6 mai 2024 | Local, Naval
Canadian, U.S. and other navy chiefs visit China as militaries try to rebuild relations
Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the first senior Canadian military officer to visit China since 2018
19 janvier 2023 | Local, Aérospatial
Le 19 janvier 2023 – Inuvik (Territoires du Nord‑Ouest) – Ministère de la Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes
Aujourd’hui, le député des Territoires du Nord‑Ouest, Michael V. McLeod, a annoncé, au nom de la ministre de la Défense nationale Anita Anand, que le ministère de la Défense nationale augmentera de 80 millions de dollars son investissement dans la modernisation de la piste de l’aéroport d’Inuvik, portant ainsi sa contribution à 230 millions de dollars. Le financement sera versé au gouvernement des Territoires du Nord‑Ouest et servira à achever le reste des travaux nécessaires pour prolonger et moderniser la piste principale de 6 000 pieds de l’aéroport d’Inuvik.
Les travaux de modernisation de la piste d’Inuvik visent principalement à améliorer la capacité de l’aérodrome à accueillir des aéronefs plus grands et plus lourds, ce qui constitue une amélioration importante de la capacité du Commandement de la défense aérospatiale de l’Amérique du Nord (NORAD) et de l’Aviation royale canadienne (ARC) de mener des opérations dans le Nord et l’Arctique. Ces travaux sont essentiels pour que les Forces armées canadiennes puissent continuer d’avoir la capacité de relever les nouveaux défis en matière de sécurité dans le Nord et l’Arctique, et ils font écho à l’annonce de la ministre Anand, en juin 2022, concernant le plan du gouvernement visant à moderniser les capacités du NORAD au Canada. Plaque tournante centrale du transport dans l’Arctique de l’Ouest et communauté en pleine croissance, Inuvik est un emplacement de choix pour nous permettre d’atteindre nos objectifs dans l’Arctique, tout en créant des possibilités pour les collectivités autochtones et du Nord. Nous prévoyons que les travaux de modernisation de la piste seront terminés en 2027.
Le gouvernement du Canada est déterminé à faire en sorte que les membres des Forces armées canadiennes disposent de l’infrastructure dont ils ont besoin dans le Nord pour s’entraîner et accomplir leurs tâches efficacement. Le financement pour ce projet permettra également de créer des emplois bien rémunérés et des possibilités économiques pour la région Beaufort‑Delta pendant la construction.
6 mai 2024 | Local, Naval
Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the first senior Canadian military officer to visit China since 2018
28 janvier 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
CAE announced on Jan. 24 that the company has been awarded a contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to develop a comprehensive synthetic training system for the United Kingdom's Protector RG Mk1 remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) program. The Protector will be operated by the Royal Air Force and is the U.K.-specific variant of GA-ASI's certifiable MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS, which can meet the most stringent certification requirements of aviation authorities. Under terms of the contract, CAE will design and develop a comprehensive synthetic training system that will include desktop and high-fidelity mission trainers specific to the Protector RPAS. The high-fidelity Protector mission trainers will be based on GA-ASI's certifiable ground control station (CGCS) and will be the first simulators developed for this advanced CGCS. CAE will also provide brief/debrief and scenario generation stations as part of the overall synthetic training system. “We are pleased to continue our global training partnership with GA-ASI to support the U.K. Protector program,” said Gene Colabatistto, CAE's group president, defence and security. “Protector will offer a new level of capability in an unmanned air system and will require well-trained aircrews. We will leverage developments we have made over the past several years creating the highest fidelity training devices for the Predator family of remotely piloted aircraft to produce a world-class synthetic training system for the Protector program.” Initial deliveries of the synthetic training system will be targeted for delivery in 2020 to RAF Waddington, the hub of U.K. Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) that will be the main operating base for the Protector. “MQ-9B SkyGuardian, which Protector is based on, represents the next-generation of remotely piloted aircraft capabilities, including longer endurance and automatic take-off and landing,” said David R. Alexander, president, aircraft systems, GA-ASI. “The Protector synthetic training system will play a key role helping the Royal Air Force develop skilled aircrews, and we are pleased to collaborate with CAE as our training partner on this critical program.” https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cae-awarded-contract-by-ga-asi-to-develop-synthetic-training-system
5 janvier 2021 | Local, Aérospatial
BY KEVIN M. BAERSON After years of experimentation and analysis, the government of Canada has procured a new Hermes 900 StarLiner from Israeli UAV manufacturer Elbit Systems that can withstand and patrol its massive, inhospitable Arctic territory. Extreme weather with high winds and low temperatures, limited and unreliable satellite communication and navigation, and continuous darkness during the winter months make controlling UAVs in the Arctic especially challenging. Combined with a lack of ground infrastructure, both line of sight and satellite control of a UAV can become nearly impossible. The hope is that the Starliner can conquer these harsh Arctic conditions. This version of Elbit's Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) military UAV is fully certified to operate in civilian airspace and will take off from and land on civilian airfields. It will perform myriad operations to reduce harmful environmental impacts, including detection of oil pollution and wildlife surveying, as well as ice patrol and reconnaissance. It will also support search and rescue, humanitarian efforts and illegal fishing enforcement, and will aid the development and regulation of Canada's drone industry. The $36.16 million contract includes communication links, ground control stations, sensor packages, training and the optional purchase of spare parts. The Starliner is expected to be delivered by December 2022, but procurement has been years in the making. Arctic Takeoff In 2017, Canadian officials began research and development test flights using a Sea Hunter drone produced by Alabama-based Griffon Aerospace. The data collected, including BVLOS results, contributed to developing requirements for the eventual Hermes purchase. Timothy Choi, a maritime strategy expert and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, has said the Canadian government had limited options in its search for a proven maritime drone with Arctic capabilities. “Large maritime surveillance drones—that is, ones equipped with downward-looking radar and AIS [automatic identification system] receivers to detect shipping—have not been as prevalent in the global drone market as their land-centric counterparts,” Choi told the website Eye On The Arctic. “Of these, there are even fewer that have been tested in Arctic conditions.” The model Canada is acquiring has been undergoing operational trials in Iceland via the European Maritime Safety Agency since summer 2019. At 1.6 tons, the StarLiner includes detect and avoid (DAA) systems, redundant datalinks and an advanced terrain avoidance warning system. Its ability to automatically take off and land in near-zero visibility, and to sustain deicing procedures and direct lightning strikes, makes it ideal for the Arctic's extreme weather challenges. According to Canadian officials, the new UAV can operate at up to 72 degrees north latitude and has a range of more than 1,400 nautical miles. It comes equipped with back-up command and control and navigation systems, electrical optical infrared camera, synthetic aperture radar and a mapping camera system. For now, the majority of Canada's Arctic surveillance data will continue to come from RADARSAT, the country's remote sensing earth observation satellite program. But while the satellites can detect emergencies such as an oil spill, their brief visits over the Arctic make it difficult to identify causes and consequences. The same is true for identifying nefarious activities such as illegal dumping and unpermitted fishing. “The ability of a drone to loiter for long periods of time with higher resolution sensors will help fill this gap,” Choi explained. “Operationally, the new drone will greatly help ‘connect the dots' when it comes to surveilling Arctic waters and enforcing Canadian regulations.” Drone Diplomacy While this Hermes version will be used in civilian missions, its acquisition is just one part of Canada's Arctic Unmanned Aircraft System Initiative, and it will join the country's National Aerial Surveillance Program's manned aircraft fleet. With 75% of Canada's coastline and 55% of its landmass located in the Arctic, Canada and its main regional rival, Russia, potentially contest for resources and the new shipping routes being created by global warming. Russia is deploying a fleet of dual-use extreme-weather UAVs featuring a GIRSAM alternative navigation system. China, which is talking about a “Polar Silk Road,” also is developing dual-use UAVs optimized for Arctic conditions. “Canada is committed to protecting our endangered species and our marine environment,” Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement. “Integrating remotely piloted aircraft into Transport Canada's fleet will make federal surveillance operations more robust than ever.” https://insideunmannedsystems.com/canadas-new-drone-can-better-surveil-its-challenging-arctic-environment/