26 avril 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Here is defence industry news from my article in the latest issue of Esprit de Corps magazine:
MDA, a Maxar Technologies company, signed a contract worth around $8 million to provide the Department of National Defence with what is being called a Maritime Miniature Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MMUAS). The contract also includes services to support training, resource and equipment development activities and development and validation of naval tactics and new capability development, according to the firm.
MDA's solution is based on the Puma AE (All Environment) unmanned aircraft built by Aeroviroment.The photo above courtesy of the U.S. Navy shows the Puma AE. The Puma has the ability to carry additional payloads as required for specific missions. The MMUAS is the first UAS project that will see the RCN operate and maintain its own capability and provide a sustainable shipborne, near real-time, Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) ISR capability with an expected introduction to the fleet in the summer of 2018 onboard Kingston-class ships.
The Puma AE is operated from the same control station as the Raven UAS which has been provided by MDA to the Canadian Army since 2013.
In addition, MDA, also announced it has signed a contract with an unnamed international customer for the provision of turnkey, unmanned aircraft system surveillance services. The contract includes options for additional years. MDA's UAS service will use a fleet of Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aircraft to provide surveillance information. MDA will be responsible for all aspects of the service including acquisition of all the systems and required infrastructure, training, airworthiness, logistics, supply chain, maintenance and all flight operations, the firm noted.
The S-100 aircraft is a vertical takeoff and landing UAS, which does not require a prepared area or supporting launch or recovery equipment. It operates day and night and is a very capable platform for a wide range of different surveillance payloads to meet a broad set of mission requirements.
MDA's UAS service will equip the S-100 fleet with L3 WESCAM MX-10 EO/IR payloads. The MX-10 is a high-performance, multi-sensor multi-spectral imaging system for tactical surveillance missions. It carries multiple sensors including both high-definition day modes and night infrared modes. The MX-10 is currently operational for twelve nations worldwide on the S-100.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has signed a 12-year Fleet Management Program agreement with Specialist Aviation Services for 24 PW210A engines powering 12 Leonardo AW169 helicopters.
The program has been specifically tailored to SAS's needs and helps reduce operating costs and simplifies fleet operations management, according to Pratt and Whitney.
Operating primarily in the United Kingdom, SAS provides support to emergency services and other major organizations that rely on aircraft to support their operations. SAS is one of the fleet leaders on the AW169 program.
Rheinmetall has won the first request for proposals for preliminary studies relating to European Union defence research financed by the EU's European Defence Union. Under a project known as “Generic Open Soldier Systems Reference Architecture”, or GOSSRA, the European Commission has put the Düsseldorf-based tech group in charge of a consortium consisting of partners from nine different EU member states.
Under the GOSSRA project, studies will be conducted into developing an open reference architecture as the basis of EU-wide standardized soldier systems. This includes electronics, voice and data communication, software solutions, man-machine interfaces, sensors and effectors.
Rheinmetall makes the German Bundeswehr's IdZ-ES soldier system as well as the Canadian military's Argus system.
6 juillet 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Sécurité
A defence department project to extend the life of the air force's search and rescue helicopters has hit a major snag, forcing senior officials to go back to the drawing board.
1 octobre 2019 | Local, Terrestre
Soldiers at Petawawa are involved in testing what could be the new camouflage uniform pattern for the Canadian Forces. Known as “Prototype J” the new camouflage pattern is being examined as a possible replacement for both the current arid (tan) and temperate woodland (green) camouflage. Various camouflage patterns were examined as part of the SOCEM (Soldier Operational Clothing and Equipment Modernization) Project but this is the first to be taken out to the field for a large-scale test. The prototype pattern, developed by Canadian defence scientists, is predominately brown, with some green and black. The addition of more brown in the pattern reflects the desire to bring it more into the middle of the spectrum and is not necessarily tied to a specific operating environment, according to the Canadian Army. The current Canadian Disruptive Pattern, or CADPAT, has been in use since the early 2000s. Here are photos of the new camouflage in use. All photos are by Aviator Melissa Gloude. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/photos-petawawa-soldiers-test-new-camouflage
20 novembre 2023 | Local, Terrestre, Sécurité
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, released the second biannual status report of the External Monitor, Jocelyne Therrien.