General Dynamics debuts new LAV variants, looks toward ground-based air defence variant

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  16 février 2023 | Local, Aérospatial

  Analysis: Anand pushes $9 billion Boeing aircraft deal as Bombardier calls for competition

  Under the proposal the Boeing P-8 aircraft would replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CP-140 Aurora planes.

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  21 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Auditor general trashes Liberal plan to keep CF-18s flying until 2032

  Murray Brewster · CBC News Fighter pilots, technicians are in short supply for Canada's fighter jets Canada's auditor general has shot down the Liberal government's handling of the air force's aging CF-18s in a blistering report that raises questions about national security, and even long-term safety, regarding the viability of the country's frontline fighter jets. Auditor General Michael Ferguson's fall report, tabled Tuesday, methodically picks apart the recent policy change at the Department of National Defence, which requires the military to have enough warplanes to meet Canada's commitments to both NORAD and NATO at the same time. From the get-go the policy was a non-starter, and the federal government knew it, said Ferguson. "The fighter force could not meet the requirement because National Defence was already experiencing a shortage in personnel, and the CF-18 was old and increasingly hard to maintain," said the audit. As of April 2018, the air force's CF-18 squadrons faced a 22 per cent shortage in technical positions — and a startling number of technicians were not fully qualified to do maintenance. Fighter pilots are also in short supply. The air force is losing more of them than it is training each year; among those who do remain, almost one third do not get the required 140 hours of flying time per year. At a news conference following the release of the report, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan conceded that personnel shortages were identified "early on" after the Liberals took over in 2015. "This is a problem we knew we had," he said, pointing the finger at budget cuts made by the previous Conservative government. "This is what happens when you don't put enough resources into the military." The extent of Liberals' own efforts to boost recruiting and retention of pilots and technicians in the three years since the election was the subject of some confusion Tuesday. A written statement from Sajjan said the government "will launch new efforts to recruit and retain pilots and technicians." During the news conference, the minister said the military's top commander had been directed to deal with the problem and that recruiting pilots is "a priority." Pressed for specifics on recruitment, Sajjan said he's "going to leave it to the experts to figure out." Proposed solution 'will not help solve' issues The auditor's report took issue with the Liberal government's strategy to fill the so-called capability gap by buying additional interim aircraft. The current proposal is to buy used Australian F-18s — of approximately the same vintage as Canada's CF-18s — and convert them for further use until the federal government completes the purchase of brand-new aircraft. This plan, the auditor's report said, "will not help solve either the personnel shortage or the aging fleet." Ferguson said an earlier, $6.3 billion plan to buy 18 brand new Super Hornet fighter jets on an interim basis would have been even worse — and the government was told so in no uncertain terms by the air force. "National Defence's analysis showed that buying the Super Hornet alone would not allow the department to meet the new operational requirement," said the audit. "The department stated that the Super Hornet would initially decrease, not increase, the daily number of aircraft available because technicians and pilots would have to be pulled away from the CF-18s to train on the new aircraft." The proposal to buy Super Hornets was scrapped last spring after the manufacturer, Chicago-based Boeing, angered the Trudeau government in a separate trade dispute involving the sale of Bombardier passenger jets. The Opposition Conservatives have long claimed the 'capability gap' was concocted by the Liberals as a way to push off a decision on a permanent replacement for the CF-18s. In the last election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged not to buy the F-35 stealth fighter, the preferred option of the Harper government. Sparring in the House The report led to sparring in the House of Commons, with the Conservatives seeing the auditor general's assessment as vindication. "Today's report confirms what we have been saying all along," said James Bezan, the defence critic. "Justin Trudeau deliberately misled Canadians by manufacturing a 'capability gap' to fulfil a misguided campaign promise, and in the process has put the safety and security of Canadians at risk." Sajjan, however, believed the report supported the government's position. "The report confirms what we have always known: The Harper Conservatives mismanaged the fighter jet files and misled Canadians for over a decade," he said. "The report confirms a capability gap exists, and started under the Conservatives." In fact, what the report said was that "Canada's fighter force could not meet the government's new operational requirement." It contained objective analysis of how many aircraft would be required to meet various contingencies. Fleet 'will become more vulnerable' Meanwhile, the auditor is warning that the Liberal government has no plan to upgrade the combat capabilities of the CF-18s to keep them current over the next decade while the air force waits for replacements. The last major refurbishment of the war-fighting equipment on the jets happened in 2008, and Department of National Defence planners have done little since because they had been expecting new planes by 2020. National Defence did not have a plan to upgrade the combat capability of the CF-18 even though it will now have to fly until 2032," said the audit. "Without these upgrades, according to the department, the CF-18 will become more vulnerable as advanced combat aircraft and air defence systems continue to be developed and used by other nations." The fact that the CF-18s are not up to date means they will not be able to operate in certain environments where the risk of surface-to-air missiles or advanced enemy planes is great. That, in turn, "would limit Canada's contribution to NORAD and NATO operations," Ferguson said. Sajjan said the department is looking at an upgrade to the combat systems. "We would love to be able to solve this problem immediately," he said. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/auditor-general-trashes-liberal-plan-to-keep-cf-18s-flying-until-2032-1.4912813

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  25 janvier 2018 | Local, Terrestre

  Le COMFOSCAN reçoit son premier véhicule de combat ultraléger (VCUL)

  Communiqué de presse De Défense nationale Des membres du Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada (COMFOSCAN) déchargent de nouveaux véhicules de combat ultralégers (VCUL) à Petawawa (Ontario), le 23 janvier 2018. La réception des véhicules continuera jusqu'en avril 2018. Photo: Services d'imagerie du ROSC ©2018 DND/MDN Le 25 janvier 2018 – Ottawa – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Dans le cadre de la politique de défense, Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, le gouvernement du Canada s'est engagé à s'assurer que les femmes et hommes des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) reçoivent le soutien et le matériel dont ils ont besoin pour mener à bien leurs importantes missions. Le Commandement – Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada (COMFOSCAN) a accepté la livraison de son premier véhicule de combat ultraléger (VCUL). Ces véhicules, obtenus de l'entreprise Polaris Industries Limited, aideront à protéger les membres des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada alors qu'ils mènent des missions dans des environnements difficiles. Les véhicules leur fourniront un transport mobile rapide sur des terrains exigeants, et ont été spécifiquement configurés pour appuyer les déploiements rapides par la plupart des aéronefs de l'Aviation royale canadienne, surtout l'hélicoptère CH-147F Chinook. Cet achat, réalisé en respectant le calendrier et le budget, aidera à s'assurer que les opérations des forces spéciales possèdent les outils dont ils ont besoin pour continuer d'avoir du succès sur le terrain pour des années à venir. Multimédia supplémentaire Des membres du Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada (COMFOSCAN) déchargent un nouveau véhicule de combat ultraléger (VCUL) à Petawawa (Ontario), le 23 janvier 2018. L'initiative d'approvisionnement des VCUL aidera à s'assurer que les opérateurs des forces spéciales possèdent les outils dont ils ont besoin pour maintenir leur supériorité sur le terrain pour des années à venir. Photo: Services d'imagerie du ROSC ©2018 DND/MDN Les nouveaux véhicules de combat ultralégers (VCUL) sont entreposés à Petawawa (Ontario), après leur livraison. Obtenus de Polaris Indjustry Limited, 62 VCUL en tout ont été achetés pour environ 23 millions de dollars. Photo: Services d'imagerie du ROSC ©2018 DND/MDN Citations « Les femmes et hommes de nos Forces d'opérations spéciales méritent le meilleur matériel pour réaliser le travail qui leur est demandé. Nous sommes fiers d'eux, et gr'ce à la politique Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, notre gouvernement continuera à investir dans notre ressource la plus importante : notre personnel. » - Ministre de la Défense Harjit S. Sajjan « L'acquisition du VCUL est une étape importante en mobilité légère pour les hommes et femmes du COMFOSCAN. Cette plateforme servira de complément unique à notre arsenal existant en matière de mobilité et aidera au COMFOSCAN dans l'exécution d'effets de forces spéciales agiles pour des années à venir. » - Major-général Mike Rouleau, commandant du Commandement – Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada Faits en bref Au mois de décembre 2016, le gouvernement du Canada a annoncé qu'un contrat d'une valeur d'environ 20,6 millions de dollars avait été octroyé à l'entreprise Polaris Industries Limited pour l'obtention de 52 VCUL, avec l'option d'obtenir 26 véhicules supplémentaires sur une période de deux ans pour un coût supplémentaire. Au mois de juillet 2017, le COMFOSCAN a exercé l'option d'obtenir 10 VCUL supplémentaires, portant le nombre total de VCUL dans le cadre de ce marché à 62, et la valeur du contrat à environ 23 millions de dollars. Les VCUL sont livrés comme prévu, en respectant le budget. La livraison de ces véhicules se continuera jusqu'au mois d'avril 2018. Le contrat avec l'entreprise Polaris Industries Limited comprend des services de soutien technique et du soutien logistique intégré pour une période de deux ans. Cela inclut tout, des publications et manuels aux pièces de rechange et à la formation des conducteurs. https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2018/01/le_comfoscan_recoitsonpremiervehiculedecombatultralegervcul.html