27 novembre 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
Top Aces Inc., a world leader in airborne training, announced that it will receive a new investment in share capital from Clairvest Group Inc., its lead shareholder, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and its other existing investors.
This financing will support Dorval, Que.-based Top Aces' international expansion, allowing it to acquire new aircraft to enhance and diversify its service.
“This investment provides major support for the growth of our airborne training services, particularly in rapidly-expanding international markets,” said Paul Bouchard, president and chief executive officer of Top Aces. “By joining our existing investment partners, CDPQ further solidifies a strong and long-term shareholding base that will enable Top Aces to take on new challenges in new countries.”
“Top Aces is a Quebec company recognized for the quality of its services and its unparalleled safety record within the air training sector,” said Charles Émond, executive vice-president, Québec, Private Equity and Strategic Planning, at CDPQ. “With this investment, Top Aces will pursue international growth and consolidate its leadership position within its industry.”
10 mars 2021 | Local, Naval
The selection of a vessel that doesn’t yet exist has contributed to the risk of building Canada’s new warship fleet, but the parliamentary budget officer acknowledges he’s at a loss on why the price tag keeps rising. Parliamentary budget officer
25 février 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
BERLIN (Reuters) - The German Defence Ministry is evaluating a bid from Canada to buy a high-altitude surveillance drone that has been parked at a German air base for years after the cancellation of the Euro Hawk program in 2013, with a further bid possible from NATO. Canada has submitted a formal bid for the prototype aircraft, which was stripped of key equipment and demilitarized by the United States in 2017, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday without providing further details. Canadian media have reported that Canada could use the drone, built by Northrop Grumman, to monitor oil spills, ice levels and marine habitats in the remote Arctic region. NATO, which is buying its own fleet of Northrop drones, is also considering a bid for the mothballed German aircraft but has not yet submitted it, said sources familiar with the process. NATO had no immediate comment. There was no immediate reply from the Canadian government. A sale of the drone would end an embarrassing chapter that raised concerns about the German military's procurement process and triggered the transfer of former Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere to another cabinet post. Berlin told lawmakers last year that it had spent about 700 million euros ($793.5 million) on the Euro Hawk prototype, and the ISIS surveillance system built by Airbus. Berlin initiated plans in 2000 to buy five Euro Hawk drones based on Northrop's Global Hawk unmanned system at a cost of about 1.2 billion euros but later canceled the program because of cost overruns and problems obtaining certification for use in civilian airspace in Germany. It had only received the one prototype aircraft that is now being sold. Berlin is now negotiating with Northrop to buy several MQ-4C Triton drones for delivery after 2025. Northrop last year said the process could take years to complete. German opposition lawmaker Andrej Hunko, a member of the radical Left party, said the government had declared the aircraft incapable of flight after the U.S. Air Force removed U.S. built radio equipment and other key systems when it demilitarized the aircraft in 2017. “The airplane has salvage value at best,” he told Reuters. “Any proceeds from the sale would be a drop in the bucket, compared with the huge amounts spent on the program.” For NATO, the drone could provide additional support to the fleet of five high-altitude unmanned Global Hawk planes it agreed to buy from Northrop in 2012 for $1.7 billion, along with transportable ground stations. Industry officials said the Euro Hawk saga underscored problems in military procurement, noting that NATO's sister aircraft regularly traverse German air space to conduct surveillance missions over the North Sea. They also have no blanket approval for use in German civilian airspace but use case-by-case permissions from air traffic authorities. It was not immediately clear what steps would be needed to return the Euro Hawk prototype to flight. Additional reporting by David Ljungren in Ottawa; Editing by Riham Alkousaa, David Goodman and William Maclean https://www.kitco.com/news/2019-02-20/Canada-bids-for-mothballed-prototype-drone-from-Germany.html
25 juillet 2018 | Local, Terrestre, Sécurité
Edmonton International Airport Press Release An autonomous security all-terrain vehicle (ATV) developed by the Alberta Centre for Advanced MNT (microprocessor and nanotechnology) Products (ACAMP) is ready to patrol the perimeter security fence at Edmonton International Airport (EIA). The unarmed vehicle is controlled remotely by humans and can also drive autonomously, incorporating machine-learning to perform its tasks. “Safety and security is our number one priority at EIA and the autonomous ATV security vehicle will enhance our patrol of the perimeter fencing that secures the 7,000 acres of land at our airport,” says Steve Maybee, EIA's vice-president of operations and infrastructure. “The partnership with ACAMP to build the vehicle is also part of a larger effort to foster innovation, collaboration and economic diversification through our Airport City's growing number of technology and aerospace companies.” The new vehicle system includes navigation, path planning, obstacle avoidance, animal and human recognition, communication systems to airport security, geo-fencing, situational awareness and analysis and more. The autonomous ATV patrols will focus on the following: Identifying damage to the chain-link fence and fence posts, verifying barbed wire is taut and undamaged, and detecting holes or gaps under the fence; Detecting human or animal activity; and Searching for obstacles using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). “The partnership with EIA has helped us build a customizable platform that uses the latest in artificial intelligence, telematics, communications and other technologies that has application worldwide,” said Rosy Amlani, ACAMP's CFO and vice-president of business development. EIA is a member of the Advanced Systems for Transportation Consortium established by ACAMP and supported by the Government of Alberta. ACAMP is a member of the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre at EIA. ACAMP and EIA were able to harness technologies developed by consortium members to construct and test the autonomous ATV security vehicle, readying it for regular use at EIA. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/autonomous-security-vehicle-to-patrol-edmonton-international-airport-perimeter-fence/