18 février 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

First two used Australian fighter jets arrive in Canada on Sunday

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN

The Royal Canadian Air Force will be showing off its first two used Australian fighter jets on Sunday at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta.

Representatives from the Royal Australian Air Force and the RCAF will mark the arrival of the F-18 jets that morning. Only local media have been invited to cover the event.

The aircraft will be used to bolster the RCAF's CF-18 fleet.

Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defence, told Postmedia in a recent interview that he expected the first two jets in the spring but there was hope they could arrive earlier. The two aircraft will be prepared for flying as quickly as possible.

“I would say it could be by the summer the first couple are on the flight line and painted with the maple leaf,” Finn said.

A second group of planes would arrive later this year. Eighteen of the Australian F-18 aircraft will eventually be flying for the Canadian Forces, while another seven will be used for testing and spare parts.

Canada is paying Australia $90 million for the aircraft. The federal government originally estimated the purchase of the Australian jets would cost around $500 million, but Finn said that price reflected every aspect of the associated deal, not just the cost of purchasing the jets. Canada is also acquiring extra spare parts, the Australian jets will have to be outfitted with specific Canadian equipment and software and testing will be needed.

The $500-million project estimate also included $50 million in contingency funds to cover any problems and another $35 million for the salaries of all civilian and military personnel involved over the life of the project. An additional $30 million will be spent on new infrastructure needed to accommodate the aircraft.

Those costs add up to $360 million, Finn said. But DND also plans to upgrade its existing fleet of CF-18s with new communications gear and equipment required to meet regulations to operate in civilian airspace, improvements which the Australian jets will also eventually receive at a cost of around $110 million, an amount that brought the original estimate to nearly $500 million.

The Liberal government had planned to buy 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to augment the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18s until new aircraft can be purchased in the coming years.

But in 2017 Boeing complained to the U.S. Commerce Department that Canadian subsidies for Quebec-based Bombardier allowed it to sell its C-series civilian passenger aircraft in the U.S. at cut-rate prices. As a result, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a tariff of almost 300 per cent against the Bombardier aircraft sold in the U.S. In retaliation, Canada cancelled the deal to buy the 18 Super Hornets, which would have cost more than US$5 billion.

Instead of buying the new Super Hornets, the Liberals decided to acquire the used Australian jets.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said the extra jets are needed to deal with a “capability gap,” as Canada does not have enough fighters to handle its commitments to NATO as well as protecting North America.

But Conservative MPs say the capability gap doesn't exist and was concocted by the government to delay a larger project to buy new jets, a competition that might end up selecting the F-35 stealth fighter that during the 2015 election campaign the Liberals vowed never to purchase.

In the fall of 2016, then-Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Mike Hood told senators that the Liberal government brought in a policy change which required the RCAF to be able to meet both its NATO and North American air defence commitments at the same time. That, in turn, created the capability gap, he said. Hood said he was not told about the reasons for the policy change.

In November 2018 Auditor General Michael Ferguson issued a report noting that the purchase of the extra aircraft would not fix the fundamental weaknesses with the CF-18 fleet which is the aircraft's declining combat capability and a shortage of pilots and maintenance personnel.

“The Australian F/A-18s will need modifications and upgrades to allow them to fly until 2032,” the report said. “These modifications will bring the F/A-18s to the same level as the CF-18s but will not improve the CF-18's combat capability.”

“In our opinion, purchasing interim aircraft does not bring National Defence closer to consistently meeting the new operational requirement introduced in 2016,” the report added.

The Canadian Forces says it is bringing in new initiatives to boost the numbers of pilots and maintenance staff.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/national/defence-watch/first-two-used-australian-fighter-jets-arrive-in-canada-on-sunday/

Sur le même sujet

  • Arrivée des premiers chasseurs intérimaires à Cold Lake

    18 février 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

    Arrivée des premiers chasseurs intérimaires à Cold Lake

    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

  • Canadian Armed Forces members deploy to Jamaica to train CARICOM troops for Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti.

    1 avril 2024 | Local, Terrestre

    Canadian Armed Forces members deploy to Jamaica to train CARICOM troops for Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti.

    Yesterday, approximately 70 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to Jamaica. At the request of the Jamaican government, they will provide training to military personnel from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations who are set to deploy to Haiti as part of the United Nations-authorized, Kenyan-led, Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

  • U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy Conduct Tri-Party Staff Talks

    25 juillet 2019 | Local, Naval

    U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy Conduct Tri-Party Staff Talks

    HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (NNS) -- Members of Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet staff and the U.S Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command joined Canadian Armed Forces' Joint Task Force Atlantic for the 2019 Tri-Party Staff Talks at Canadian Armed Forces Base Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 18-20. This year's staff talks culminated with Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet (C2F) taking the lead role for the staff talks, as well as Frontier Sentinal, the yearly exercise conducted by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy. The tri-party rotates acting as the lead for the exercise every two years. Until the reestablishment of C2F in 2018, U.S. Fleet Forces command represented the U.S. Navy in the cohort. The talks evaluated the joint organizations' ability to conduct inter-organizational communications at the operational and tactical levels, achieve and maintain shared maritime domain awareness, and conduct collaborative operational planning. All groups will be required to identify any problems, considerations, constraints, and restraints they are likely to encounter within this scenario. Honing these skills is increasingly important as U.S. 2nd Fleet steps into the role previously occupied by U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “I consider our tri-party relationship to be foundational to 2nd Fleets ability to effectively operate,” said Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander U.S. 2nd Fleet. “We need to be seamless in scenario in order to effectively work together in real world operations. We must transcend interoperability to complete integration between our organizations.” Frontier Sentinel is an annual exercise between all three organizations that serves as the cornerstone for validating the interoperability of the tri-party commands and tactical assets, highlighting challenges to interoperability and identifying solutions. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=110346&utm_source=phplist3026&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Headlines

Toutes les nouvelles