Ottawa achète un avion sans pilote à 36 millions$ [VIDÉO]

Sur le même sujet

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  5 août 2020 | Local, Naval

  Arctic military port first promised in 2007 sees new delay

  August 4, 2020 By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The construction of a new military refuelling station in the Arctic is facing another delay more than 13 years after it was first promised by the federal government, with one analyst raising concerns about other pressing military needs in the region. Former prime minister Stephen Harper announced plans to build the Nanisivik deep-water port in Nunavut, along with up to eight armed Arctic patrol vessels, during a trip to the Far North in 2007. The port, considered one of the crown jewels of the Conservative government's Arctic strategy, was intended to provide fuel to the patrol ships and other federal vessels while expanding the military's permanent footprint in the North. The long-standing expectation was that the port located at the site of an old mining jetty on Baffin Island, about 20 kilometres from the community of Arctic Bay, would be ready by the time the first of those ships was delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy. Yet while the first Arctic patrol vessel was handed over to the navy on Friday after numerous delays and cost overruns, the Department of National Defence confirmed the Nanisivik facility won't be operational until at least 2022. Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said COVID-19 scuttled this year's construction season, which can only occur between June and September because of weather in the North. “Due to COVID-19 delays, a small number of contractors are expected to return to the site in August to start the 2020 work season,” Lamirande said in an email. “This means the season will be much shorter than planned and will only allow for a limited amount of work to be completed.” COVID-19 is only the most recent challenge to plague construction of the Nanisivik facility, which was originally supposed to be up and running in 2013 and include an airstrip and be manned throughout the year. The airstrip and year-round service were cut from the plans after the project's original $100-million budget was found to have more than doubled to $258 million in 2013. The current price tag is estimated at $146 million, according to Lamirande. The federal government has also faced environmental hurdles due to the need to clean up the old fuel-tank farm located on the site, which was home to a port used to ship ore from an old zinc mine. There were also structural issues with the existing jetty. Lamirande said significant progress has been made on the facility since the first full construction season in 2015, with nearly all fuelling infrastructure in place. But the fact the port still hasn't been finished, despite the scope of the project having been dramatically scaled back, is both disheartening and troubling, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Canada's relative difficulty building a single port with limited facilities in the North contrasts sharply with Russia's massive Arctic expansion in recent years, Perry said, and bodes poorly for needed Canadian military investments in the region. Those include upgrading the string of increasingly obsolete radars that forms the backbone of North America's system for incoming missiles and air- and water-based threats, as well as several airstrips in the area that will be used by Canada's new fighter jets. Those projects are expected to start in the coming years. “It's kind of dispiriting how long it has taken us to develop relatively simple infrastructure at one of the most accessible parts of our Arctic,” Perry said of Nanisivik. “The length of time it has taken us to build doesn't leave a lot of confidence that the other projects are going to move in a relatively quick timeframe.” https://www.on-sitemag.com/construction/arctic-military-port-first-promised-in-2007-sees-new-delay/1003969425/

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  16 décembre 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  What do 48 elephants and 18 CN Towers have in common? It's CANSEC!

  What do 48 elephants and 18 CN Towers have in common? It's CANSEC! ​Did you know that it takes 48.3 elephants worth of freight (or, if you are a dog lover, 2,000 chihuahuas), 18.2 CN Towers length of cable and enough carpet to cover 5.4 hockey rinks to put on one CANSEC? Well, now you're equipped to win any CANSEC trivia contest! Even more importantly, CANSEC is North America's largest tri-service defence event and the place to create relationships with a captive audience of thousands of senior military and government representatives, international delegations and industry leaders. But hurry, because CANSEC exhibit space is already 90% sold out! Just check out more fun CANSEC stats below:

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  9 août 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  Next phase of Canadian special forces aircraft project to begin soon

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The next phase of the purchase of new surveillance aircraft for Canadian special forces is expected to begin soon with the request for bids for long-term maintenance of the planes. Canadian special forces will receive three new surveillance aircraft from the U.S. with the planes expected to arrive in 2022. A request for bids from Canadian firms to provide in-service support is to be released by the end of the summer. The purchase of the aircraft has raised questions about why the cost is substantially more than what the U.S. Air Force spends to buy the same or similar aircraft. The three Beechcraft King Air planes, to be based at CFB Trenton in Ontario, will be outfitted with sensors and equipment to intercept cell phone and other electronic transmissions. Canadian special forces and, potentially, other government departments will use them for missions overseas and in Canada. The agreement for the aircraft was finalized on April 26 with the U.S. government. Three aircraft and equipment will be delivered in the spring of 2022, the Canadian Forces noted. The agreement signed with the U.S. government is for $188 million (CAN). The U.S. Air Force lists the cost of the MC-12W surveillance aircraft as $17 million each or around $23 million Canadian. That includes communications/sensors and modification of the aircraft for that equipment. So three aircraft should cost in total about $70 million Canadian. At first it was unclear why Canada was paying more than double what the U.S. spends on the same planes. But the Department of National Defence now says the extra cost includes more powerful engines and a modernized cockpit. “As such, the cost for this new variant of the aircraft is higher than previous models,” the DND added in a statement. Also included in the overall agreement is two years of field service support and a technical data package which will enable the Canadian government to solicit bids from domestic firms to maintain the planes, according to the DND. No breakdown of the various costs was provided. The DND also noted that the initial outlay for the aircraft provides the “greatest benefit to Canada's industrial base.” It pointed out that it consulted with industry and determined buying from the U.S. was the best approach. Canadian industry officials, however, have disputed that claim. Various Canadian firms responded to the federal government's initial request for information in August 2013, highlighting that they could provide the aircraft needed by the Canadian Forces as well as integrate whatever equipment was selected or required by Canadian special forces. But the procurement was changed to have the aircraft purchased directly from the U.S. government and using U.S. firms. Attempts by Canadian companies to get an explanation about the change in direction were rebuffed, industry officials say. But the DND says Canadian firms will be providing the maintenance support for the aircraft. The federal government will solicit bids for the in-service support contract which will have the potential to cover a 23-year period. “The value of potential maintenance contracts is not yet known,” according to the DND. A draft request for proposals for the in-service support portion has been released with a final RFP expected sometime in the summer. No specific date was provided. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/next-phase-of-canadian-special-forces-aircraft-project-soon-to-begin