Retour aux nouvelles

7 décembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

Canadian military to contract out some maintenance work on aging CF-18s to free up front line technicians

LEE BERTHIAUME

OTTAWA

THE CANADIAN PRESS

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 3, 2018UPDATED DECEMBER 3, 2018

The Canadian military is looking to contract out some maintenance work on the country's aging CF-18 fighter jets as well as training to help address a shortage of experienced technicians.

Defence officials revealed the plan during a Commons committee meeting on Monday, in which they also defended the time needed to pick a new jet for the air force and faced calls to reveal how much it will cost to upgrade the CF-18s' combat systems.

The technician shortage was first revealed in an explosive auditor general's report last month in which the watchdog took aim at the Liberals' plan to buy second-hand Australian jets by warning the air force needed more technicians and pilots – not planes.

A number of measures are being introduced to address both shortfalls, air force commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger told the committee, including the contracting out of more involved maintenance that usually takes place away from the front lines as well as some tech training.

The initiatives will free up about 200 experienced aircraft technicians so they can work directly on planes in the field and keep them flying, Meinzinger said, adding in an interview after the meeting that the move would not affect combat readiness.

Initiatives are also being introduced to better support military families, which Meinzinger identified as a key contributing factor in why many pilots and technicians are leaving, while the air force is looking at a new training model to produce more pilots.

Even with these measures, Meinzinger said he expected it to take between five and seven years to have a full complement of pilots and technicians in time to start transitioning from the CF-18s to new state-of-the-art replacements.

“We're putting our shoulder to the wheel,” Meinzinger told The Canadian Press. “This is a top priority. But it's going to take some time, obviously.”

Defence officials faced pointed questions from members of Parliament on both sides of the table during Monday's committee meeting about the length of time it is expected to take for those new replacements to be selected and delivered.

A request for proposals will be released in the spring, with bids due in early 2020. Another full year has been set aside to evaluate those bids and another for negotiations with the winner. Delivery of the first aircraft is expected in 2025 and the last in 2031.

The Defence Department's head of procurement, Patrick Finn, underscored the complexity of the $19-billion project, which has been plagued by delays and political mismanagement for more than a decade as Canada has sought to choose a new fighter.

Those complexities include the usual challenges evaluating and negotiating the capabilities of each of the four aircraft that are expected to compete, Finn said, as well as the industrial benefits to Canada and intellectual-property rights.

At the same time, he added, the process for actually purchasing each of the planes is different given, for example, that Canada is a member of the F-35 stealth fighter project while the U.S. government would need to officially sign off on buying Super Hornets.

In fact, Finn said the government has only limited flexibility in its schedule given that most manufacturers can only start delivering aircraft three years after an order is made – though he remained confident that the timeline would be met.

The length of time was nonetheless a clear concern to some committee members.

Officials were also grilled over the cost of upgrading the CF-18s' sensors, weapons and defensive measures after the auditor general found $3-billion in planned investments over the next decade was only to keep them flying and did not include their combat systems.

The Defence Department's top bureaucrat, deputy minister Jody Thomas, told the committee that an analysis is underway, which includes consulting with the U.S. and other allies, and that a plan is expected in the spring.

But opposition members challenged Thomas when she suggested that the department would not be able to provide cost estimates to the committee before being presented to the government, saying even if it is a matter of security, they are entitled to the information.

“A unilateral declaration by a deputy or anybody that a parliamentary committee cannot have information is unacceptable,” NDP MP David Christopherson said.

“There needs to be one more step to pursue that so that question, which is entirely legitimate in my opinion, can be answered in a way that respects the security and defence issues but also upholds the right of Parliament to demand any information they so choose.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-plan-for-combat-upgrades-to-aging-cf-18s-expected-in-may-defence

Sur le même sujet

  • Canada's new top military commander marks international debut in virtual NATO meeting

    29 janvier 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Canada's new top military commander marks international debut in virtual NATO meeting

    Art McDonald says mutual cooperation and understanding is at the heart of military alliance Murray Brewster · Canada's new top military commander had an international debut of sorts on Wednesday as Admiral Art McDonald attended, via video conference, a meeting of his NATO counterparts. The military alliance's chiefs of defence staff meet on a regular basis and the event was the first for McDonald since he assumed command earlier this month. The discussion was also significant in light of the change in leadership in Washington and the Biden Administration's pledge to reinvigorate ties with allied nations. McDonald, in a Tweet, said "mutual cooperation and understanding is at the heart of the Alliance," but offered no further remarks on the substance of the meeting. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday in a relaxed, friendly discussion that was carried on NATO's YouTube channel. The chat was a stark contrast to some of the free-wheeling, tense and unpredictable media appearances Stoltenberg had with former president Donald Trump, who routinely questioned the value and expense of the alliance. "We've got a mountain of work to do ahead of us, from tackling COVID, to climate, to the security challenges," Biden told the secretary general. "I intend to rebuild and re-establish our alliances, starting with NATO." The words and reassurances were echoed in Stoltenberg's opening remarks to the defence chiefs on Wednesday. He said he was looking forward to working with Biden because "the U.S. and Europe are safer standing together." Push for increased defence spending Under Trump, the U.S. made it a priority to push other NATO nations to spend more on defence and take a greater share of the collective defence burden. In a sign that pressure is not going away, Stoltenberg told the defence chiefs that allies should remain committed to increased military spending, investments in modern capabilities and a higher state of readiness for existing forces. It is a tall order in light of the budget-busting deficits being run by western governments because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Liberal government in Canada has said throughout the crisis that its military spending plans, carved out almost four years ago in its defence policy, are safe from the budget axe. Stoltenberg also said, significantly, that he will present recommendations on how to equip NATO for the future when allied leaders meet in Brussels later this year. And he underlined that he wants NATO to take on a more global approach and work closely with democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. The North Atlantic alliance, which was founded to counter Soviet expansionism in Europe, has increasingly over the last few years grappled with the rise of a more assertive China on the world stage. 'A return to treating allies like allies' A defence analyst said it wasn't hard to spot the lighter mood in the call between Biden and Stoltenberg. "Relief and excitement were the two major emotions — almost palpable — on the call between the Secretary General and President Biden," said Robert Baines, president of the NATO Association of Canada, a non-governmental organization based in Toronto. "The call reminds us just how frayed the tone of the U.S.-NATO relationship has been. None of the statements from the President would have been extraordinary without the context given to them by the past four years." Baines noted Biden's commending of Stoltenberg's "personal diplomacy" over the last few years. "That was no doubt meant to give Mr Stoltenberg some credit for his handling of President Trump," he said. Biden's remarks are significant for Canada because throughout the Trump years the United States often took unexpected unilateral action without consulting allies, Baines added. "Over the past several years, from the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Syria to the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the United States under President Trump was not one that consulted, or even warned, its allies," he said. "On more than one occasion, Canada was left in the lurch because of unilateral action by the United States when our Canadian soldiers were on the ground and potentially in harms-way. President Biden's comments suggest a return to treating allies like allies." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-mcdonald-military-1.5890963

  • U.S. and Canadian fighter jets will conduct military training in the Arctic

    18 août 2020 | Local, Aérospatial

    U.S. and Canadian fighter jets will conduct military training in the Arctic

    ByDylan Malyasov Aug 17, 2020 U.S. and fighter jets will be conducting will conduct air defense exercises in the Arctic region, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The details were given in a media release, to announce North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct an air defense exercise from August 17-21, ranging from the Beaufort Sea to Thule, Greenland. The exercise will include Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter aircraft, CP-140 long-range patrol aircraft, and a CC-150T air refueler; as well as United States Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft, KC-10 refueler, and C-17 transport aircraft. The exercise will be based out of 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta; and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Exercise flights will be conducted over sparsely populated Arctic areas and at high altitudes. The public is not likely to see or hear the exercises; however, there will be increased flight activity at Yellowknife. This exercise is in no way related to the Government of Canada or United States' response to COVID-19. NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft. NORAD carefully plans and closely controls all exercises. This air defense exercise provides us the opportunity to hone our skills as Canadian and U.S. forces operate together with our allies and partners in the Arctic. NORAD has implemented preventative measures including regular hand sanitation, physical distancing, and wearing of face masks in situations where physical distancing is not possible to mitigate potential risk of exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by military members and the local population. In addition, participating U.S. military personnel require two negative COVID-19 tests prior to arriving in Canada, and all military personnel positioned at forward operating locations will be isolated on the base. For more than 60 years, NORAD has identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America through the execution of the command's aerospace warning and aerospace control missions. NORAD also keeps watch over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission. https://defence-blog.com/news/u-s-and-canadian-fighter-jets-will-conduct-military-training-in-the-arctic.html

  • Canada’s CAE buys L3Harris military training unit, with eyes on US programs

    3 mars 2021 | Local, Aérospatial

    Canada’s CAE buys L3Harris military training unit, with eyes on US programs

    CAE defense head Dan Gelston tells Defense News why the $1.05 billion deal positions the company to go after future fighter and bomber programs.

Toutes les nouvelles