14 août 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
by Eric Dumigan
Under blue skies, the team wowed thousands in a special one-day edition of Aero Gatineau-Ottawa. The Red Arrows, who last performed in North America more than a decade ago, are conducting an 11-week North American tour that “aims to promote the best of British and deepen partnerships with close friends and allies.” The contingent includes 108 people, 12 Red Arrows Hawk T1 aircraft and one Atlas A400M RAF transport aircraft.
In their 55th season, the Red Arrows will travel coast to coast across North America, conducting aerobatic displays, flypasts and ground engagements.
The Red Arrows use a mix of red, white and blue smoke during their performances to enhance visual presentation. Eric Dumigan Photo
The team's leader, Martin Pert, leads the nine-plane formation in a series of manoeuvres with formations that salute the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission; the Concorde, the world's only supersonic commercial aircraft; the Second World War Lancaster bomber; and the Tornado, a multi-roll strike aircraft that was retired from the RAF in 2019. The team uses red, white and blue smoke to enhance its visual presentation.
The Red Arrows were formed in 1965 and have performed over 5,000 displays in 57 countries around the world. The Folland Gnat was replaced in 1980 with their current aircraft, the BAE Systems Hawk T1 trainer. The Hawk is a standard military two-seat advanced trainer with a tweaked engine to allow for faster response times.
The Red Arrows performed a flypast in Halifax this past weekend and will perform in Toronto on Labour Day weekend, and in Victoria and Vancouver between September 24 and 27.
Aero Gatineau-Ottawa will host a full airshow from Sept. 6 to 8, featuring the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II Demo Team.
https://www.skiesmag.com/news/red-arrows-rock-gatineau-ottawa/
2 mai 2022 | Local, Terrestre
Après les USA qui vont fournir 90 pièces de 155 mm et le Canada qui en enverra six, c'est au tour des Australiens de contribuer au renforcement de...
11 novembre 2019 | Local, Terrestre
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Sniper rifles from PGW Defence Technologies of Winnipeg will be arriving soon in Ukraine. The company, with support of Global Affairs Canada, sold 50 LRT-3 sniper rifles to Ukraine's military, according to the Canadian Forces. Ukrainian government officials say the rifles are expected in the country very soon. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Ukrinform, the country's national news agency, that he believes the sniper rifle deal “will open the door to expanding the range of cooperation” between Ukraine and Canada on military equipment. Ukraine is also seeking armoured vehicles and other equipment from Canada. Canadian Forces personnel are working with Ukrainian snipers predominantly through a basic sniper course. They are mainly developing the Ukrainian instructors, but do provide some mentorship to the students, noted Canadian Forces spokesperson Capt. Leah Campbell. This is basically through watching and providing feedback to the students, she added. “Weapons that the students are using are provided or purchased by the Ukrainian Government,” explained Campbell in an email. “CAF personnel are not currently working with LRT-3 .50 caliber rifle. However, we are always responsive to our Ukrainian partners training needs and can adjust as appropriate.” In December 2017, the House of Commons defence committee recommended the government provide weapons to Ukraine, provided it demonstrates it is working to eliminate corruption at all levels of government. Senior officials from Ukraine's ministry of defence told the defence committee they would welcome arms from Canada, including anti-tank weapons. They told the committee that the Ukrainian military's sniper equipment was obsolete. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/ukraine-buys-canadian-sniper-rifles-delivery-expected-soon
24 janvier 2019 | Local, Naval
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The federal government will review a contract awarded last year for emergency towing vessels after the Canadian International Trade Tribunal raised questions about its procurement process. In early January, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal recommended the government review the key performance requirements used in the procurement of two emergency towing vessels for the west coast from an Irving firm. Heiltsuk Horizon, a partnership of majority partner Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, British Columbia and Horizon Maritime Services Limited, a Canadian marine services company, complained to the CITT last August that the winning supplier did not meet important safety requirements of the tender process. “We're confident with the new, state of the art vessels we've submitted, and we want to ensure the right emergency response vessels are in place to protect the vital coastal economies and fragile ecosystems of British Columbia's coast,” Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett of the Heiltsuk Nation said Thursday about the decision to review the contract. At the time, the CITT recommended Public Services and Procurement Canada re-evaluate some of its mandatory requirements and that no further expenditure under the contact be undertaken. However, the tribunal also recommended that the contract remain with the winning bidder, Atlantic Services Limited/Atlantic Towing, until the evaluation can be completed. In August, the federal government announced the firm had been awarded a three-year contract worth $67 million for the lease of two emergency offshore towing vessels that would operate in the waters off the coast of British Columbia. The vessels were to be capable of towing large commercial ships in distress, such as tankers and container ships, before they get too close to shore, according to the federal government. As part of the contract, the firm, which is an Irving company, would also provide training in offshore emergency towing to Canadian Coast Guard personnel and partners, including Indigenous communities, involved in marine safety. But Heiltsuk Horizon challenged that award, pointing out that the contract was awarded without the required proof the vessels met the mandated towing power. The firm noted that the procurement process was flawed. In a letter to Heiltsuk Horizon, the CITT recommended Public Services and Procurement Canada reevaluate the “bollard pull” (towing power) of the vessels in all bids received. The CITT also awarded Heiltsuk Horizon costs incurred in submitting the complaint. Mary Keith, vice president of communications for Irving, issued a statement at the time from Atlantic Towing, pointing out that the tribunal did not declare the firm's bid non-compliant. “This is good news and reaffirms the integrity of the rigorous and transparent award process by PWGSC that also involved a third party fairness monitor,” the statement added. “The Tribunal has requested verification of one item and we are confident in our full compliance. The Bollard Pull on our vessels are verified and certified by one of the world's leading marine certification companies.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/government-will-review-towing-vessel-contract-after-procurement-process-question