-value procurement, and while we understand the importance of this procurement for our women and men in uniform, our focus is on moving the process forward as quickly as we can, while ensuring that all bidders have the time they need to put forward their best proposal.” The Honourable Anita Anand Minister of Public Services and Procurement “Our government is making the necessary decisions to get the best aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canada. This extension will allow the eligible suppliers to make their best possible offer to ensure that we are able to provide the equipment our members need at a fair cost to Canadians.” The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan Minister of National Defence “Canada's Industrial Technological Benefits policy is expected to generate high-value jobs and economic growth for Canadian aerospace and defence businesses for decades. Ensuring that all suppliers have the opportunity to put their best bid forward is important to ensure strong economic benefits are secured for Canadians.” The Honourable Navdeep Bains Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts This is the most significant investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years and is essential for protecting the safety and security of Canadians and meeting international obligations. Officials conducted extensive engagement with Canadian aerospace and defence industries to ensure that they are well positioned to participate in the procurement. Canada is using a phased-bid compliance process, which is an additional measure to ensure that bidders will have an opportunity to address non-compliance in their proposals related to mandatory criteria. Following evaluation of preliminary proposals, a dialogue phase may be conducted with one or more compliant bidders to reduce the risk that a proposal is eliminated due to an error or omission. Proposals will be rigorously assessed on elements of capability (60%), cost (20%) and economic benefits (20%). All proposals will be evaluated according to the same evaluation criteria. Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, including a Value Proposition applies to this procurement. This is expected to generate high-value jobs and economic growth for Canadian aerospace and defence businesses for decades. Associated links Future Fighter Capability Project National Defence: Fighter jets Integrating Australian jets into the current Royal Canadian Air Force fighter fleet Contacts Cecely Roy Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Anita Anand 343-549-7293 Media Relations Public Services and Procurement Canada 819-420-5501 media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2020/02/canada-grants-extension-to-the-deadline-for-preliminary-responses-to-the-future-fighter-capability-project-request-for-proposals.html
17 janvier 2024 | Local, Aérospatial
The in-service support deal will help ensure the widely used Griffon helicopters are operational into the mid-2030s.