Le Canada annonce un deuxième engagement conjoint au maintien de la paix - La force opérationnelle aérienne sera envoyée à la mission des Nations Unies au Mali

Sur le même sujet

• 

  7 juin 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  Top Aces sees expanded role for red air as Air Force training evolves

  by Chris Thatcher The federal government's request for proposals for a next-generation fighter jet may be delayed until July, but the company that provides aggressor or “red air” training for the fighter fleet is already preparing for a more data-driven training environment. “More and more, that is how you fight: Take data, process data, share data, accomplish the mission,” said Paul Bouchard, a former CF-188 Hornet pilot and the president and CEO of Montreal-based Top Aces. “We have put a lot of thought into that.” In October 2017, Top Aces, then under the banner of Discovery Air Defence, edged out a joint venture between CAE and Draken International to retain the Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract, a program it pioneered in the mid-2000s. The 10-year deal is worth $480 million, but includes options that could extend the service to 2031 and the value to as much as $1.4 billion. Though the CATS contract cemented the company's footprint in Canada and strengthened its export potential, Bouchard said it will have to evolve to meet a changing training environment. “CATS is the largest program of its kind in the world today,” he told Skies during an interview at CANSEC on May 30. “That allows us to deliver the current service and have growth potential within that for Canada, which we think is really exciting given the next generation fighter and the future aircrew training program — as they roll out, there will be a need for more advanced training.” That will likely mean the addition of a more advanced aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-16A to the Top Aces fleet of Dornier Alpha Jets and Bombardier Learjet 35As, if the Royal Canadian Air Force acquires the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. “That is quite logical,” said Bouchard, though he noted that a decision on the next training jet for the Fighter Lead-In Training (FLIT) program could also be a factor in any future fleet. “What's interesting for Canada is whether they will treat programs like FLIT and advanced adversary as separate or combine them, because the capabilities required for both those aircraft could be quite similar,” he said. The company has invested significantly in a flexible and expandable proprietary mission system architecture for its aircraft to “effectively plug and play different applications or capabilities” as the Air Force, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy develop their digital networks and synthetic training environments. As part of the CATS requirements to enhance training, Top Aces has begun modifying both the Alphas and Lear jets at its facility in Bagotville, Que., updating avionics suites, electro-optical and infrared capability, and night vision systems. It is also configuring some Learjets into special mission aircraft. Consequently, Bouchard said the “workhorse” Alpha Jet would remain the prime adversary fighter for the foreseeable future, and he suspects that could involve more enemy role playing with new pilots as the Air Force seeks to introduce more advanced skills earlier in the training curriculum. “I think that is what is likely to occur,” he said. “As that gets pushed down, it creates an opportunity for CATS and future aircrew training to take on more of the mandate that was inside the CF-188 training pipeline for years, including at 419 [Tactical Fighter Training Squadron].” Top Aces is not one of the qualified bidders for the Future Aircrew Training program (FAcT), but he believes the company has some insight to support any future primate contractor. “We think we offer a very deep understanding of how the Air Force trains, especially the fighter force,” he said. “So I think we have a role in providing expertise and the flying support as it evolves.” The high standards set by the CATS program have been crucial to international opportunities. Top Aces secured a similar training support contract with the German Armed Forces in 2014 and, more recently, a two-year trial with the Australian Defence Force. And it will be a bidder on several large U.S. Air Force and Navy aggressor air programs, as well as a partnership with Leonardo and Inzpire on the U.K.'s Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) program. “Canada did it right,” explained Bouchard. “They thought through how they were going to regulate and oversee this, because it is a commercial service. Normally, it would be regulated by Transport Canada as an air regulator. But this is providing a very specialized military mission, so they formulated a MOU [memorandum of understanding] in the mid-2000s and updated it for the CATS program, and it really represents the highest standard that this type of business is regulated to in the world, and that is a calling card for us. It was a differentiator in Germany and Australia.” He said the same market forces that drove Canada to outsource aggressor air over a decade ago are still in play and forcing many NATO allies to consider contracting red air training, opening markets in Europe and Asia. “You have this general downward pressure on operating budgets, you have fourth generation fleets that have had to operate longer and harder than was expected, you have the impact of fifth-gen, which is significant in terms of how air forces train and how robust the training has to be, and then there is an evolving and capable threat,” he observed. “There are less than a handful of companies in the world that are qualified to do this. We are by all metrics the world leader in terms of hours flown, programs we operate, geographic footprint, safety record. We are really proud of that. And it's made in Canada. The CATS contract is a foundation we can build off of ... I think we're in a great position and I'm really excited for our future.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/top-aces-sees-expanded-role-for-red-air-as-air-force-training-evolves/

• 

  15 août 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Flying up North

  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/

• 

  14 mai 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Helicopter firm tries to revive cancelled Canadian deal with the Philippines

  David Pugliese Just months after a contract to sell military helicopters to the Philippines was cancelled, a Canadian firm is hoping it can revive the controversial deal. The Liberal government ordered a review of the original contract involving Bell Helicopter Canada after human rights concerns were raised in February about the aircraft being used on the front lines of the country's various conflicts. But that review angered Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, who cancelled the $234-million deal for 16 Bell 412 helicopters to be built in Mirabel, Que. Bell says it is now back in discussions with the Philippines as a potential client for the same helicopters. Patrick Moulay, a Bell senior vice-president, told the aviation publication Flight Global that he can't get into specifics because the discussions are commercially sensitive. “We are still discussing to see how we can address the missions and operational needs of our customers,” he explained. “We are talking to them on a daily basis but you should wait for a few more weeks before we go into more details.” In February, when the original deal became public, human rights advocates expressed disbelief that Canada was selling the aircraft to the Philippines considering the country's poor human rights record and its controversial leader Duterte. The international criminal court has launched an initial inquiry into allegations of crimes against humanity committed by Duterte. The allegations relate to extrajudicial executions committed during the president's war on drugs, which has killed thousands. Duterte, who once boasted about throwing a man to his death from a helicopter, has also warned government officials they would face the same fate if he learned they were involved in corruption. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also raised concerns about extrajudicial killings while visiting the country in November, specifically those related to Duterte's violent crackdown on illegal drugs. The Canadian Commercial Corporation, a federal government agency, brokered the original February deal to supply the 16 Bell 412 helicopters to the Philippines. But the corporation noted in an email Monday that the organization is not supporting Bell's latest efforts in the Philippines. Bell Helicopter did not respond to a request for comment. Some arms control advocates are worried that Bell might do an end-run around Canadian regulations by shipping portions of the helicopters to its U.S. facilities for assembly and eventual sale to the Philippines. “Canada's arms control policies are so weak that there are various ways to get these helicopters to Duterte,” said Steve Staples, vice president of the Rideau Institute, an Ottawa think tank. “Shipping semi-completed aircraft from Mirabel into the U.S. could be one way.” The Liberal government said in February it was unaware the Bell helicopters were going to be used for military operations in the Philippines. It stated the original purpose of the aircraft was for search and rescue and disaster relief. The Liberals blamed the previous Conservative government for initiating the deal. But the Philippine government never hid its intention to use the Canadian-built helicopters in military operations, even going as far as displaying the first batch of those choppers armed with machine guns during an official ceremony in 2015 attended by Canada's ambassador. Philippines Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla, military chief of plans, also told journalists in Manila that the aircraft “will be used for the military's internal security operations.” The Philippine military is keen to boost its capabilities as it fights Communist insurgents and Islamic extremists. It says it would use the Canadian helicopters to transport and supply troops and ferry wounded soldiers out of danger. Other uses would be for disaster relief. Last summer, the Philippine air force used its older utility helicopters during intense fighting in the city of Marawi, a predominantly Muslim city. http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/helicopter-firm-tries-to-revive-cancelled-canadian-deal-with-the-philippines