18 décembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

Push to use allies to train needed Canadian fighter pilots no longer being considered

A Canadian military plan to boost the number of fighter pilots through a one-time push using allied training won't be happening, and instead the number of aviators will be increased gradually over the next seven years using the existing domestic system.

The plan to make use of allied training to increase the numbers of pilots to fly the interim fighter jets being acquired by the Liberals was outlined to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in November 2016, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.

“Fighter pilot production would need to be increased above current numbers to fly the additional mission ready aircraft,” Sajjan was told as the number of jets in the military's inventory would be boosted. “This would be done by utilizing allied training capacity with a one-time investment.”

That initiative would allow Canada to have the needed pilots in place by 2023, the briefing added.

The push for more pilots was to coincide with the purchase of 18 Super Hornets from Boeing, a U.S. aerospace firm.

But that deal collapsed after a trade complaint and Canada is now buying 25 used F-18 aircraft from Australia.

A one-time push for allied training would no longer be needed. “As the Australian F-18 jets are very similar to our CF-18's, there will be no difference in training our pilots,” an email from the Canadian Forces noted.

“We will be using our existing pilots and growing their number gradually over the next five to seven years,” it added.

Last month Auditor General Michael Ferguson noted that the additional aircraft being acquired as an interim measure meant that the Canadian Forces “would need to considerably increase the number of trained pilots. National Defence is unlikely to be able to do so because pilots have been leaving the fighter force faster than new ones could be trained.”

Military aviators worldwide are being lured away from their jobs by the growing demand in the civilian aviation market for airline pilots.

But RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger told the Commons public accounts committee Dec. 3 that the main reason for Canadian pilots leaving had to do with family. “Certainly the feedback from those who are releasing is it's a question of family, challenges for their family,” Meinzinger said. “There's a dimension of ops tempo, work-life balance, predictability in terms of geographical location, and then typically fifth or sixth are comments about financial remuneration.”

Canada's main fighter bases are in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que.

Meinzinger said there can also be issues with spouses finding employment in the locations where the pilots operate from. In addition, some pilots don't want to be transferred to desk jobs and want to continue with flight operations.

The specific number of fighter pilots the Canadian Forces is short of is considered secret.

In the email to Postmedia, the RCAF says it is looking at several ways to attract and retain fighter pilots “which include initiatives to make living and working in our organization the best it can be.”

“This includes looking at increasing the number of staff positions where pilots still get to fly and reviewing options of longer flying tours, which would provide our members with added stability, enable them to fly longer, and retains valuable experience at the squadrons to train or upgrade qualifications of junior members,” the RCAF added.

The RCAF also says it may consider sending its trained pilots to work with allied air forces to gain further experience if there is a need.

There have been problems, on and off, since the late 1990s with producing and retaining Canadian military pilots. Postmedia reported that the Canadian Forces had to send fledgling fighter pilots down to the U.S. between 2011 and 2013 because of ongoing issues, including the availability of training aircraft provided by civilian contractors at the flying training facilities in Moose Jaw, Sask., and Cold Lake.

That reduction in aircraft availability reduced the level of training, which in turn “negatively impacted the pilot production capability,” according to a briefing for then Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk.

dpugliese@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/davidpugliese

https://nationalpost.com/news/push-to-use-allies-to-train-needed-canadian-fighter-pilots-no-longer-being-considered

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11 novembre 2020 | Local, Naval

Royal Canadian Navy Unveils New Details On CSC Frigates
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) released the latest details on the configuration of its next generation frigates: the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC). They will be heavily armed, featuring Naval Strike Missiles, Tomahawk and both ESSM and Sea Ceptor! The RCN last week unveiled a PDF document shedding light on the latest configuration retained for its next gen class of frigate: the CSC. Naval News contacted various sources familiar with the program to confirm the selection of a number of systems listed in the document. What stands out in this new document is fact that the CSC will be fitted with a wide range of weapons, both offensive and defense, in a mix never seen before in any surface combatant. Naval Strike Missile (NSM) While NSM launchers were shown in the past on CSC scale models at various tradeshows (Surface Navy and Sea Air Space), the CSC model on display at DSEI 2019 was showing Harpoon launchers aboard the frigate To our knowledge, it is the first time that an official Royal Canadian Navy lists the NSM as the main anti-surface warfare (ASuW) weapon for the CSC. Contacted by Naval News, an industry source said Kongsberg was close to finalizing the deal. NSM has an operational range of 100 nautical miles (185 Km) and a high subsonic speed. It uses Inertial, GPS and terrain-reference navigation and imaging infrared homing (with a target database aboard the missile). The NSM is a fifth generation anti-sip missile, produced by Kongsberg and managed in the U.S. by Raytheon. NSM reached Initial Operational Capability on the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and Skjold-class corvettes in 2012. It is also fielded by the Polish Navy (coastal defense batteries) and has been selected by the navies of Malaysia and Germany. NSM was also selected in 2018 as the winner of the U.S. Navy Over-The-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) competition and by the USMC last year. It will be fitted aboard the Littoral Combat Ship and the Constellation-class frigates. In the case of Canada, is selected, the NSM will likely be sourced from Raytheon via an FMS deal, rather than procured directly from Norway. Tomahawk land attack cruise missile If Tomahawk missiles end up in the CSC weapons package, this would be quite significant. So far, Raytheon's land attack cruise missile has only been exported to the United Kingdom in its submarine launched variant. Canada would become the second export customer for the missile and the only navy, with the US Navy to deploy it from surface vessels. Naval News contacted Raytheon for comment but we have not heard back yet. During the Sea Air Space 2019 tradeshow, representatives from Lockheed Martin Canada confirmed to Naval News the MK41 VLS aboard the frigate were “strike length”. The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship- and submarine-based land-attack operations. Its latest variant, the RGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM Block IV) has a range of 900 nautical miles (or 1,000 mi / 1,700 km). ESSM and Sea Ceptor The last thing that really caught our attention in the RCN document is the fact that both the ESSM and Sea Ceptor are listed. On paper, the two missiles are direct competitors and redundant: ESSM is a medium-range, all-weather, semi-active radar-guided missile used in surface-to-air and surface-to-surface roles. According to open sources, the RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) has a range of about 27 nautical miles (50 Km) and a top speed of Mach 4+. Unlike ESSM Block 1, the Block 2's active radar homing seeker will support terminal engagement without the launch ship's target illumination radars. The improved ESSM Block 2 will be fielded by the US Navy from 2020. Canada is one of the 12 nations taking part in the NATO-led ESSM consortium and will be deploying the Block 2 variant aboard the future CSC. The will be launched from the Mk41 VLS. The missiles can be “quad packed” in a single cell. According to MBDA, Sea Ceptor is the next-generation, ship-based, all-weather, air defence weapon system. The Weapon System has the capability to intercept and thereby neutralise the full range of current and future threats including combat aircraft and the new generation of supersonic anti-ship missiles. Capable of multiple channels of fire, the system will also counter saturation attacks. It has a range of 25 Km, a speed of Mach 3 and features an active RF seeker. Also known as Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (Maritime) – CAMM(M), this new missiles has already been fielded aboard the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates and the Royal New Zealand Navy ANZAC-class frigates. Sea Ceptor will also be fitted aboard the future Type 26 frigates. Contacted by Naval News, an MBDA source shed some light on how the Sea Ceptor was selected in addition to the ESSM. The two missiles were not competing against each other. Raytheon's ESSM was selected to provide “point defense”. Instead, MBDA pitched its missile for the RCN's close in weapons system (CIWS) requirement. The Sea Ceptor beat out systems usually used in that role such as the RAM, SeaRam or Phalanx. The final Sea Ceptor configuration aboard the CSC still needs finalized and confirmed but it will likely be 24x missiles launched from Lockheed Martin's Extensible Launching System (ExLS) located amidship. The RCN would become the launch customer for that new launcher alongside the Brazilian Navy (for its new corvette design based on the TKMS MEKO A-100) depending on who signs the contract first. CSC latest configuration Surveillance & Weapon Sensors Solid State 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar – LMC SPY-7 Solid State AESA Target Illuminator – MDA Navigation Radars – X & S Band Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems Electronic Warfare & Countermeasures Suite Radar/Radio ESM Frequency Identification Laser Warning and Countermeasures System Radio Frequency and Electronic Jammers Electronic Decoy System Naval News comments: An industry source informed us that except for the Torpedo decoy systems (to be provided by Ultra) the decoy launchers for CSC and their ammunition is one of the few systems that are still “up in the air”. We were told however that the RCN wants the full range of decoy types available on the market today: Infra red, chaff, corner reflectors, smoke for masking / screening and even offboard active decoys (such as Nulka). The EW suite of the CSC will be known as the RAVEN. Designed by Lockheed Martin Canada, it is based on the RAMSES system currently fitted aboard the Halifax-class frigates. Command & Control Combat Management System – LMC CMS 330 with AEGIS USN Cooperative Engagement Capability – Sensor Netting Integrated Cyber Defence System Integrated Bridge and Navigation System – OSI Internal and External Communication Suite – L3 Harris Aviation Facilities 1 x CH-148 Cyclone Helicopter Space for embarking Remotely Piloted Systems Helo Hauldown and Traverse System – Indal Technologies Inc. Weapons Missile Vertical Launch System 32 Cells – LMC MK 41 Area Air Defence Missiles – Raytheon Standard Missile 2 Point Defence Missiles – Raytheon Evolved Sea Sparrow Naval Fires Support – Raytheon Tomahawk Main Gun System – 127mm Lightweight Torpedoes MK54 & Twin Launch Tubes Close-In Air Defence System – MBDA Sea Ceptor Surface-to-Surface Anti-Ship Missile – Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile 2 x Stabilized Rapid Fire 30mm Naval Gun System – BAE Naval News comments: The main gun is another system on which the RCN has yet to formally make a choice. According to our sources, Italy's Leonardo 127/64 LW is still in competition against BAE System's Mk45 Mod 4. Note that the CSC scale models and illustrations (above) have always shown the American gun. In addition, the UK's Type 26 and Australia's Hunter-class frigates will both use the later naval gun system. A possible FMS of SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for the CSC was approved last week. Reconfigurable Mission & Boat Bays 1 x Rescue Boat – 9 metres 2 x Multi-Role Boats – 9-12 metres Mission Bay Handling System – Rolls Royce Modular Mission Support Capacity – Sea Container, Vehicles, Boats Propulsion & Power Generation Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas Propulsion System (CODLOG) 2 x Electric Motors – GE 1 x Gas Turbine – Rolls Royce MT 30 4 x Diesel Generators – Rolls Royce MTU Integrated Platform Management System – L3 Harris Integrated Underwater Warfare System Towed Low Frequency Active & Passive Sonar – Ultra Electronics Hull-Mounted Sonar – Ultra Electronics Sonar S2150 Towed Torpedo Countermeasures – Ultra Electronics SEA SENTOR S21700 Sonobuoy Processing System – General Dynamics Expendable Acoustic Countermeasures Specifications: Length: 151.4 metres Beam: 20.75 metres Speed: 27 knots Displacement: 7,800 tonnes Navigational Draught: ~8m Range: 7000 nautical miles Class: 15 ships Accommodations: ~204 Naval News comments: The displacement figure (7,800 tonnes) shown on the RCN document is probably the “full load” displacement. For comparison, the official figure for the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate is 6,900 tons standard displacement while the official figure for the Royal Australian Navy's Hunter-class frigate is 8,800 tons at full load. In addition to the PDF unveiled last week, the Royal Canadian Navy Director of Naval Strategy, Captain Nucci, published an article on CSC in USNI's proceedings: “Canada is pursuing a single class of 15 surface combatants for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), unlike some of its allies who are building multiple classes of more specialized ships. A single variant Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) is better than the project's original vision of two variants based on a common hull (the first a task group command/air-defense version, the other a more general-purpose/antisubmarine warfare version). While all naval force structure is essentially driven by national strategic defense and security interests, a single-class solution is based on three principal factors. First, it fits best for Canada's unique naval requirements shaped by its geography, modest fleet size, and the RCN's operational needs. Second, it optimizes effectiveness now and into the future, while responsibly seeking maximum cost efficiencies. Finally, it is an innovative approach that has only recently become both practical and advantageous because of recent technological developments, such as convergence and digitization.” Captain Christopher Nucci, Royal Canadian Navy, Proceedings, USNI, November 2020 https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/11/royal-canadian-navy-unveils-new-details-on-csc-frigates/
22 juillet 2022 | Local, Aérospatial

Création de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada
Le 22 juillet 2022 – Ottawa – Ministère de la Défense nationale/Aviation royale canadienne Aujourd'hui, le lieutenant-général Al Meinzinger, commandant de l'Aviation royale canadienne (ARC), et le brigadier-général Mike Adamson, commandant de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada (3 DSC), ont participé à une cérémonie qui s'est tenue au Quartier général de la Défense nationale (complexe Carling), à Ottawa (Ontario). La 3e Division spatiale du Canada est une évolution de l'organisation du Directeur général de l'espace de l'ARC. Comme la responsabilité des opérations spatiales n'a cessé de croître au cours de la dernière décennie, l'équipe axée sur l'espace au sein de l'ARC a été réorganisée pour répondre à cette portée élargie. S'appuyant sur les initiatives spatiales énoncées dans la politique de défense du Canada, Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, la création de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada reconnaît l'importance cruciale de l'espace dans toutes les opérations et les activités quotidiennes des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC), et constitue un pas en avant dans la protection des intérêts canadiens dans l'espace. Cette toute nouvelle division de l'ARC rationalisera, concentrera et améliorera la façon dont les capacités spatiales soutiennent les exigences essentielles des FAC, comme les communications, le commandement et le contrôle, la navigation, la météo et la connaissance de la situation. L'ARC demeurera l'autorité fonctionnelle dans le domaine spatial pour l'ensemble des FAC. Citations « Alors que l'environnement sécuritaire international devient de plus en plus complexe, l'espace est un domaine critique pour notre sécurité nationale. La création de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada marque une étape importante dans notre travail de réalisation d'une armée de pointe et innovante, capable d'anticiper et d'agir en réponse aux menaces de demain. Nous saluons les membres de l'Aviation royale canadienne pour leur excellence continue dans le domaine spatial. » L'honorable Anita Anand, ministre de la Défense nationale « Les capacités spatiales sont essentielles aux opérations militaires modernes et, à ce titre, l'espace doit être intégré dans l'ensemble des Forces armées canadiennes et être au centre de notre planification opérationnelle. La création de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada marque une nouvelle étape dans le développement de l'expertise et des capacités spatiales dont nous dépendons pour mener des opérations avec succès et efficacité. » Général Wayne Eyre, chef d'état-major de la défense « Aujourd'hui plus que jamais, le domaine spatial revêt une importance capitale si on prend en considération son rôle dans l'orientation des opérations militaires et dans la réalisation d'un large éventail d'activités quotidiennes pour les Canadiens. La création de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada permet à l'Aviation royale canadienne de s'assurer que nous disposons de la structure organisationnelle adéquate pour produire continuellement des effets spatiaux dans l'ensemble des FAC et que nous suivons l'exemple de nos alliés qui ont établi des commandements spatiaux similaires. » Lieutenant-général Al Meinzinger, commandant de l'Aviation royale canadienne « C'est avec une immense fierté et une profonde humilité que je commande la 3e Division spatiale du Canada au nom des nombreux hommes et femmes dévoués qui reconnaissent depuis longtemps l'importance du domaine spatial pour les opérations militaires. Les membres de cette équipe travaillent sans rel'che et avec un enthousiasme sans borne pour appuyer les Forces armées canadiennes. Je sais que ces spécialistes de l'espace dévoués pavent la voie et continueront de le faire à l'avenir. » Brigadier-général Mike Adamson, commandant de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada Faits en bref On prévoit que la 3 DSC emploiera quelque 175 militaires et civils lorsqu'elle aura atteint sa taille maximale au cours des prochaines années. Il s'agit d'une augmentation de 85 postes par rapport à l'effectif de l'organisation du directeur général – Espace. Cette augmentation cadre avec la croissance que prévoit la politique de défense Protection, Sécurité, Engagement. L'établissement de la 3e Division spatiale du Canada comprendra également le rétablissement de la 7e Escadre, qui sera composée du 7e Escadron d'opérations spatiales et du 7e Escadron de soutien aux opérations. La 7e Escadre fournira des données et des capacités spatiales à l'appui des opérations des FAC. Les capacités spatiales des FAC sont utilisées pour assurer les communications, le commandement et le contrôle, la navigation, la météo et la connaissance de la situation en appui aux opérations et aux activités militaires. Ces activités peuvent comprendre la recherche et le sauvetage, la surveillance des approches maritimes du Canada pour renforcer la souveraineté dans l'Arctique, le soutien aux opérations du NORAD et le soutien à la prise de décision dans le cadre d'opérations outre-mer. L'engagement du Canada à l'égard de l'Initiative d'opérations spatiales conjointes demeure une priorité pour la 3e Division spatiale du Canada. Cette entente, dont sont partie prenante l'Australie, la France, l'Allemagne, la Nouvelle-Zélande, le Royaume-Uni, les États-Unis et le Canada, permet de renforcer la coopération en ce qui concerne les activités de défense spatiale. Liens connexes Le programme spatial interarmées et interallié du Ministère de la Défense nationale et des Forces armées canadiennes Page Facebook de l'Aviation royale canadienne Page Twitter de l'Aviation royale canadienne Personnes-ressources Relations avec les médias Ministère de la Défense nationale Téléphone : 613-904-3333 Courriel : mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2022/07/creation-de-la-3edivision-spatiale-du-canada.html
28 novembre 2022 | Local, Autre défense

Canadian military would be 'challenged' to launch a large scale operation: chief of the defence staff
Canada’s military forces are 'ready' to meet their commitments should Russia's war in Ukraine spread to NATO countries, but it would be a 'challenge' to launch a larger scale operation in the long term, with ongoing personnel and equipment shortages, according to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre.

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