2 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
By: David Pugliese
VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canada expects to accept formal bids for a new fighter jet in May, with the first aircraft delivered by 2025, according to Canadian government procurement officials.
A draft bid package for 88 fighters was issued to companies for their feedback by the end of this year, said Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defence. From there, the final bidding instructions for the CA$16 billion (U.S. $12 billion) procurement will be issued and bids required by May 2019, he added.
The aircraft will replace Canada's current fleet of CF-18 fighter jets. The aircraft expected to be considered include Lockheed Martin's F-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale, Saab's Gripen and the Boeing Super Hornet.
The Canadian government will require a robust package of guaranteed industrial benefits or offsets from the winning bidder, government officials said. But that could be a problem for the F-35, as Canada is still a partner in that program, which does not guarantee participating-nations contracts. Work on the F-35 program is based on best value and price.
Canadian industrial participation in the F-35 program has reached $1 billion, as more than 110 Canadian firms have landed contracts related to the aircraft program.
Jeff Waring, director general for industrial benefits policy at the federal Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, said the country sees the fighter jet program as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Canadian economy.”
But he noted the industrial benefits policy is flexible. “It is a market-driven approach,” he said. “It encourages suppliers to make investments that make sense to them.”
The issue of industrial benefits has already been discussed with companies interested in bidding on the project, and those talks will continue as feedback is received on the draft bid package, government officials said.
Email: dpugliese@defensenews.com
10 juillet 2024 | Local, Naval, Sécurité
Canada definitely plans to move forward with the purchase of new submarines, the federal government announced on the margins of the NATO Summit on Wednesday.
8 juin 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
The Government of Canada recently announced it is replacing two Bombarder Challenger 601 utility aircraft with two Challenger 650s for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to allow for continuation of mission critical roles. The retiring aircraft that entered service in the 1980s fall short of operational requirements and are nearly obsolete due to new rules in the United States and Europe that will restrict their ability to fly internationally before the end of this year. The replacement ensures CAF can continue to operate a modern and flexible utility flight service fleet that serves a variety of roles — including reconnaissance and liaison missions with international partners, and the speedy deployment of specialized capabilities and expertise, including the Disaster Assistance Response Team. Without this needed replacement, the Royal Canadian Air Force's operational effectiveness for missions would be limited. The aircraft are used for the medical evacuation of military personnel serving overseas and the safe transport of CAF medical personnel and specialized equipment in the critical first few hours and days of someone being wounded. They are also used for the safe extraction and repatriation of personnel and citizens. The fleet further provides the ability to transport specialized teams from Canada to operational theatres around the world. Earlier this month, a Challenger quickly brought Royal Canadian Navy search experts to Naples, Italy, to support the search for the Cyclone helicopter lost in the Ionian Sea. This fleet provides critical abilities here at home. It has been used in the whole-of-government effort to support Northern, Indigenous and remote communities during COVID-19. In May 2020, it supported the delivery of COVID-19 testing supplies to Nunavut. The aircraft have been at the ready to help provincial and territorial partners with medical evacuations, if required. This fleet is also critical in facilitating the travel of senior government officials, as well as Parliamentarians from all parties due to security and safety considerations. The CAF's existing Challenger fleet consists of four aircraft, two purchased in the early 1980s and two purchased in the early 2000s. With the implementation of new international regulatory and interoperability requirements in 2020, only half of the fleet is fully compliant with international standards. That is why the Department of National Defence has been working on this consolidation initiative since 2018, and why the government entered into a contract with Bombardier this week, after negotiating the most cost-effective option for these capabilities, which were accounted and paid with existing funds in SSE's fiscal framework. The Challenger 650 aircraft is the current production version of the model that the CAF currently operates. This commonality will result in significant benefits in efficiency, cost, and interoperability, both in terms of training and support to operations. “This purchase is another example of our government's commitment to provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the modern equipment they need to carry out the critical work we ask of them. This fleet is a crucial operational capability and ensuring its continuity is another important investment in our women and men in uniform,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, minister of National Defence. “While helping to fulfill the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) operational requirements, this purchase also demonstrates our commitment to Canada's world-class aerospace industry. Having this ready, off-the-shelf option also offers long-term value to the RCAF and to Canada,” said Anita Anand, minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/caf-inks-deal-with-bombardier-to-replace-two-30-year-old-challenger-aircraft
31 octobre 2017 | Local, Naval
OSI Maritime Systems is pleased to announce that the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) will deploy ECPINS® Warship 6.2 on all ships and submarines. ECPINS is recognized as the most advanced Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS), with military capabilities well beyond NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564. STANAG 4564 defines the primary function of WECDIS, which is to contribute to safe navigation and to enhance the conduct of warfare. Further, OSI has received Marine Equipment Directive (MED) Type Approval certification from DNV GL for ECPINS against new International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for ECDIS. These international maritime standards are a requirement of NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564. “We are proud of our relationship with the RCN which began in 2001 with a fleet-wide installation of ECPINS,” said Ken Kirkpatrick, President & CEO. “We attribute that beginning with where OSI is today, a leading provider of integrated navigation and tactical solutions to many of the NATO and Allied navies. In addition, OSI is now a major player in the warship Integrated Bridge System (IBS) market – in fact, we are presently delivering IBS to the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship project.” Headquartered in Burnaby, BC, OSI is the only 100 percent Canadian company that produces and delivers a complete range of naval integrated navigation and tactical solutions across four continents. For more information: Simon Wills +1 778-373-4655 simon.wills@osimaritime.com http://osimaritime.com/mediaReleases/OSI_release20171024_RCN_ECPINS_Upgrade.pdf