Top Aces receives Military Flight Release for F-16 Advanced Aggressor Fighter - Skies Mag

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  16 décembre 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  Canadian NORAD Region hosts first Arctic Airpower Seminar

  Two senior officers from the New York Air National Guard of the United States Air Force visited Winnipeg, Man., on Nov. 19 and 20, 2019, as part of the first official 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region (1 CAD/CANR) Arctic Airpower Seminar. Col Michele Kilgore and Col Clifford Souza, commanders of the 109th Airlift Wing and 109th Operations Group respectively, engaged in discussions with a diverse group of operators, specialists and advisors to talk about training and operational opportunities that would benefit the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and its United States Air Force (USAF) allied partners. BGen Ed “Hertz” Vaughan, deputy commander of CANR and deputy Combined/Joint Forces Air Component commander for 1 CAD/CANR, hosted the two-day seminar. A partnership last September between the RCAF and the 109th Airlift Wing executing Operation Boxtop, the mission to bring supplies to Canadian Forces Station Alert in Nunavut, prompted him to invite members of the 109th Airlift Wing to the seminar to exchange information on processes and objectives. “The Arctic is critically important to the security and defence of North America, and our ability to survive and operate in the Arctic domain are essential parts of our daily mission at 1 CAD/CANR,” said Vaughan. “We established this series of seminars to help build relationships and deep dive into the specific of polar logistics and sustainment. Forging partnerships across Arctic communities, mission stakeholders, and allied forces are requirements for success.” The RCAF is no stranger to bi-national operations. Every day, military personnel and defence team members from Canada and the United States work together to protect and defend North American airspace through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) mission. Comprising more than 40 per cent of Canada's land mass (and 75 per cent of Canada's coastline) with about 120,000 inhabitants, the Arctic is undergoing significant change. Retreating ice cover is opening the way for increased shipping, tourism, and resource exploration, increasing interest in the region. Following the presentations and discussion sessions, seminar attendees visited with members of 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, a unit that routinely deploys north in support of Canada's NORAD and search and rescue commitments, to learn more about the role they play in the daily delivery of air power in the North. “The Arctic can be a complex, harsh and unforgiving location to operate in if one isn't prepared to face its challenges,” said Vaughan. “These seminars permit us to learn from our partners and allies as we continue developing the skills, technology, and relationships to work effectively in a polar environment. I look forward to our next seminar in Yellowknife, focused on energy security at remote locations, and many more seminars to come. “ https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/canadian-norad-region-hosts-first-arctic-airpower-seminar

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  25 septembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

  Germany looking to sell costly, rarely used drone to Canada

  By: Frank Jordans, The Associated Press BERLIN — Germany is looking to sell a secondhand surveillance drone that has cost the country more than 700 million euros ($823 million) to Canada — without many core components it needs to fly. A defense ministry reply to lawmakers from the opposition Left Party states that Germany has decided to "begin concrete negotiations with Canada for the sale of the Euro Hawk aircraft, two ground stations and possibly certain spare parts." The government response, dated Sept. 19 and obtained by The Associated Press, adds that Germany isn't currently in talks with any other country or organization about the sale of the drone. In a statement Monday, Germany's defense ministry confirmed talks with Canada were planned, but declined to comment on a possible sales price or date. Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin weren't immediately able to comment. Germany ordered the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk variant in 2000 to use for long-distance reconnaissance, but later canceled the order because of skyrocketing costs and revelations that the prototype wouldn't be certified to fly in Europe. Then-Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere acknowledged in 2013 that the drone was a write-off, telling lawmakers it was better to have a "horrible end than a horror without end." Last year, the government acknowledged that the development and procurement of the prototype, a signals-intelligence sensor called "ISIS" and spare parts, and the completion of seven test flights had cost about 681 million euros since 2007. A further 24 million euros were spent on preparing for a resumption of temporary test flights. According to the government's latest response to Left Party lawmakers, which hasn't been published yet, the drone has already been "demilitarized." This entailed the removal of American-made radio equipment, the GPS receiver and aerials, as well as all encryption and the flight control system. Rather than laboriously delete individual software components, technicians chose to perform a "hardware uninstallation" — removing all hard drives containing sensitive U.S.-made software. "The question is what a buyer would do with such a gutted aircraft," said Thomas Wiegold, a German journalist who runs the defense website Augen Geradeaus . "Without GPS navigation and in particular without flight control systems, the drone would hardly be able to fly." Andrej Hunko, one of the Left Party lawmakers who submitted questions to the government, said the drone now only has "scrap value." "The sale will therefore recoup at best a small portion of the tax money spent," he said. "I expect the loss will amount to several hundred million euros (dollars)." Hunko, whose party objects to airborne military surveillance, said the drone's ground stations might still fetch a market price. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/09/24/germany-looking-to-sell-costly-rarely-used-drone-to-canada

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  20 avril 2023 | Local, Aérospatial

  Armée canadienne | Des ratés pour l’avion de Boeing lorgné par Ottawa

  Le Poseidon P-8A de Boeing qu’envisage d’acheter le Canada a connu des ratés ces dernières années en demeurant trop longtemps à l’atelier, révèle un rapport du gouvernement américain. Ses conclusions incitent l’opposition aux Communes à exiger un appel d’offres en bonne et due forme, comme le demande déjà Bombardier afin de présenter une soumission.