New DND strategy warns Canadian military's approach to artificial intelligence 'fragmented' | CBC News

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  19 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Calian Re-Wins Significant Defence Training Contract Valued at up to $170 Million

  OTTAWA -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) is pleased to announce that it has been selected to deliver a significant training contract for the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Army Simulation Centre (CASC). The initial term of the Training and Support Services Contract is valued at $93 million over five years. With two optional extension periods of two years each, the aggregate contract value over the full nine-year period is approximately $170 million. The current Training and Support Services Contract expires March 31, 2019 and management expects demand on the new contract will continue to run at current levels. Through CASC, a Center of Excellence for Constructive Simulation, the Canadian Army accepts training projects on behalf of its own members as well as other branches of the Canadian Armed Forces and federal government departments. For these training exercises, Calian's expert team of some 600 full- and part-time resources apply their substantial experience, knowledge and passion to create realistic and cost-effective synthetic training environments. Calian Training ensures maximum value from the training delivered through CASC while preparing future military leaders and security authorities for events in which failure is unacceptable. Through CASC, Calian Training also designs and delivers complex, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional emergency management exercises to help ensure safety and security readiness for major events. These exercises have supported the Vancouver Olympics and G7, G8 and G20 world leader summits in Canada. Calian, an award-winning veteran friendly employer, has proudly supported military training and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operational readiness through this contract for over 20 years. Calian and CASC have developed tools and a framework and methodology supporting a wide range of military and emergency management training exercises for government and military clients, nationally and internationally. In partnership with CASC, Calian's skilled exercise design experts have integrated custom 2D/3D software for virtual and constructive simulation exercises, tailored to specified training objectives. The result is a total immersive training experience that replicates the operational environment that the CAF or customer may face. “Our innovative technology solutions allow the training audience to be immersed into complex environments, complete with real-world considerations such as simulated social media channels. These tools, combined with our passionate, expert employees, put us in a position to offer these complex exercises and training programs,” said Donald Whitty, Vice President, Calian Training. “We're seeing increased demand for the expertise we bring to CASC, particularly in the field of emergency management. There's no company quite like Calian to deliver these specialized, innovative and scalable services.” “This contract supports the CAF and the customer retention pillar of our four pillar growth framework. For Calian, supporting the operational readiness of the Canadian Forces is more than just a commitment – it's a passion and a privilege. I'm proud of our delivery of state-of-the-art, realistic learning and training exercises that help keep soldiers and all Canadians safe,” added Kevin Ford, President and CEO, Calian. “The innovation happening at Calian Training, and with CASC, is very exciting. Calian's advanced toolset is integrated with those of the Canadian Armed Forces, demonstrating our focus on continuous process improvement both at Calian and in the work we do with our customers.” To see exclusive footage from inside a CFB Kingston training facility, watch Calian's three-minute video on CASC here. About the Canadian Army Simulation Centre The Canadian Army Simulation Centre provides training capabilities in support of land operations and concept development. This world-class training organization provides support to the Canadian Army, RCAF, CJOC, CAF, and other government departments. Calian designs, develops and delivers training services for CASC under the Training and Support Services Contract. CASC is located in Kingston with Divisional Simulation Centres in Edmonton, Petawawa, Valcartier and Gagetown. About Calian Training For more than 20 years Calian Training has been providing a full-suite of specialized training services to both public and private sector organizations, including the Canadian Armed Forces and nuclear power operators. We help customers in both the emergency management and military domains validate their plans and team performances. Calian's training experts help large and small organizations prepare for events in which the consequences of failure are unacceptable. About Calian Calian employs over 3,000 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services and solutions to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calian's Systems Engineering Division (SED) located in Saskatoon provides the world's leading space technology companies with innovative solutions for testing, operating and managing their satellite networks. SED provides leading-edge communications products for terrestrial and satellite networks, as well as providing commercial (including agriculture) and defence customers with superior electronics engineering, manufacturing and test services for both private sector and military customers in North America. For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com or contact us at ir@calian.com https://www.calian.com/en/calian-rewins-defence-training-contract-valued-170-million

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  12 février 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Arrival of used Aussie fighters pushed back to summer 2019 or later

  Senior defence official says Canada will take used Aussie FA-18s as they become available It will be 2022 before the Royal Canadian Air Force receives all of the used Australian fighter jets the Liberal government intends to purchase, says senior defence official. The plan was rolled out with much fanfare at the end of last year because the air force has faced — in the words of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan — an "urgent capability gap" and is not able to meet its NATO and Norad commitments at the same time. Pat Finn, who is in charge of the materiale branch of National Defence, told CBC News in a recent interview a final agreement is still months away. He is confident, however, everything will come together. Delivery is "staggered over three years," Finn said. The Trudeau government announced in December it would buy 18 used Australian "classic" FA-18s as an interim measure to bolster the air force until the entire Canadian fleet of CF-18s is replaced, beginning in the mid-2020s. It had wanted to buy brand new Boeing Super Hornets, the newer, bigger, more advanced version of the FA-18 and CF-18. The plan was scuttled when the manufacturer, Chicago-based Boeing, filed a trade complaint against Canadian aerospace giant Bombardier. No price tag for the Australian deal was released at the time of the formal announcement, which was made by Sajjan and Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough. Ongoing discussions Finn said those details are still being worked out. The Liberal government said in December the first used fighters, which were purchased by Australia around the same Canada bought its CF-18s, would arrive by January 2019. Finn said the delivery schedule is being finalized, but he anticipates receiving the first two warplanes by the summer of that year. Another one would follow by the end of the year, but much depends on the Royal Australian Air Force and how quickly it retires the fighters and the age of what's being offered. "They, of course, release aircraft as they get aircraft," Finn said. "We do not necessarily want the oldest aircraft, so we would like to have an ongoing discussion." He said there is some flexibility and if "summer '19 turns into" something a few months later because they can get a better jet, then it's something that can be negotiated. The Australian government is in the process of seeking permission to sell the planes because they were originally manufactured in the U.S. Once the Australian warplanes arrive in Canada, they will need to be given life-extension modifications that will bring them up to the standard of the CF-18s, which have been modified to continuing flying until 2025. It stands in stark contrast to the urgency with which the Liberals initially painted the shortage of fighter aircraft. "In 2025, the CF-18s will not be able to fly, and it is important that we move very quickly in filling this capability gap." said Sajjan in June 2016. Finn said the air force is managing the capability gap by making more CF-18s available for operations on a daily basis. "We're basically working right now to increase the availability of our current airplanes," he said. Experts say that would mean pouring more than expected into the maintenance budget in order to keep fighters on the flight line. Urgent purchase? One defence analyst said the government has a strange definition of urgent. "Nothing about the handling of this file lines up with the identification of it as an urgent need, either the interim or the permanent purchase," said Dave Perry, an expert in procurement at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He said he believes it will present a political headache for the Liberals come the next election. "The fact that this government may, at best, have a couple of second-hand aircraft before the next election after having identified an urgent need to acquire new fighter aircraft is just incredible," he said. When the Australian deal was announced, the government also laid out a timeline for the full replacement of the CF-18s, which were purchased in the 1980s, but extensively modified and upgraded in the early 2000s. Public Works recently held a consultation day with defence contractors, but Perry says no one seems to understand why it will take until the early 2020s to launch the competition. When the former Conservative government was struggling over whether to buy the F-35 stealth fighter, it conducted extensive research on the alternatives and possible types of warplanes Canada would need. That research, which conceivable could move things along faster, was largely discarded by the Liberals and is gathering dust on a shelf, Perry says. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/aussie-fighter-jets-1.4530875

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  17 octobre 2019 | Local, Naval

  Irving Shipbuilding Hands Over HMCS Montreal to Royal Canadian Navy

  Irving Shipbuilding Inc. handed over Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montréal (FFH 336) to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) following the completion of a 53-week docking work period on August 22. The vessel arrived at Halifax Shipyard on Aug. 13 last year for the docking work period (DWP). The DWP was completed on schedule and included preventive and corrective maintenance, ship system upgrades including new diesel generators and chillers to name a few, as well as installation of new equipment providing enhanced combat capabilities to ensure the longevity of HMCS Montreal. More than 400 of Halifax Shipyard's 2,000 employees worked on HMCS Montreal's docking work period, including many shipbuilders who are members of Unifor Local 1. Dozens of Nova Scotia-based suppliers worked with ISI on the Montreal, including Maritime Pressure Works, MacKinnon & Olding, CMS Steel Pro, and Pro-Insul, among others. Since 2010, all seven of the Navy's east coast Halifax-class frigates– HMCS Halifax, HMCS Fredericton, HMCS Montreal, HMCS Charlottetown, HMCS St. John's, HMCS Ville de Quebec, and HMCS Toronto – have been consecutively modernized and maintained at Halifax Shipyard. Halifax Shipyard is continuing its legacy as the Halifax-class In-Service Support Centre of Excellence, with HMCS Charlottetown currently in the graving dock for a docking work period. In addition to its Halifax-class ship maintenance work, Halifax Shipyard is building six Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and 15 Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC) over the next 25 years as part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). The Halifax class underwent a modernization program, known as the Halifax Class Modernization (HCM) program, in order to update the frigates' capabilities in combatting modern smaller, faster and more mobile threats. This involved upgrading the command and control, radar, communications, electronic warfare and armament systems. Further improvements, such as modifying the vessel to accommodate the new Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and satellite links will be done separately from the main Frigate Equipment Life Extension (FELEX) program. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2019/october/7593-irving-shipbuilding-hands-over-hmcs-montreal-to-royal-canadian-navy.html