The Pros and Cons of Replacing Canada’s Aging Submarine Fleet

Sur le même sujet

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  13 février 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  Du plomb dans l’aile ou plutôt de la rouille sur les ailes et le moral dans les talons…

  par Dave Blackburn La décision du gouvernement de Justin Trudeau de procéder à l'achat de 25 avions de combat F-18 à l'Australie est fortement discutable sur de multiples facettes. Dans quelques semaines, le Canada commencera à prendre possession de ces « nouveaux » appareils. Personnellement, je suis d'avis que notre nation est une fois de plus la risée mondiale. Quel autre pays du G7 irait dépenser 500 millions de dollars pour faire l'achat de 25 avions de combat qui ont plus de 30 ans de service ? Pourront-ils (au moins) voler de Mirabel à Cold Lake ? Le comble du comble, Radio-Canada nous apprenait que le gouvernement Trudeau considère sérieusement de rapporter au Canada ces vieux appareils à l'aide... d'un avion-cargo de type Antonov. C'est quoi le problème ? Les F-18 australiens ne sont pas en mesure de parcourir la distance entre Canberra en Australie et Mirabel au Canada ? Si cela est le cas, c'est rassurant, car ce sont ces mêmes appareils qui assureront la défense aérienne de notre pays. Pourront-ils voler de Mirabel à Cold Lake ? Si le Canada décide de rapporter les 23 avions par avion-cargo (2 avions sont déjà aux États-Unis), une fortune sera dépensée en transport, car les frais de fonctionnement d'un Antonov sont très élevés. Ils n'ont pas pensé à les transporter par bateau ? Pourquoi ne pas acheter un porte-avion usagé ? Avec nos sous-marins et nos « nouveaux » F-18, un porte-avion usagé ferait aussi l'affaire ! Vous savez quoi, ça me donne l'impression que tout est improvisé ! Technologie désuète Fondamentalement, avons-nous besoin de F-18 dont la technologie est désuète et qui selon toute vraisemblance ne feraient aucunement le poids contre des avions de chasse de 5e génération ? Dans le contexte des guerres modernes et urbaines, quelle est la valeur ajoutée, l'utilité, de procéder à l'achat de ces appareils ? Les gouvernements libéraux ont une f'cheuse habitude d'acheter du matériel militaire usagé. Personne (et surtout pas les contribuables) n'a oublié la désastreuse transaction du gouvernement de Jean Chrétien avec la Grande Bretagne dans les années 1990 pour l'achat de 4 sous-marins, au diesel, technologie qui était déjà dépassée depuis longtemps au moment de l'achat. Ces sous-marins ont coûté jusqu'à présent plus de 3 milliards de dollars et ont passé 91% du temps en cale sèche ou à quai. Mais au-delà de tous ces éléments de discussion, ma réflexion porte sur les répercussions sur le moral des troupes lorsque notre gouvernement fait l'achat d'équipement qui est bon pour la ferraille, pour le musée ou pour être installé en avant d'une filiale de la Légion royale canadienne. Et le moral des troupes ? Si je prends le temps de me mettre dans la tenue de vol d'un pilote de l'Aviation royale canadienne, j'aurais sans doute le moral dans les talons. Je me questionnerais sérieusement. J'aurais sans doute des craintes pour ma propre vie si jamais je devais être impliqué dans un combat aérien. Je me demanderais si notre gouvernement est véritablement sérieux dans sa stratégie de défense. En fait, je serais assez confus et déprimé. De mon point de vue, l'achat d'équipement militaire usagé ne peut qu'avoir un impact négatif sur le moral des troupes et un impact sur l'attrition du personnel. Par de fait même, cela doit aussi affecter le recrutement des personnes qui auraient un intérêt pour la carrière de pilote de chasse. J'ai tenté de rejoindre deux pilotes de chasse que je connais, mais je n'ai pas eu de retour. De toute manière, je doute fortement qu'ils aient commenté cet achat, ils sont trop professionnels. Nous avons l'une des meilleures forces militaires au monde sur le plan des ressources humaines. Une force qui est professionnelle, très bien entraînée et qui a démontré à maintes reprises son excellence lors de conflits ou d'opérations locales ou de maintien de la paix. Toutefois, pour demeurer parmi les meilleurs, nos soldats, marins et aviateurs doivent pouvoir bénéficier d'un équipement militaire à la fine pointe de la technologie. C'est aussi simple que ça ! Il est impossible de séparer le soldat de l'équipement militaire pour obtenir de bons résultats. Une fausse bonne affaire Bien évidemment, l'équipement militaire moderne est extrêmement cher et comme pays, nous avons des moyens financiers limités en matière de défense (budget de +/- 25 milliards en 2017). Comme nation, nous devons faire des choix en matière d'investissements dans les différentes sphères de la société. Conséquemment, avant d'acheter n'importe quoi dont des sous-marins au diesel qui devraient être stationnés à Pointe-au-Père en Gaspésie ou des F-18, il faudrait possiblement avoir une réflexion de fond sur nos intentions en matière de défense, sur nos alliances et sur notre capacité financière. Entretemps, le gouvernement de Justin Trudeau pourra continuer de penser qu'il a fait une bonne affaire et se réjouir d'avoir obtenu 7 avions F-18 sur les 25 qui seront utilisés par leurs pièces. À une échelle moins considérable il va sans dire, c'est comme le gars, très fier de son coup, qui s'achète deux Bombardiers ski doo Tundra 250cc 1988 dont l'un sera utilisé pour les pièces ! Il doit aller les chercher à Chibougamau et il habite en banlieue de Montréal. Il pense faire une bonne affaire ! Le Tundra à quand même 30 ans, il doit parcourir des centaines de kilomètres pour aller le chercher et son moral risque d'en prendre un coup lorsqu'il sera « stallé » dans les bois à des kilomètres de chez lui ! Une bonne affaire vous dites ! ? http://www.45enord.ca/2019/02/du-plomb-dans-laile-ou-plutot-de-la-rouille-sur-les-ailes-et-le-moral-dans-les-talons-f-18-australiens-canada/

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  28 novembre 2017 | Local, Naval

  Lockheed Martin, BAE submit warship bid

  ANDREA GUNN OTTAWA BUREAU Days before the bid submission deadline for the Canadian Surface Combatant request for proposals, Lockheed Martin Canada has announced it has teamed up with the UK-based BAE Systems to submit a proposal for Canada's new fleet of warships. The combined request for proposals is for an off-the-shelf ship design and combat systems integrator, and experts say the Lockheed Canada and BAE duo will be a powerhouse contender. For the ship design, BAE Systems is offering its Type 26 Global Combat Ship — long rumoured to be a favourite of Royal Canadian Navy officials and arguably the newest and most advanced vessel of its kind in the world — and the only possible contender that has yet to actually be built. The Royal Navy is building eight of their own Type 26 vessels. For the combat systems, which is best described as the brain and nervous systems of the ship's intelligence and combat operations, Lockheed Canada is offering its Canadian-designed CMS 330. This is a newer version of the combat management system Lockheed designed for the Royal Canadian Navy's original Halifax-class ships and is present on Canada's modernized frigates. Both firms were identified among bidders prequalified to participate in the process, alongside other international industry giants like ThyssenKrupp, Navantia and DCNS. Also part of the consortium participating in the Lockheed/BAE bid are CAE, L3 Technologies, MDA and Dartmouth-based marine tech firm Ultra Electronics. Speaking with The Chronicle Herald on Monday, Gary Fudge, VP of Canadian naval systems programs with Lockheed, said an independent study completed by Lockheed Canada revealed the Type 26 as the best design in the running, and prompted their interest in teaming with BAE for preliminary work several years before Canada announced that it would be combining the ship design and combat systems integrator into a single bid. He said BAE's modern design and modern toolsets — for example their use of advanced digital blueprints that will make it easier to modify and modernize the design in the future — made the Type 26 the key contender for them. “Given that Irving has just built the most modern shipyard, we wanted the designer to have toolsets and data that can migrate easily into Irving's toolsets,” said Fudge. Irving is the prime contractor for the combat portion of the government's National Shipbuilding Strategy and will build a fleet of 15 Canadian Surface Combatants (CSCs) at its Halifax shipyard, with a budget of $56billion to $60 billion, starting in the 2020s. It will also have a say, alongside the federal government, in selecting the winning bidder. Rosemary Chapdelaine, vice president and general manager with Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary and Mission Systems, on Monday touted job creation in Canada, including Nova Scotia, as a key component to their bid. For example, Lockheed Canada's combat systems and integration technology is built at a facility in Ottawa and tested at the the company's Maritime Advanced Testing and Training Site in Dartmouth. Chapdelaine said Lockheed Canada's approach to the bid is to be seen as the Canadian team, even if it takes points from other parts of their bid. “We want to provide the Canadian content, do the direct work in Canada using Canadian industry,” she said. David Perry, a senior analyst with Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said Lockheed Canada's long history with the Royal Canadian Navy via the Halifax-class frigates and the advantages of the Type 26 over other potential designs puts the consortium in a good spot in the competition. “An advantage of the Type 26 would be that where the requirements for it overlap with CSC, the technology would be very new, without modifying the design at all. The other ships in the competition would be older technology, so they'd need to modify it to introduce more current technology,” he said. But that doesn't make it a shoo-in — in an RFP with thousands of different parts, Perry said the winning design will have to tick a lot of boxes. Speed and accommodations for example, while adequate in the Type 26, Perry said are not necessarily the cream of the crop compared to other options out there. Retired navy commander and defence analyst Ken Hansen agreed that Lockheed Canada's extensive experience working with the Canadian Navy, as well as their edge on Canadian content, gives them an advantage over some parts of the competition. But, he said, while extremely advanced technology, the Type 26 might not be the ship Canada needs due to its high price and extreme complexity. “The (Type 26) is inordinately complex and it had a lot of teething pains — the ship has been described in the U.K. press as overpriced and a technical nightmare,” he said. “I have not gotten that warm feeling where the reassurances from the British design authorities say ‘Oh it's solved and we're back on track.'” It is not known how many groups will submit bids for the CSC competition. At least one other has gone public — Alion Canada announced its bid with Dutch De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command frigate as its design last week. The federal government says it expects to be able to select a winning bidder at the earliest in the spring of 2018, dependent on the number and quality of bids it receives. http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1524306-lockheed-martin-bae-submit-warship-bid

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  2 août 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  444 Combat Support Squadron: Combat support from above

  By Ben Forrest & Mike Reyno On a given day in the remote, sparsely-populated terrain over Happy Valley-Goose Bay and rural Labrador, it is often cloudy or snowing, or both. The winters are brutal and long; the summers are warm and wet, and militaries from all over the world have used this rugged patch of land for austere weather training. If something goes wrong in one of these training exercises–an injury or any other kind of disaster–the pilots and medical technicians from 444 Combat Support Squadron are there in a hurry. This small but effective crew of 35 military personnel and five civilians provides rapid response during training exercises at 5 Wing Goose Bay using three CH-146 Griffon helicopters. On occasion, aircrews also perform utility transport and secondary search and rescue (SAR). “We try to have a real team-oriented atmosphere,” said Maj Ryan Snider, commanding officer of 444 Squadron. “You're not two ships passing in the night, as many other squadrons and Wings are. You get a chance to interact with people on a regular basis, and get to know them far better than you would at a normal [posting.]” The squadron, one of three Combat Support squadrons in the Air Force, draws a mix of new recruits and pilots and technicians with previous Griffon experience. Postings usually last three years, and they can be an effective way for new pilots to get their feet wet. “I love it,” said Capt Marc Saucier. “The area can be really challenging, just because everything's so remote. I don't think you find terrain like this anywhere else in Canada, where everything's so far apart. “But it's been really good. There's not enough people in Labrador to necessitate us being called out that often in the first place, but what we do, it's pretty different each time.” Pilots in 444 Squadron average about 300 flying hours a year, and the posting can also be a refreshing change for seasoned pilots who transfer from other bases. “This is nice with the family, because I'm home all the time, other than the odd night,” said Capt Neil Gabourie, a Griffon pilot who has also spent time with 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont. 444 Squadron traces its history to 1947, where it was originally activated in Rivers, Man. It later transferred to St-Hubert, Que., where it operated the Sabre fighter jets, and then moved to Baden-Soellingen, Germany as part of Canada's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The squadron disbanded in 1963, but was stood up about two months later and equipped with the CF-104 Starfighter, which it operated until 1967 before being disbanded again. Five years later the squadron was re-activated and renamed 444 Tactical Helicopter Squadron flying the CH-136 Kiowa. Stood down on Apr. 1, 1992, the squadron was reactivated in Goose Bay in 1993, now equipped with the CH-135 Twin Huey in a rescue and support role. The CH-135 was replaced by the CH-146 in 1996. Today, the squadron operates out of two large hangars that make up a fraction of 5 Wing's massive infrastructure footprint, supporting NORAD's North Warning System radar sites on utility missions and supporting SAR efforts in the area when CH-149 Cormorant helicopters from 9 Wing Gander are not available. “JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre) Halifax will call upon us from time to time,” said Snider. “They understand we're not a Cormorant ... there are limitations. But they still give us a call and say, ‘What can you provide?' And then we'll do our best.” A major development at 444 Squadron over the last year has been the ongoing replacement of SAR Technicians with Medical Technicians on Griffon flight crews. The transition began in 2018 and once complete, Griffon crews will have two pilots, a flight engineer and a med tech on board. Similar transitions are taking place at 417 Combat Support Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., and 439 Combat Support Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Que. “The med techs will come to us having already undergone their medical technician training,” said Snider. “We'll top up that training to give them familiarization ... to operate at the back of the cabin of the aircraft. We'll train them on spotter duties, and then we'll also train them on how to function on the hoist.” Whereas SAR techs can jump out of helicopters to perform rescues at sea, med techs are not trained in skydiving or water diving and are geared toward land-based operations, said Sgt Adam Blackwell, a med tech. They also use specific hoist, insertion and extraction methods for land-based operations. Med techs are trained as primary care paramedics and have diverse backgrounds that make them extremely versatile. “We also do a lot of clinical and hospital kind of work–not just emergent care, not just tactical care,” said Blackwell. “We are jacks of all trades in the medical field, and used as such in different postings.” Instructed originally by SAR techs during the initial transition, med techs at 444 Squadron have now reached a point where there is a senior lead med tech able to train the more junior members. Recruiting med techs to the relatively isolated community of Goose Bay can be difficult, but many are quickly attracted to the squadron's warm, tight-knit culture once they arrive. “It's a bit different,” said Blackwell. “But honestly, it's pretty fun. If you are an outdoorsy person, this is the place to snowmobile or have an ATV. The fishing here is pretty amazing, too.” The squadron may have experienced a shift in focus in recent years, but its core mission remains the same. “It's that standby response to military operations,” said Snider. “Different customers, different tactics, but the same purpose.” https://www.skiesmag.com/features/444-combat-support-squadron-combat-support-from-above/?utm_source=skies-daily-news-top-story