24 janvier 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
LEE BERTHIAUME, OTTAWA, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada is poised to contribute tens of millions of dollars toward further development of the F-35 stealth fighter even as the federal government wrestles with whether to buy the plane or not.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Department of National Defence's head of military procurement says there are no plans for Canada to quit as one of nine partner countries in the F-35 stealth fighter program until after the Trudeau government completes the competition to determine which fighter jet will replace Canada's aging fleet of CF-18s.
“We're committed to staying there (in the program) until we understand where the competition will bring us,” said Patrick Finn, assistant deputy minister of material at National Defence.
The competition is expected to be launched this spring.
The F-35 is one of four planes currently slated to participate in the $19-billion competition, which will result in the purchase of 88 new fighter aircraft to serve as the air force's backbone for the coming decades.
The Trudeau Liberals campaigned on a promise not to buy the F-35s in 2015, but have since backed away from that pledge. The Harper Conservatives first announced plans to buy 65 F-35s in 2010, but ran into controversy over cost.
Staying on as a partner in the F-35 program comes with advantages, Finn says, including the ability for Canadian companies to compete for billions of dollars in contracts associated with building and maintaining the stealth fighter.
Partners are also allowed to buy the F-35 at a lower price than non-partners, who must pay a variety of fees and other costs to purchase the plane.
“We want to keep the F-35 as an option, as a contender in the competition,” Finn said.
“We want to also make sure that while that's unfolding, that Canadian industry that have competitively won contracts get to continue to do that.”
The Defence Department says Canadian companies have won more than $1.25-billion in F-35-related contracts over the years.
Yet there are also costs to being a partner; Canada has so far invested more than $500-million into the program over the past 20 years, including $54-million last year.
Its next annual payment is due this spring and there will likely be more as the competition isn't scheduled to select a winner until 2021 or 2022. The first new aircraft is expected in 2025 and the last in 2031.
There are some technical issues that government officials are working through that could impact how it runs the competition to replace the CF-18s.
One of those is how to ensure the various bids are all measured equally. In addition to Lockheed Martin's F-35, bids are expected from Boeing's Super Hornet, Eurofighter's Typhoon and Saab's Gripen.
All four companies recently provided feedback on a draft process that the government has drawn up to run the competition, and another round of consultations is scheduled for mid-February.
A big question facing Lockheed is how it can meet Ottawa's usual requirement that companies who are awarded large military contracts invest back into Canada on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
The F-35 partnership agreement that Canada signed with the other countries bars such promised investments and instead stipulates that companies must compete for the work.
Finn said all four jet companies have unique challenges and circumstances, and that officials in charge of the competition could inject some flexibility into how the requirement is handled.
“There is absolutely flexibility and I would say my colleagues in (the federal industry department) demonstrate that on a weekly, monthly basis,” he said.
“They would be the first to say, and they're very good at saying, is: ‘Well listen, the first intent is to get the right military capability. We want to have the offsets as well, and with a given market segment, what it is that we do and how do we do it.“'
14 mai 2024 | Local, Terrestre
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, concluded a productive two-day visit to Washington, D.C., where he discussed Canada’s defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, with our American allies and partners.
4 septembre 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Sécurité
David Pugliese Students and staff at the Royal Military College won't know until mid-September whether their personal information has been compromised, more than two months after a cyber attack forced the shutdown of the organization's computers. An extensive review of information contained on the college's computer-based academic network is underway, according to the Department of National Defence. That network is used for general administration, student communications and research. “Initial indications are the extent of the compromise appears limited primarily to non-classified administrative information and correspondence,” DND spokeswoman Christina Kasper said in an email. “When the review is complete, a general statement based on findings will be shared with all network users regarding the extent of the compromise.” The cyber attack took place July 3. “If, during the course of the assessment, it is determined any personally identifiable information was compromised, individual network users who were found to be at risk will be immediately and directly contacted by the chain of command,” Kasper added. She noted that the office of the Privacy Commissioner was notified about the incident at the college in Kingston, Ont. RMC professors have been told not to access or retrieve their files on college computers, even with a USB stick. Staff and students have also been trying since July 3 to find out if their personal data has been compromised. But an email summary of an Aug. 25 town hall that took place to discuss the computer attack acknowledged very little information is being provided by the college. “Very few specific concerns were addressed in the town hall other than the presentation of the computer network issues that transpired and the way ahead for re-implementation of the RMC network,” the email to staff noted. “Personal data loss was mentioned as a possibility that had been brought up in the media. There is currently an ongoing investigation with the goal to determine define what may have transpired and to inform any that may be affected. No other details were provided.” Global News reported Aug. 18 that what appears to be data from the Royal Military College was leaked on the dark web. Many of the files appear to include student progress reports, acceptance letters, as well as a myriad of financial documents like tax receipts and budgets for various departments, Global News noted. DND has not confirmed whether the information on the dark web came from the college's computers. The college's academic computer system is separate from the operational computers used by DND and the Canadian Forces and corporate networks were not affected by the attack. “All early indications suggest this incident resulted from a mass phishing campaign,” said DND spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande. “This incident has not affected any classified systems or classified research at the Royal Military College.” The RCMP's National Cyber Crimes unit is investigating. Lamirande said the Royal Military College expects its fall academic term to begin as scheduled on Sept. 8. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/royal-military-college-staff-students-wont-know-until-mid-september-if-personal-info-compromised-in-cyber-attack/wcm/78796df3-0eb7-42a2-a057-e148b63c65ec/
24 août 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
Canadian Businesses with Aerospace Capabilities, Remote Piloted Systems and Autonomous Technologies Are Encouraged to Apply SAN DIEGO, Aug. 19, 2020 /CNW/ -- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), announced that it will engage Canadian companies to participate in the development and success of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian® RPAS. Companies with an interest in participating can apply using GA-ASI's web-based participation request form. "GA-ASI is always looking to build on our existing Canadian industry relationships," said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. "A strong North American industrial partnership contributes to the growth and success of our domestic and international endeavors. Team SkyGuardian Canada is aimed at building long-term relationships that advance Remotely Piloted Systems and Autonomous Technologies (RPS-AT) and developing sustainable jobs in Canada." Companies with proven aerospace and defense capabilities in the following areas are encouraged to apply: Aircraft Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Sensor Data Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED) Airborne Sensors/Payloads Global Supply Chain for aircraft components & manufacturing Research and Development (R&D) related projects for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Canadian companies are invited to submit a request to participate, along with their company profiles and additional information requested through the Strategic Industry Engagement Request form, located at https://www.ga-asi.com/canada-industry-engagement. The registration site will remain open until September 19, 2020. Companies will be notified in October if they have been selected to participate. Hi-resolution images of MQ-9B SkyGuardian are available to qualified media outlets from GA-ASI. For more information on Team SkyGuardian Canada, go to http://www.ga-asi.com/teamskyguardiancanada. About GA-ASI General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With more than six million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent flight that enables situational awareness and rapid strike. The company also produces a variety of ground control stations and sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas. For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com. SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, Predator and Lynx are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. GA-ASI Media Relations General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. +1 (858) 524-8101 ASI-MediaRelations@ga-asi.com SOURCE General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ga-asi-to-host-strategic-industry-engagements-in-canada-868147819.html