15 août 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
By Second Lieutenant Kathleen Soucy
The challenges of operating an aircraft in the North are numerous.
“The first challenge is, without a doubt, weather,” says Capt Colin Wilkins, a CC-130J Hercules pilot with 436 Transport Squadron, during a planned flight to Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert.
“Weather can be very unpredictable up North–and change rapidly.”
In order to mitigate risks associated with extreme weather conditions, the aircrew follows a “plan procedure for cold weather operations,” said Cpl Yassabi Siwakoti, an aviation technician.
This even includes a special procedure to start and shut down the aircraft when it is extremely cold, involving the removal and storage of batteries inside the aircraft.
Located 1,834 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, just 817 kilometres from the North Pole, Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert is the most northerly permanently inhabited location in the world.
Full Article: https://www.skiesmag.com/news/flying-up-north/
23 juin 2022 | Local, Aérospatial
Le Canada sera-t-il en mesure de remplacer sa flotte vieillissante de CF-18 avant qu'ils ne doivent être envoyés à la casse à compter de 2032 en misant sur le modèle F-35 de Lockheed Martin, comme prévoit le faire le gouvernement Trudeau ?
31 octobre 2017 | Local, Naval
OSI Maritime Systems is pleased to announce that the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) will deploy ECPINS® Warship 6.2 on all ships and submarines. ECPINS is recognized as the most advanced Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS), with military capabilities well beyond NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564. STANAG 4564 defines the primary function of WECDIS, which is to contribute to safe navigation and to enhance the conduct of warfare. Further, OSI has received Marine Equipment Directive (MED) Type Approval certification from DNV GL for ECPINS against new International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for ECDIS. These international maritime standards are a requirement of NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564. “We are proud of our relationship with the RCN which began in 2001 with a fleet-wide installation of ECPINS,” said Ken Kirkpatrick, President & CEO. “We attribute that beginning with where OSI is today, a leading provider of integrated navigation and tactical solutions to many of the NATO and Allied navies. In addition, OSI is now a major player in the warship Integrated Bridge System (IBS) market – in fact, we are presently delivering IBS to the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship project.” Headquartered in Burnaby, BC, OSI is the only 100 percent Canadian company that produces and delivers a complete range of naval integrated navigation and tactical solutions across four continents. For more information: Simon Wills +1 778-373-4655 simon.wills@osimaritime.com http://osimaritime.com/mediaReleases/OSI_release20171024_RCN_ECPINS_Upgrade.pdf
17 septembre 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — Sep 15 2020 OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says hundreds of billions of dollars in planned spending for the military over the next two decades is "secure" despite the ballooning federal deficit to deal with COVID-19. Fears have been rising in defence circles that the Liberals will look to the military's budget to rein in what is now projected to be a $343-billion deficit this year alone as the government keeps spending to help Canadians with the pandemic. Those fears are based on past experience as the Canadian Armed Forces was hit by deep cuts when Ottawa struggled to balance the books during the 1990s and again in the early 2010s after the last economic downturn. But Sajjan says the government has no intention of abandoning its defence strategy, unveiled in 2017 and known as Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), which included a plan to spend $553 billion on the military over 20 years. Much of that is to buy new equipment such as jets and warships. "As we look into the future, we're not just going make a knee-jerk decision on where we're going," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press on the sidelines of this week's federal cabinet retreat. "We're going do a very thorough analysis, just like we did in the past, make a good case about it and then make a decision of where we want to go. But absolutely, the SSE funding is secure. ... We're continuing on with SSE investments." Sajjan argued that the pandemic, along with the growing number of natural disasters in Canada in recent years and mounting instability abroad, underscore the need for a strong Canadian Armed Forces more now than ever. At the same time, he suggested money spent on the Canadian Armed Forces should be considered an investment in both the military and the economy, given the industrial benefits associated with building new ships, armoured vehicles and aircraft. "If you just look at our national shipbuilding strategy, we know dollar for dollar, that money goes into our economy," he said, adding that it would involve creating jobs across the country. Sajjan did indicate there may be "adjustments" to the Liberals' defence plan. While he didn't offer much detail, the minister suggested the Liberals have been looking at ways to speed up spending on the military during the pandemic because of the economic benefits. At the same time, there are some unknowns on the horizon, including whether a study being conducted by the parliamentary budget officer will find that the $60 billion set aside for 15 new warships for the navy isn't enough. The Liberals also have yet to decide on a plan for replacing the string of radars in the Arctic used to detect airborne threats approaching North America. Military commanders have said they are obsolete and will likely cost billions. Much of the speculation about potential cuts has been linked the government's search for a military commander after longtime chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance last month announced his plan to retire. The government interviewed potential replacements last week. Some defence insiders and observers have suggested the choice will signal the Liberals' priorities for the military over the next few years. Asked about those priorities, Sajjan listed the continued implementation of the defence policy alongside fighting sexual misconduct and racism in the military. "At the end of the day you look at the reality of what's in front of you and then you look at who is the best person to be able to lead during this time," Sajjan said when asked about the search. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2020. https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2020/09/15/liberals-dont-plan-to-cut-military-spending-to-rein-in-deficit-sajjan/#.X2OP0WhKiUk