8 août 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
The federal government's plan to move ahead with the modernization of Cormorant search and rescue helicopters could see the return of Cormorants on the flight line at Trenton, Ont., says the Canadian Forces. The RCAF is hoping for “the potential re-introduction of the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter to Trenton” once the Cormorant modernization program is finished, it added. If that happens the Griffon helicopters currently assigned to 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, would be returned to the Tactical Utility Helicopter role, according to the military.
The Italian aerospace firm, Leonardo, will do the modernization on the Cormorants as part of a project to upgrade the helicopters and to add seven more aircraft to the flight line. No timeline has been provided for the modernization and a contract has yet to be signed.
In the meantime, the CH-146 Griffon helicopters continue to fulfill the rotary wing search and rescue role from 8 Wing Trenton. A number of improvements have been made to the CH-146 Griffon helicopters based at 8 Wing Trenton to enhance their operational capability in the SAR role, according to the RCAF. These improvements include:
Critical aircraft performance parameters have been increased to allow crews to remain in the hover for longer periods during exercises and rescue missions
The Griffon's rescue hoist has been upgraded to increase its speed and responsiveness during critical rescue operations
A new life raft system and a low altitude warning system were installed, both of which improve crew safety during operations over water
New avionics were fitted in late 2012 to improve long range communication capabilities and provide the ability to track the helicopter's exact location during missions
The aircraft's bubble windows were repositioned to maximize the spotters' effectiveness while conducting visual searches from the Griffon
14 novembre 2024 | Local, Terrestre
On November 13, 2024, honourable Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Guildwood, John McKay, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Rebecca Zimmerman...
24 avril 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen The Canadian Forces is hoping to purchase what it is calling an aeromedical bio-containment evacuation system that can be outfitted on its C-17 or C-130J aircraft. The equipment, also known as ABES, will be capable of transporting highly infectious disease patients on the aircraft. The Royal Canadian Air Force is looking to have these delivered to 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario by Oct. 31, 2020, said Department of National Defence spokesman Dan LeBouthillier. “This project is in support of federal efforts to assist civil authorities and non-governmental partners in responding to major international and domestic emergencies,” he explained. “As required, this acquisition will provide the whole of government approach with additional tools to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.” He noted the Canadian military already has interim capabilities in this area as the RCAF can transport a patient with a highly infectious disease in a specialized isolation unit by aircraft. “The ABES will enhance our ability to move more patients much more efficiently over a longer distance,” he noted. The ABES must be able to accommodate a minimum of four patients, according to the industry notice the federal government put online. The RCAF is also interested in acquiring additional isolation units to supplement those that will be available through the ABES. The units will be able to be transported by the majority of RCAF aircraft and will consist of individual, hard-shell, durable isolation units that can be reused by the Canadian military as well as lightweight, single-use isolation units. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/covid-19-prompts-purchase-of-new-medical-transportation-system-for-rcaf-aircraft/
23 février 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
Canada's aviation and aerospace industries will play a key role in the creation of innovation superclusters similar to Silicon Valley. Air Canada and PAL Aerospace are among hundreds of companies involved in creating five superclusters across Canada, with a $950 million investment from the federal government that will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the private sector. “We think this is important for Canada,” said Catherine Dyer, chief information officer for Air Canada, in an interview with Skies. “We really view ourselves as a leader in this space, and to build capability in this part of the country, and more broadly for Canada, are two things that we think go very nicely together.” Air Canada will be part of the Quebec-based SCALE.AI supercluster, which aims to use artificial intelligence and robotics to build intelligent supply chains, making Canada a world-leading exporter. “Our hope around this is that it will help us become more efficient in how we deal in our operations excellence program, as well as in our cargo business,” said Dyer. “But from my perspective it has got probably further-reaching opportunities in terms of how we enable employees and customers in creating that Air Canada experience that we're all very focused on. “So most immediately it's going to be focused on the logistics components of our business. But we do believe that artificial intelligence, more generally, has got some fairly broad-reaching implications for our company.” Air Canada was a key player in creating the supercluster submission in late 2017 and sees its involvement as a step toward becoming a global leader in supply chain management. SCALE.AI includes 120 partners across Canada from a wide range of industries, including transportation, telecommunications, mining, food, and oil and gas. “We [Air Canada] would be looking at how we could use artificial intelligence to help us see things maybe we don't see when we're looking at it with human brains,” said Dyer. “That really is the purpose of artificial intelligence, is to take the collective wisdom of many people, and the computing power of machines, and apply it to the business problems that we have today.” Air Canada plans to use artificial intelligence to develop new tools that allow it to better manage cargo capacity, resulting in better customer service. “Timeliness is essential when shipping fresh products and employees will have better tools to forecast the need for space in temperature controlled facilities, facilitate tracking and ensure timely delivery,” said Isabelle Arthur, senior media relations manager for Air Canada, in a statement. “Air Canada already uses artificial intelligence in revenue management, to forecast aircraft maintenance, in marketing, in elevating customer experience and communications by partnering with government, universities in Toronto and Montreal to help Canada retake a leadership position.” PAL Aerospace will be part of the Ocean Supercluster in Atlantic Canada, which plans to use innovation to improve competitiveness in ocean-based industries like fisheries, oil and gas, and clean energy. The company will design and execute projects that encourage collaboration with other supercluster members, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and academic institutions, said Derek F. Scott, vice-president of program development for PAL Aerospace, in a statement to Skies. “We aim to use supercluster initiatives to advance our digitalization objectives in our modern ocean surveillance programs such as the ice management services we continue to provide the oil and gas industry today,” he said. “In addition, we intend to use the program to advance opportunities to strategically insert other entities such as SME companies into our solution and supply chain for our domestic and international customers.” He noted Canada has the longest coastline in the world, which spans some of the most challenging ocean environments, including the North Atlantic. “Innovation is a solution to challenge, and Canada has an ocean of opportunity to drive innovation into technologies and capabilities that contribute to Canada's economic growth, sustainability and export growth,” said Scott “PAL Aerospace is a leading example of how ocean innovation contributed to its success and the Ocean Supercluster initiative will now give us an opportunity to capitalize on that strength and create even more success for PAL Aerospace and for those companies and entities that work with us on the program.” Along with the SCALE.AI and Ocean superclusters, three others are planned: The Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster in Ontario, which aims to connect Canada's technology strengths to its manufacturing industry; The Protein Industries Supercluster, based in the Prairies, which intends to make Canada a leading source for plant proteins; and The Digital Technology Supercluster, based in British Columbia, which will use big data and digital technologies to unlock new potential in sectors like healthcare, forestry and manufacturing. More than 450 businesses, 60 post-secondary institutions and 180 other participants are involved in the five supercluster initiatives, according to a government news release. It's expected the superclusters will create 50,000 middle-class jobs and grow Canada's economy by $50 billion over the next 10 years. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/silicon-valley-style-innovation-clusters-include-aviation-companies/