26 février 2020 | International, Aérospatial

Canada's protracted fighter jet procurement race hits new delay

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's protracted effort to buy 88 new fighter jets hit a new delay on Tuesday when the government granted potential bidders another three months to submit their proposals.

Governments of various stripes have been trying for well over a decade to replace a fleet of ageing Boeing Co CF-18 jets, some of which are more than 40 years old. Last July, Ottawa launched the competition for a contract worth between C$15 billion ($11.30 billion) and C$19 billion.

The deadline for submitting preliminary proposals had been end-March. But the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that at the industry's request, the deadline had been pushed back to June 30 to give bidders more time to address security questions.

In 2017, Canada announced it would buy a fleet of older Australian F-18 jets to help keep the air force operational until the new planes start arriving in 2025.

“Here we go again with more Liberal dithering and delaying because of Trudeau's weak leadership. Meanwhile our air force is stuck with old rusted out fighters from Australia!” tweeted legislator James Bezan of the official opposition Conservatives.

The main contenders are Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing, while Sweden's Saab AB is also participating. Last August Airbus SE withdrew, citing onerous security requirements.

The office of Procurement Minister Anita Anand said the government had outlined what security steps contenders needed to take to ensure their planes could operate with allies.

European jets must meet stringent standards required by the United States, which with Canada operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Canada has experienced many military procurement problems since the early 1990s, variously featuring search and rescue helicopters, trucks, close combat vehicles and submarines.

David Perry, a defense analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute think tank, said Ottawa routinely extended time lines to ensure useful feedback from potential suppliers.

“This is a project where they have been progressively adding time for well over a decade,” he said by phone. “The net result is that they keep pushing back (the time) when they will actually get new aircraft.”

Airbus and other contenders had complained Ottawa appeared to be tilting the race in favor of Lockheed Martin's F-35 plane, which the Royal Canadian Air Force wants. Canada is part of the consortium that developed the plane.

None of the three contenders was immediately available for comment.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-fighterjets/canadas-protracted-fighter-jet-procurement-race-hits-new-delay-idUSKBN20J23V

Sur le même sujet

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 01, 2020

    2 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 01, 2020

    U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Raytheon Technologies, McKinney, Texas, (H92408-21-C-0001) was awarded a $235,576,667 C-Type, multi-year procurement contract for the production and delivery of the Silent Knight Radar in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) requirements. Fiscal 2020 procurement funds in the amount of $8,181,918; and fiscal 2021 procurement funds in the amount of $61,181,024 are being obligated at time of award. The work will be performed in McKinney and Forest, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by July 2025. This is a sole-source award in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. ARMY Better by Design LLC,* New Boston, Missouri (W912P9-21-D-0011); Davinroy Mechanical Contractor Inc.,* Belleville, Illinois (W912P9-21-D-0012); Eagle Eye Electric LLC,* Las Vegas, Nevada (W912P9-21-D-0013); Gale Construction of Illinois,* Joliet, Illinois (W912P9-21-D-0014); Bloomsdale Excavating Co. Inc.,* Bloomsdale, Missouri (W912P9-21-D-0015); Keller Construction Inc.,* Glen Carbon, Illinois (W912P9-21-D-0016); Magruder Construction Co. Inc.,* Eolia, Missouri (W912P9-21-D-0017); Shinn Kellogg LLC,* Albia, Iowa (W912P9-21-D-0018); Syte Corp.,* Chicago, Illinois (W912P9-21-D-0019); Medvolt Construction Services LLC,* Kansas City, Missouri (W912P9-21-D-0020); and A&H Ambica JV LLC,* Livonia, Michigan (W912P9-21-D-0021), will compete for each order of the $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of various civil and flood recovery projects. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity. Exp Federal Inc., Chicago, Illinois (W912HN-21-D-2000); Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. Inc., Kansas City, Missouri (W912HN-21-D-2001); and Barge/Emersion JV, Nashville, Tennessee (W912HN-21-D-2002), will compete for each order of the $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineer general design services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 25 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. NAVY Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $28,324,156 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification for the incorporation of additional services for Option Periods Three through Seven under the base operating service contract at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Kingdom of Bahrain. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $139,809,309. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, all management, supervision, tools, materials, supplies, labor and transportation services necessary to perform security operations, galley services, unaccompanied housing, facility management, emergency service requests, urgent service, routing service, facilities investment, custodial, pest control service, integrated solid waste, grounds maintenance, utility management, wastewater, operate reverse osmosis water treatment system, chiller and transportation, at NSA Kingdom of Bahrain. Work will be performed in Kingdom of Bahrain. Performance period is Dec. 1, 2020, to Nov. 30, 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2021 O&M (Coast Guard); and fiscal 2021 O&M (Army) contract funds in the amount of $912,863 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Europe Africa Central, Naples, Italy, is the contracting activity (N62470-17-D-4007). Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $22,251,961 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification for the exercise of Option Three under the base operating services contract at Naval Support Activity (NSA), Kingdom of Bahrain. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $168,133,467. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, all management, supervision, tools, materials, supplies, labor and transportation services necessary to perform security operations, galley services, unaccompanied housing, facility management, emergency service requests, urgent service, routing service, facilities investment, custodial, pest control service, integrated solid waste, grounds maintenance, utility management, wastewater, operate reverse osmosis water treatment system, chiller and transportation at NSA Kingdom of Bahrain. Work will be performed in Kingdom of Bahrain. Performance Period is Dec. 1, 2020 to Nov. 30, 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2021 O&M (Army); and fiscal 2021 O&M (Coast Guard) contract funds in the amount of $22,251,962 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Europe Africa Central, Naples, Italy, is the contracting activity (N62470-17-D-4007). Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $12,350,767 modification (P00021) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-19-C-0013. This modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering and obsolescence services in support of the Airborne Low Frequency Sonars integration into MH-60R production aircraft for the governments of India and Denmark. Work will be performed in Brest, France (58%); and Owego, New York (42%), and is expected to be completed in October 2024. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $12,350,767 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC, Haupauge, New York, is awarded a $9,322,942 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Angler System for Seabed Warfare effort. This contract provides for the design and development, fabrication, assembly, integration and test and operational utility assessment of a weapon technology that is capable of operating in a deep-water environment. Work will be performed in Haupauge, New York, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 2, 2022. The total cumulative value of this contract is $9,322,942. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,322,942 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-21-C-1006). Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $7,826,832 cost-reimbursement task order modification (N33191-18-F-4417) to exercise Option Period Two and provide additional services under the cost-plus-award-fee contract for base operating support services at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Redzikowo, Poland. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $19,712,582. The work to be performed provides for furnishing all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, incidental engineering and other items necessary to provide the base operating support services at NSF Redzikowo. Work will be performed in Slupsk, Poland. This option period is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Nov. 30, 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2021 research and development (Department of Defense) contract funds in the amount of $7,826,832 will be obligated on individual modifications to this task order during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Europe Africa Central, is the contracting activity (N62742-16-D-3551). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is being awarded a $7,654,990 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost (no fee) modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-5104 to exercise options for ship integration and test of the AEGIS Weapon System (AWS) for AWS baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. This option exercise will provide AEGIS shipboard integration engineering, AEGIS test team support, AEGIS modernization team engineering support, ballistic missile defense (BMD) test team support and AWS element assessments. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (33%); San Diego, California (25%); Everett, Washington (25%); Bath, Maine (10%); Moorestown, New Jersey (3%); Camden, New Jersey (2%); and various locations across the U.S., each less than 1% (2%), and is expected to be completed by November 2021. Fiscal 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,409,269 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 30, 2020) AIR FORCE CORRECTION: A contract announced on Nov. 23, 2020, to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Clearfield, Utah (FA8202-21-D-0001), in the amount of $185,700,000 for the A-10 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program Legacy VII has not yet been awarded. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2431502/

  • Maintainers Maintain Mission Readiness

    15 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial

    Maintainers Maintain Mission Readiness

    By Airman 1st Class Adriana Barrientos Fighter jets and heavies can rule the skies, but they need to get there first. It takes strict attention to detail from aircraft maintainers to service aircraft in order to launch them to the battlefield. Airmen from the 703rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron identified and fixed a misplaced spoiler control rod on the E-3 Sentry during a Home Station Check at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, June 3, 2019. Aircraft maintainers play a huge role when it comes to mission readiness. After all, they are responsible for the upkeep of aircraft that fly through the skies. It's imperative for these Airmen to be meticulous, confident and disciplined in order to carry out their mission— inspect aircraft and troubleshoot problems. The 703rd AMXS supports JBER's worldwide contingency and maintenance operations for the 3rd Wing, 11th Air Force, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. They are responsible for the C-17 Globemaster III, E-3 Sentry, and C-130 Hercules. Crew chiefs assigned to the 703rd AMXS are assigned to either the 962nd or the 517th Aircraft Maintenance Units. One type of aircraft maintained by the 962nd AMU is the E-3 Sentry. As an airborne warning and control system or AWACS aircraft, it performs an essential mission, distinguishing between friendly and enemy activity. It also provides airborne command and control in addition to conducting all-altitude, all-weather surveillance. “I come to work and figure out what the flying and maintenance schedule is for the day,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. John Hays, 962nd AMU crew chief lead for two E-3B/C aircraft. “On a typical day, we launch one of the jets for a four to six-hour sortie and recover the jet towards the end of the shift. Once the jet lands, the other crew chiefs and I will perform a post-flight inspection and fix anything we find.” As a crew chief, Hays performs visual inspections of the entire structure of the aircraft. These include calendar inspections, which serve to provide constant observation of all components of the aircraft to ensure reliability. It was June 3rd when an issue with the jet's spoiler rod was identified during an in-depth calendar inspection, known as a Home Station Checks. “Calendar inspections vary, but a really important one is the Home Station Check that is completed every 180 days,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brandon Solomons, 962nd AMU crew chief. “One of the biggest things we look for during these inspections is irregular rubbing of moving components. During our mid-shift, Senior Airman Eric Goodholm noticed one of the rods was pushed up against another component in the wing called the flap track gearbox.” In this case, it was the spoiler control rod, which was not damaged but could have potentially caused a major problem during the flight. “A spoiler control rod basically helps lift the spoiler— a vital flight control surface that allows the jet to turn in flight, as well as a brake or slow down the jet during approach and landing,” said Solomon. “The pushrod is not supposed to rub on the gearbox, so myself and our production superintendent performed further investigations,” said Hays. “I identified that the two outboard spoilers follow up pushrods were connected incorrectly to the idler arm, therefore causing the pushrod to rub on the gearbox.” The total time to fix the issue was a combined eight hours, to include an operation check. “I led the fix of the malfunction along with Staff Sgt. Solomons,” said Hays. “We disconnected and reconnected the pushrods to the idler arm correctly, which provided the proper clearance from the gearbox.” These kinds of calendar inspections allow maintainers to identify defects before malfunctions cause serious danger or harm to the aircraft or personnel. In any case, a setback with the aircraft is a setback to the mission. “After ensuring the rod wasn't damaged, we got in touch with Tinker Air Force Base, and they found the same problem on three of their jets,” said Solomons. “This discovery drove a Time Change Technical Order, implemented to prevent flight binding across the fleet.” Time Change Technical Orders, or periodic updates to aircraft that authorize the modification of a system, were pushed to keep the operational tempo on track. As an air defense system, E-3s can detect, identify and track airborne enemy forces far from the boundaries of the United States or NATO countries. It can direct fighter-interceptor aircraft to these enemy targets. Thus being a vital component to the mission in day to day operations. “Something like this could have been easily overlooked, but Senior Airman Goodholm is very thorough and paid great attention to detail,” said Solomons. After the team made modifications and the pushrods were properly connected, a rig check was performed to verify if the spoilers were in the proper configuration. “I can say Senior Airman Goodholm, Staff Sgt. Hays and I contributed by identifying and planning a course of action to fix this issue, but it was an effort as an AMU that fixed the discrepancy,” said Solomons. “With the unit's team effort and strong leadership the problem was identified, fixed and the jet was able to go and perform the mission again.” General maintenance actions and inspections by not only the 703rd AMXS, but all maintainers require attention to detail day in and day out. The lives of the crew and mission success depend on it. https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/Article/1933112/maintainers-maintain-mission-readiness/source/GovD/

  • QinetiQ receives second DA62 MPP special mission platform - Skies Mag

    3 octobre 2022 | International, Aérospatial

    QinetiQ receives second DA62 MPP special mission platform - Skies Mag

    The brand-new DA62 MPP special mission aircraft will support QinetiQ’s delivery of training and reconnaissance missions.

Toutes les nouvelles