15 mars 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
The Defence department's procurement chief says the Royal Canadian Air Force might not need the seven used Australian F-18 aircraft being purchased for parts afterall.
Canada is buying 25 used F-18s from Australia, with 18 of those to be flown and seven to be either stripped down for parts or used for testing. The aircraft to be flown will augment the existing RCAF CF-18 fleet until a new generation fighter jet can be purchased.
But Pat Finn, the Department of National Defence's Assistant Deputy Minister for Materiel, said there may be no need for the seven F-18s. “The seven, whether or not we actually take them at this point, we're still looking at that,” Finn recently told the Commons defence committee. “What we're actually finding is the number of spares that they've been able to provide to us is more than adequate. Rather than take aircraft apart and go through that cost, we're taking the spares. We may not, in fact, at this point look at any of the seven.”
It is unclear whether there will be a reduction in the cost of the purchase or the overall project cost if the seven airframes are not acquired.
The DND also clarified what is happening with the engines on the Australian F-18s. Rumours have been circulating in the retired military community that the engines are being stripped out of the planes and given back to Australia.
“Only the engines from the first two Australian F-18s (four engines total) are being returned to Australia, at their request,” explained DND spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier. “Australia needs those engines to meet their own operational requirements.”
In order to take advantage of an advanced delivery date for the first two Australian aircraft, Canada agreed to return those aircraft's engines to Australia, but the plan is to get an equivalent number of engines back at a later date, he added.
“Canada has sufficient engines in reserve to support this plan and this will have no impact on operations,” Le Bouthillier stated. “We therefore found this to be a reasonable request, and agreed to it.”
17 janvier 2024 | Local, Naval
The project budget for the two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships is now $2.1 billion, up from a previous estimate of $1.6 billion.
4 juin 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to refocus existing innovation programs to support the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Department of National Defence has announced the first of a series of calls for innovations aimed at addressing some key challenges Canada is facing. With an initial commitment of $15 million, the first three challenges focus on: Viable and effective processes and methods for safely and rapidly decontaminating enclosed work environments, such as buildings and modes of transportation, containing sensitive equipment; Innovative material and designs to aid in decontamination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), operational clothing, and equipment for personnel responding to events involving biological hazards; and Data gathering solutions to support the early detection and community-based monitoring of outbreaks of contagious diseases. These challenges were determined by multi-departmental panels led by the National Research Council of Canada as part of the COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program. In addition to the call for innovation, these panels are engaging Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises to refine their near-to-market products to meet a COVID-19 related need. Promising solutions in the areas of PPE, sanitization, diagnostics and testing, therapeutics, and disease-tracking technology may receive funding to further their solutions of interest. This effort is a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada and sees an additional investment of up to $10 million. Innovators are encouraged to consult the IDEaS program website (https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas.html) for more information on the challenges and how to apply to the program. “These are unprecedented times. We need to leverage all great minds and innovators in our efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan. “We will invest in Canadians as we look for innovative solutions to keep not only the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces, but all Canadians safe.” – Quick facts Call for innovation – Challenges to Canadian innovators This initiative is being led by DND's Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, with collaboration from the Centre for Security Science Program. The call will be open until June 23, with contracts expected to be awarded this summer. COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program DND has provided subject matter experts in the areas of public safety and security, medical response, and biology/chemistry for these panels. http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/dnd-launches-call-innovative-thinkers-solutions-covid-19-challenges/
29 août 2023 | Local, Aérospatial
Canada’s Department of National Defence Airworthiness Investigative Authority has issued the preliminary report into a fatal CH-47F Chinook helicopter crash.