11 mai 2021 | Local, Naval
State Department Approves $1.7 Billion Aegis Sale To Canada - Defense Daily
The State Department approved a potential $1.7 billion Foreign Military Sale of the Aegis Combat System to Canada for use in its new CSC ships.
11 octobre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
Purchase of three spy planes from the U.S. could cost Canada $140 million more than planned
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Canadian companies had wanted to provide the aircraft, but the Canadian military decided it needed the planes quicker than they believed Canadian firms could deliver
The cost of three small surveillance aircraft Canada is buying from the U.S. could be $140 million more than the Canadian military had originally estimated.
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.
On Oct. 1 the Canadian Forces told Postmedia the three outfitted planes and initial in-service support would cost between $100 million and $249 million, as outlined in the Liberal government's defence policy documents.
However, on Oct. 4 the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency revealed the final tally, informing Congress that the deal was underway with an estimated cost of US $300 million — around $389 million.
Canadian companies had wanted to provide the aircraft and on-board equipment, and several have formed alliances with U.S. firms who supply the Pentagon with the same or similar aircraft.
But the Canadian military decided it needed the planes more quickly than they believed Canadian companies could deliver, and that U.S. security regulations governing the on-board sensor equipment might cause delays. As a result, it determined the U.S. government was the only supplier capable of providing the planes.
The Canadian Forces says it hopes to get a better deal. The cost the U.S. government agency presented to Congress is not the final tally and the “final cost is anticipated to be much lower,” the Canadian Forces claimed in an email. “Over the coming months, we will work to more clearly define our interests and requirements for the purchase, and negotiate an acceptable price with the U.S.,” the email said.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Ashley Lemire said in an email to Postmedia that the delivery of the first plane would take place sometime between 2020 and 2021. The final delivery of the three aircraft would be wrapped up by 2022.
The main contractor is Beechcraft in Wichita, Kan.
The Canadian government will run a separate program to allow companies to compete to provide in-service support for the planes. The government expects to ask for bids for that 20-year contract sometime in the spring of 2019, said Lemire. DND declined to provide an estimate of what that long-term support would cost taxpayers.
Industry representatives have complained over the years that the Canadian Forces cut domestic firms out of the project and reduced the role they could play. Lemire rejected that claim, saying Canadian firms would have a role in servicing the planes.
Sur le même sujet
-
-
13 décembre 2022 | Local, Aérospatial
Des technologies canadiennes en route vers la Lune!
Des pays du monde entier se préparent à retourner sur la Lune et le Canada joue un rôle majeur dans cette grande initiative inspirante. Ce matin à 2 h 38 HE, deux technologies canadiennes ont été lancées vers la Lune à bord d'une fusée Falcon 9 de SpaceX dans le cadre de Mission 1 de l'entreprise japonaise ispace. Canadensys Aerospace Corporation (Canadensys) et Mission Control testeront leurs technologies de pointe afin de s'assurer qu'elles résisteront aux conditions hostiles de la Lune. Cette mission commerciale se posera sur la Lune au printemps 2023. Canadensys fournira à cette mission un système d'imagerie à 360° doté d'intelligence artificielle et de plusieurs caméras. Ce système résistant aux conditions hostiles de l'environnement lunaire sera notamment utilisé pour prendre des images de chacun des rovers de l'Agence japonaise d'exploration spatiale et du centre spatial Mohammed-bin-Rashid des Émirats arabes unis, à mesure qu'ils s'éloignent de l'atterrisseur d'ispace en direction opposée. L'entreprise Mission Control fera la démonstration d'un ordinateur de vol doté d'intelligence artificielle pour classifier les caractéristiques géologiques pendant le déplacement d'un rover. Habituellement, cette classification est réalisée sur Terre. Ce système pourrait ouvrir de nouvelles possibilités : les rovers pourraient exécuter eux-mêmes certaines choses, par exemple pour ce qui est de la navigation et de la classification du terrain. Une troisième entreprise, NGC Aérospatiale Ltée, recevra de l'imagerie de cette mission pour tester son système de positionnement semblable à la technologie GPS utilisée sur Terre. Elle s'en servira aussi pour préparer une future mission où cette technologie guidera les véhicules lunaires vers un endroit précis où ils pourront atterrir en toute sécurité. L'Agence spatiale canadienne a financé ces trois projets dans le cadre du Programme d'accélération de l'exploration lunaire. Grâce à ce financement, les entreprises auront sept occasions différentes de tester leurs technologies sur la Lune ou en orbite lunaire au cours des prochaines années. Citations « Aujourd'hui, grâce au soutien de l'Agence spatiale canadienne, deux technologies canadiennes révolutionnaires ont été lancées à bord de la Mission 1 de l'entreprise ispace. Ce lancement est un autre exemple d'entreprises canadiennes qui sont des figures de proue de cette nouvelle ère des plus palpitantes de l'exploration spatiale. Ces technologies contribueront à renforcer les capacités au Canada et à réduire les coûts des missions, tout en positionnant notre pays comme un partenaire de choix dans de futures initiatives spatiales. » - L'honorable François-Philippe Champagne, ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et de l'Industrie Faits en bref En 2019, le Canada a annoncé sa participation au prochain chapitre de l'histoire de l'exploration de la Lune. Le Programme d'accélération de l'exploration lunaire prépare le secteur spatial canadien au retour des êtres humains sur la Lune grâce à un investissement de 150 millions de dollars sur cinq ans pour aider les petites et moyennes entreprises canadiennes à mettre au point de nouvelles technologies qui seront utilisées et testées en orbite lunaire et sur la Lune. Un total de 3,3 millions de dollars en contributions a été accordé à Canadensys (2,49 millions de dollars) et à NGC Aérospatiale Ltée. (726 000 dollars) en 2020. Une contribution de 3 millions de dollars a été accordée à Mission Control en 2021. En 2019, le secteur spatial canadien a soutenu près de 23 000 emplois (directs et indirects) et contribué pour 2,5 milliards de dollars à l'économie canadienne. Les PME constituent 94 % des entreprises du secteur spatial canadien. https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-spatiale/nouvelles/2022/11/des-technologies-canadiennes-en-route-vers-la-lune.html
-
10 mars 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Government doesn’t know when a defence procurement agency might be created
In the last election campaign the Liberals promised to create a defence procurement agency as part of its efforts to improve purchasing of equipment for the Canadian Forces. No details were released at the time. In December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his mandate letter to Procurement Minister Anita Anand, outlined how she would lead an effort to bring “forward analyses and options for the creation of Defence Procurement Canada, to ensure that Canada's biggest and most complex National Defence and Canadian Coast Guard procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to Parliament.” Anand would do this with the support of the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, according to her mandate letter. At the time Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan claimed much of the work was already underway. “A lot of work has already started on (Defence Procurement Canada) and the goal of this is to make sure that we get the procurement projects done as quickly as possible to make sure the Canadian Armed Forces has what they need,” Sajjan told iPolitics the day before his mandate letter was released. Strangely, when asked about that work, Sajjan's department pointed out that he wasn't specifically referring to the DND and that Anand's Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) had the lead on the file. So, Defense Watch requested the timetable for this effort. Among the questions asked of Anand's department was when the new agency could potentially be expected to be stood up, will there be consultations done and whether there were any concepts already put forward for the agency that could be shared with the public? If this were such an important effort then of course the department would have an idea of at least a timeline on how things might unfold. Here is the answer provided by PSPC: “The Minister of Public Services and Procurement has been tasked to work with partner departments to bring forward analyses and options for the creation of Defence Procurement Canada. Public Services and Procurement Canada is leading this work with support from National Defence, Canadian Coast Guard, and Innovation Sciences and Economic Development Canada. This initiative is aimed at ensuring that Canada's biggest, most complex procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to Parliament. Work on this important initiative has just begun.” This answer provides little more than what was in the mandate letter. No details on what actual work was being contemplated or taking place was provided. There is no schedule or target date for even producing options and reporting back to government on those. In fact, this PSPC answer seems to undercut Sajjan's earlier claims that “a lot” of work had already started even before the mandate letters were released. Some in the defence industry don't expect much to come from the Liberal election promise of a single defence procurement agency. They point out their case is bolstered when the department leading the initiative doesn't know, or can't provide, even a timetable for such an initiative. The public, as well as industry, will have to wait and see whether Defence Procurement Canada ever becomes a reality. (Analysis) https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/government-doesnt-know-when-a-defence-procurement-agency-will-be-created