MDA to provide unmanned aircraft systems to Royal Canadian Navy

Sur le même sujet

• 

  18 juillet 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Salon de Farnborough : Héroux-Devtek signe un contrat avec Boeing

  Au deuxième jour du Salon international de l'aéronautique de Farnborough au Royaume-Uni, mardi, l'industrie québécoise a été plus active, notamment gr'ce à Héroux-Devtek, qui a décroché un contrat militaire auprès de Boeing. Présente au plus important rendez-vous du secteur cette année, l'entreprise de Longueuil a indiqué mardi avoir été retenue par le géant américain pour la fabrication du train d'atterrissage principal des avions de chasse Super Hornet F18 et du EA-18G Growler. La valeur de l'entente n'a pas été précisée, mais Héroux-Devtek sera également responsable de la fabrication de pièces de rechange destinées aux nouveaux appareils ainsi qu'aux quelque 700 avions F18 de la flotte de l'armée américaine. « Nous sommes ravis d'avoir été choisis, a indiqué le président et chef de la direction de la société québécoise, Gilles Labbé. Ceci confirme nos liens de plus en plus étroits avec Boeing et représente une avancée importante pour nos activités du secteur de la défense. » Les premières livraisons doivent débuter à compter du troisième trimestre de 2020. Héroux-Devtek fait déjà affaire avec Boeing dans le cadre d'un important contrat pour la fabrication des trains d'atterrissage des avions de ligne 777 et 777X – en plus d'être responsable de la fabrication de pièces de rechange – ainsi que ceux de l'hélicoptère militaire Chinook. L'analyste Benoît Poirier, de Desjardins Marchés des capitaux, a souligné que cette nouvelle entente démontrait que Héroux-Devtek était capable d'élargir ses liens d'affaires avec le géant américain. « L'annonce confirme également, selon nous, que Boeing demeure engagée à l'égard du Canada en dépit de la récente dispute commerciale entre l'entreprise et Bombardier [à propos de la C Series] », a-t-il écrit dans une note. Derek Spronck, de RBC Marchés des capitaux, a pour sa part estimé que ce nouveau contrat venait ouvrir la porte à une croissance significative des revenus de la société d'ici 2020. À la Bourse de Toronto, le titre de Héroux-Devtek a bondi en début de séance, se rapprochant temporairement de son sommet annuel de 16,75 $. Le titre a finalement terminé la séance à 15,40 $, en hausse de 10 cents, ou 0,65 %, par rapport à son cours de clôture de lundi. D'autres annonces effectuées par la délégation québécoise présente à Farnborough : La société française spécialisée dans les services techniques et industriels Groupe NSE et Drakkar, un fournisseur canadien de services d'impartition, vont créer plus de 100 emplois à Montréal sur 3 ans dans le cadre de la mise sur pied d'une entreprise de services techniques et logistiques. Le gouvernement Couillard prêtera 11,5 millions de dollars sans intérêt à Esterline CMC Électronique, qui modernisera son usine montréalaise au coût de 24,4 millions de dollars, notamment afin de consolider 93 emplois. Safran Systèmes d'atterrissage Canada, qui fait partie du groupe industriel français Safran, reçoit une aide de deux millions de dollars de Québec afin de moderniser son usine de Mirabel. Ce projet est évalué à 11,8 millions de dollars. Aéro Montréal et Aerospace Wales Forum, la grappe aérospatiale du Pays de Galles, ont convenu d'un rapprochement afin de simplifier l'accès aux entreprises québécoises et galloises aux maîtres d'œuvre et à leurs chaînes d'approvisionnement. Le Consortium de recherche et d'innovation en aérospatiale au Québec, le Consortium en aérospatiale pour la recherche et l'innovation au Canada et le Hamburg's Center of Applied Aeronautical Research ont signé une entente de coopération entourant la recherche collaborative. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1113261/boeing-avions-chasse-hornet-f18-train-atterissage-industrie-quebec-royaume-uni

• 

  25 février 2020 | Local, Aérospatial

  Canada backs businesses to join in the next chapter of lunar exploration

  Canada has joined humanity's return to the Moon – an investment in science, innovation and research to unlock new opportunities for economic growth and to help us answer important questions about our planet, universe and ourselves. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is presenting Canada's space community, including small and medium-sized businesses, with the opportunity to contribute technologies to national and international efforts of exploring the Moon. This is a crucial step in humanity's quest to travel further in space, onwards to Mars. The CSA is awarding 7 contracts worth a total of $4.36 million to five companies and one university to advance concepts for nano- and micro-rovers, as well as autonomous science instruments. These advancements will serve as the first steps towards landing and conducting Canadian science on the surface of the Moon. “Our Government is positioning Canada's space sector to reach for the Moon and beyond. This investment will help Canadian businesses bring their technologies to market, creating opportunities for them to join the growing space economy while supporting Canada to achieve world firsts in space science and exploration,” said Navdeep Bains, minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. The contracts being awarded are as follows: ABB (Quebec) will receive $693,193 to design, build and test the prototype for an autonomous lunar exploration infrared spectrometer that will remotely measure and study the mineralogical composition of the Moon's surface. Bubble Technology Industries Inc. (Ontario) will receive $698,321 to develop a spectrometer that will autonomously search for hydrogen to indicate the presence of water and ice near the Moon's surface. Canadensys Aerospace Corporation (Ontario) will receive two contracts worth a total of $1,099,366 to develop concept designs, technologies and prototypes for two different classes of small Canadian lunar science rovers – a nano-rover and a micro-rover. Magellan Aerospace (Manitoba) will receive $607,258 to develop a lunar impactor probe that will deliver instruments to the surface of the Moon, including sensors to detect water in the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon. Mission Control Space Services Inc. (Ontario) will receive $573,829 to advance an autonomous soil assessment system as an AI-based science support tool for rovers navigating on the Moon. Western University (Ontario) will receive $690,123 to develop an integrated vision system for surface operations that will be used for identification of the geology of the lunar surface and for rover navigation. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/canada-backs-businesses-to-join-in-the-next-chapter-of-lunar-exploration

• 

  5 janvier 2021 | Local, Aérospatial

  Canada’s New Drone Can Better Surveil Its Challenging Arctic Environment

  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/