12 février 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR
Vingt-deux conseillers militaires de dix-neuf pays sont dans la région ces jours-ci pour visiter le Laboratoire international des matériaux antigivre (LIMA) de l'UQAC, le seul laboratoire au monde qui se spécialise sur la question.
Car le givre est un ennemi contre lequel bombes, obus, balles et autres projectiles sont généralement inefficaces, alors que sa présence peut constituer une sérieuse menace.
« On a beaucoup de conseillers militaires étrangers qui sont des pilotes, ou qui sont rattachés d'une façon comme d'une autre à l'aviation », précise le capitaine Christian Courtemanche, officier de liaison diplomatique au sein des Forces canadiennes. « Le dégivrage d'avion, et le dégivrage d'ailleurs de vaisseaux maritimes et tout, c'est quelque chose qui intéresse tous les pays, surtout avec les changements climatiques des dernières décennies. »
Et contrairement à ce qu'on pourrait croire, le givre n'est pas un problème limité aux pays froids.
« Le problème de givrage en aviation ce n'est pas seulement pour les pays nordiques parce que ça se passe à haute altitude », ajoute le lieutenant-colonel Marc Ferron, directeur de liaison avec l'étranger. « Donc ça affecte pas mal toutes les forces armées représentées ici. »
L'intérêt que portent les militaires aux travaux du LIMA réjouit le directeur du laboratoire.
"Ils voient ce qu'on est en mesure de faire ou de proposer. Donc je pense que ça peut dans le futur, amener à certaines collaborations."
Christophe Volat, directeur du LIMA
C'est ce que croit aussi le lieutenant-colonel Ferron.
« Les attachés militaires sont très impressionnés par ce qu'ils ont vu », assure-t-il, soulignant que son rôle est justement de favoriser ce genre d'échanges.
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1083357/givre-uqac-armee
5 décembre 2022 | Local, Naval
The repairs to HMCS Harry DeWolf won’t be covered by Irving Shipbuilding because the warranty for the company’s workmanship on the vessel, delivered in 2020, was only for one year, a National Defence spokesperson said.
4 août 2020 | Local, Naval
Centre to serve as hub for innovation in Canadian Arctic, Davie Shipyard executive says Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Aug 04, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 8 hours ago Describing itself as Canada's polar partner, the Chantier Davie Shipyard in Quebec plans to announce the creation of a national centre on Tuesday focusing on icebreaking in the country's Arctic. It is, according to a senior executive at the Levis, Que., company, more than just an engineering centre and will encompass the climatic, economic and social factors that will drive the region for the next 30 years and beyond. "It is a bigger discussion," said Spencer Fraser, the director of business development for the Inosea Group of Companies, which owns the shipyard. "It's not just around icebreaking and shipbuilding in Canada." The Arctic icebreaking centre is intended to bring together community and business leaders as well as scientists and engineers — from both northern and southern Canada — in a conference later this year. Shaping the Arctic economy of the 21st century They'll be asked to envision and debate what kind of ships and infrastructure are needed to drive future economic and social development in Canada's Arctic, which is being transformed by climate change and shifting geopolitics. "We're getting together to ask: In 2050, the North is going to look like this, what do we want the economy to look like? And what do we need to do today to get the wheels in motion so we can achieve that?" Fraser told CBC News. More than that, he said, the centre is intended to be a place of ongoing dialogue that will hopefully produce the kind of innovation needed to restore Canada as a world-leader in Arctic operations. By tapping into a wide range of expertise, he said the Chantier Davie initiative intends to showcase Canadian Arctic ingenuity on the world stage, which has for the last 20 years been dominated by Finland and Norway. The company, which is on track to be the federal government's third go-to shipyard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, intends to carve out a place as the country's premier icebreaker-builder. The other two strategic shipbuilding partners are Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, which concentrates on the construction of warships, and Vancouver's Seaspan, which is building fisheries science vessels and naval support ships. Chantier Davie was given a federal contract worth up to $827 million to convert three existing commercial icebreakers for use by the Canadian Coast Guard. The first vessel — CCGS Captain Molly Kool — was delivered, but the other two — CCGS Jean Goodwill and CCGS Vincent Massey — have been delayed, the Fisheries Department recently told The Canadian Press. The federal government wants to see its third strategic yard concentrate on building icebreakers and intends to funnel the construction of six ships to the company in the coming year. Concurrently, it has asked the wider shipbuilding industry to build a case for the construction of heavy icebreakers in the Far North. Centre should focus on changes facing the Arctic: expert Rob Huebert, a professor at the University of Calgary and an Arctic expert, said an icebreaking centre of excellence is a novel and important idea. He said the country was, until the 1980s, a world leader in the field, but interest and investment waned after Far North oil and natural gas development plans were shelved. However, he said it needs to be more than just window-dressing and a business vehicle for Chantier Davie. "If they're being serious, they'll not just be focused on their product," Huebert said. "If it is just simply, 'look at what good icebreakers we have and look at how we can provide work' then that, in my mind, will really be just a PR exercise." Appointment of U.S. Arctic co-ordinator may signal more muscular American policy Liberals guarantee immediate icebreakers work for new entrant in federal shipbuilding program What the centre needs to do is go beyond what one company or another produces and focus on how the changing Arctic will be affected by a myriad of circumstances and conditions and the technology Canada will need to address them, he added. Climate change and shifting geopolitical rivalries are but two examples. The Trump Administration recently appointed a career diplomat to become the country's first Arctic co-ordinator — a sign that the country is taking the region more seriously. The U.S. Air Force also recently published an Arctic strategy intended to counter Russia and China's growing influence and ambitions in the region. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arctic-icebreaking-centre-1.5672800
25 janvier 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN More from David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen It's going to take a while to do but the RCAF plans to extend the life of its Griffon helicopters out to the 2030s. “The project will replace obsolete cockpit instruments and avionics with components that are supportable to the mid-2030s,” the RACF noted. Adaptation and integration of existing avionics and electronic flight instruments in the aircraft will enable an extension of the life of the Griffon. Griffon flight simulators will be modified to conform to the fleet. Finally, the project will ensure integrated logistic support, supply of initial spares and training. The anticipated timeline is as follows: 2018 – Definition Approval (Definition is what should be done to meet the capability need, to determining how the preferred option will be implemented) 2020 – Implementation Approval, Request for Proposal Release, Contract Award 2024-2025 – Initial Operating Capability for Life-extended Griffons 2026 – Final Delivery It should be noted that this project has been delayed from its previous schedule. In 2015, the RCAF put definition approval for 2016. In addition, implementation, issuing of an RFP and awarding a contact were all to be done in 2018. Final delivery of the upgraded helicopters was to have taken place in 2024 under the old schedule. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/determining-how-to-upgrade-the-griffon-helicopter-a-focus-for-rcaf-this-year