3 octobre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
By David Krayden
Last week the United States Marine Corps flew the F-35 joint strike fighter into combat for the first time. That same day, one of the fighters also set a first: crashing in South Carolina — fortunately without the loss of life. As military aviators would remark, crap happens (or words to that effect).
The state-of-the-art fighter jet first flew as a prototype in 2006 and has been flying with the United States Air Force since 2011. The Royal Air Force in the U.K. also uses the F-35. And just this year, in a moment of sheer historical irony, the Royal Australian Air Force took delivery of its first F-35s.
Why irony? Because just as Australia was welcoming its new jets to its defence inventory, Canada was at the doorstep begging for Australia's used F-18s. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan had come calling because politics had again intervened in Canada's storied but sorry defence procurement planning. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, not knowing what to do with the obsolescent CF-18s — ordered by his father in the late 1970s for a 1982 delivery — had been musing about buying some Super Hornets from Boeing but had decided not to in a peevish fit of trade retaliation.
Of course the Super Hornets were only a “stop-gap” measure anyway, as both Trudeau and Sajjan emphasized. The contract to replace the entire fleet of aging CF-18s would be delayed again because Trudeau did not want to buy the previous Conservative government's fighter replacement choice: the F-35.
But there's an additional irony here. The F-35 was not just the choice of the Harper government. It was initially selected by the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien. The primary reason: interoperability with our primary allies. The U.S., U.K. and Australia would all be buying the F-35 so it just made sense.
I was working at the House of Commons at the time for the Official Opposition defence critic, who thought the decision to participate in the development, and eventually, the procurement of the F-35, was a refreshing but rare moment of common-sense, non-political defence planning on the part of the government.
Full article: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canadas-fighter-jet-debacle-this-is-no-way-to-run-a-military
1 juin 2023 | Local, Aérospatial
The project builds further upon the relationship between Canada, Leonardo, and Leonardo’s Canadian partners, and is expected to contribute $79 million annually to the Canadian GDP over 12 years.
4 février 2021 | Local, Naval
02/03/2021 | 09:06am EST Ultra is delighted to announce a contract award to commence work on the key Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) system for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program - named the Towed Low Frequency Active Sonar (TLFAS). This subcontract moves the development of CSC's anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability from the program definition phase into the full manufacture and delivery of the vessels suite of sonars. The TLFAS is a world-class towed sonar solution, optimized for the detection and tracking of stealthy submarines in challenging ocean environments. When delivered it will represent a step-change in Canada's anti-submarine warfare assets and will provide a level of sonar capability never before enjoyed by the Royal Canadian Navy. The TLFAS system is fully designed and manufactured by Ultra in Nova Scotia, Canada. Its design also includes components built by other Canadian companies, such that the industrial benefit of this system selection is spread across multiple Provinces. The selection of this system for CSC therefore means that Canadian industrial content is maximized in the delivery of the initial systems, and that the skillsets and facilities required to maintain the system through its operational life are also resident in Canada. More broadly, Ultra is proud that its work on the CSC program is proving to be an important vector for growth of Canadian jobs, innovation and investment. In the two years since having been originally awarded program definition studies for CSC, working in close partnership with Lockheed Martin Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Ultra's Canadian team has grown by over 150 employees, with another 80 high-tech roles expected to be made available in 2021 alone. The program is also triggering major Canadian investment decisions by Ultra in terms of facilities, inward technology transfer and research partnerships which will be announced through the course of 2021. Overall, Ultra's role on CSC is a very good example of the Industrial and Technological Benefits that the program is providing to Canada, and of the enduring impact that the program will have on sovereign naval capability for the nation. Bernard Mills, President of Ultra Maritime Sonar Systems commented: 'Ultra recognizes our responsibility to provide, through CSC, the highest possible level of ASW capability to the Royal Canadian Navy. We are therefore immensely proud of this contract award, especially because it is grounded in Canadian innovation and ingenuity, and because it will be an enduring driver of both operational capability and national industrial benefit. Most importantly, this is not just a success for Ultra but is one for the entire CSC enterprise, and I want to thank our strong partners in Lockheed Martin Canada, Irving Shipbuilding Inc., and all our peers on the CSC team who are as dedicated as we are to the delivery of a world-class naval capability to Canada, built by Canadians'. The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, noted: 'As we work to build the future fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, we are pleased to see companies like Ultra stepping up to provide leading-edge technology for our shipbuilding projects. The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to provide opportunities for Canadian businesses of all sizes, from coast to coast to coast.' Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, Darren Fisher, highlighted the benefit of this contract award in his riding: 'I am delighted to see the positive economic impact of the National Shipbuilding Strategy across Nova Scotia. Companies like Ultra are playing an important role in the CSC program, while providing good quality jobs here in Dartmouth. Ultra's highly skilled employees will produce the technology needed to help ensure the capability of the Royal Canadian Navy's future fleet.' https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ULTRA-ELECTRONICS-9590141/news/Ultra-Electronics-awarded-Canadian-Surface-Combatant-subcontract-to-provide-Variable-Depth-Sonar-32347338/
18 février 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
Le 17 février 2019 – Cold Lake (Alberta) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Gr'ce à la politique de défense du Canada, Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, le gouvernement du Canada s'assure que nous ayons des aéronefs prêts pour les missions, et dont nous avons besoin pour remplir nos obligations nationales et internationales, en prévision de l'arrivée de chasseurs pour remplacer la flotte entière de CF-18. Aujourd'hui, l'Aviation royale du Canada (ARC) a annoncé l'arrivée des deux premiers chasseurs provisoires, une étape importante et un investissement dans le soutien de notre flotte actuelle de CF-18 Hornet. Le Canada achète 18 chasseurs et des pièces auprès du gouvernement de l'Australie afin d'accroître rapidement la disponibilité de la flotte de CF-18 et de faire en sorte que l'ARC puisse remplir toutes ses obligations simultanément. Ces aéronefs sont du même type que la flotte actuelle de CF-18 du Canada et peuvent être intégrés rapidement à notre flotte. Les modifications et les travaux techniques commenceront immédiatement afin qu'ils puissent avoir une configuration semblable à celle des CF-18 du Canada. Le travail continuera d'être effectué par des entreprises canadiennes. Les livraisons se poursuivront à intervalles réguliers au cours des trois prochaines années, et les aéronefs seront intégrés à la flotte des CF-18 à mesure que les modifications seront complétées. Les derniers aéronefs devraient arriver d'ici la fin de 2021. Citations « La flotte de chasseurs intérimaires est essentielle pour que l'Aviation royale du Canada puisse continuer à remplir sa mission et assurer la sécurité de la population canadienne et du Canada. Nous connaissons bien ces aéronefs et sommes convaincus qu'ils peuvent fournir le soutien supplémentaire dont notre flotte actuelle a besoin. Ils ont été transportés hier par la Force aérienne royale d'Australie et j'ai h'te de les voir voler à nouveau sous nos couleurs canadiennes. » Harjit S. Sajjan, ministre de la Défense « La livraison de ces aéronefs viendra appuyer nos militaires pour qu'ils puissent réaliser leurs missions et répondre aux obligations internationales du Canada. Dans le cadre de l'approvisionnement, nous ferons les investissements nécessaires dans ces appareils pour veiller à ce qu'ils répondent aux besoins de l'Aviation royale canadienne. » Carla Qualtrough, Ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilité Faits en bref Ces deux premiers aéronefs sont le modèle F/A-18A, ce qui signifie qu'il s'agit d'appareils à siège unique. Ces aéronefs se sont rendus de Nellis (Nevada) à Cold Lake (Alberta), où ils participaient à l'exercice RED FLAG. Les modifications et l'entretien de la flotte actuelle de CF-18 continueront d'être nécessaires jusqu'à ce que l'ARC passe à un futur chasseur. Un examen des améliorations de la capacité de combat est en cours. Comme il est indiqué dans Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, des efforts dynamiques de maintien en poste et de recrutement sont en cours pour s'assurer que l'ARC atteigne le nombre et les niveaux d'expérience voulus chez les pilotes et les techniciens. Les aéronefs seront utilisés à la 3e Escadre Bagotville et à la 4e Escadre Cold Lake. Le Canada continue de faire des progrès dans le remplacement de sa flotte de chasseurs. La demande officielle de propositions pour la future flotte de chasseurs devrait être publiée au printemps 2019, et l'attribution d'un contrat devrait suivre en 2021-22, les livraisons devant commencer en 2025. Liens connexes Documentation : Intégration des chasseurs australiens à la flotte actuelle de l'Aviation royale canadienne Protection, Sécurité, Engagement : La politique de défense du Canada Chasseurs Projet de capacité future en matière d'avions chasseurs CF-18 Hornet Images fixes et vidéo de l'arrivée des deux aéronefs australiens le samedi 16 février https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2019/02/arrivee-des-premiers-chasseurs-interimaires-a-cold-lake.html