8 mai 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
The defence and aerospace industry is abuzz about the letters the U.S. government sent to Canada over the upcoming competition to acquire a new fleet of fighter jets to replace the RCAF's CF-18s.
In short, the Trump administration has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government. If Canada insists that industrial and technological benefits must come from the outlay of $19 billion for a new fighter jet fleet then Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet is out of the race. Full stop.
The U.S. argument is that because Canada is a partner in the F-35 program it cannot ask Lockheed Martin to meet specific industrial benefits for a Canadian competition if the F-35 is selected. Under the F-35 agreement, partner nations are prohibited from imposing requirements for industrial benefits as the work is determined on the best value basis. In other words, Canadian firms compete and if they are good enough they get work on the F-35 program. Over the last 12 years, Canadian firms have earned $1.3 billion U.S. for their work on building F-35 parts.
The U.S. had boldly stated it cannot offer the F-35 for the Canadian competition if there are requirements to meet for set industrial benefits.
But that ultimatum could seriously backfire on the Trump administration.
Trudeau and the Liberal government has never been keen on the F-35 (Trudeau campaigned against purchasing the jet). There have also been a number of negative headlines over the last year outlining the increasing maintenance costs for the F-35s, not a good selling point for the jet.
The U.S. ultimatum may have just given Trudeau a way out of his F-35 dilemma, particularly if the prime minister can say that it was it was the Americans themselves who decided not to enter the F-35 in the Canadian competition.
Trudeau will also be able to point to the other firms ready and keen to chase the $19 billion contract.
Airbus, a major player in Canada's aerospace industry, says it is open to producing its Eurofighter Typhoon in Canada with the corresponding jobs that will create.
Boeing, which has a significant presence in Canada, will offer the Super Hornet.
Saab has also hinted about building its Gripen fighter in Canada if it were to receive the jet contract.
To be sure, if the U.S. withdraws the F-35 from the competition, retired Canadian military officers and the defence analysts working for think-tanks closely aligned with the Department of National Defence be featured in news reports about how the Royal Canadian Air Force will be severely hindered without the F-35. Some Canadian firms involved in the F-35 program may complain publicly about lost work on the F-35 program but companies tend not criticize governments for fear they won't receive federal contracts or funding in the future.
There will be talk about how U.S.-Canada defence relations will be hurt but then critics will counter that U.S. President Donald Trump used national security provisions to hammer Canada in ongoing trade disputes.
And let's face it. Defence issues are rarely a factor in federal elections or in domestic politics.
The Trump administration, which is not the most popular among Canadians, may have just given Trudeau a political gift.
3 mars 2021 | Local, Naval
Despite warnings that its new warship fleet continues to rise in cost, national defence is refusing to make changes to the $77-billion project. It has instead launched a PR campaign to highlight the proposed new ship, the Type 26 from the
17 décembre 2020 | Local, Naval
Naval News December 2020 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON WEDNESDAY, 16 DECEMBER 2020 15:05 BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by Fleetway Inc. to deliver a range of digital solutions for on-shore support of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessels. This contract will see the deployment and integration of BAE Systems' Integrated Data Environment (IDE) to enable effective and efficient shore-side support to Halifax-Class frigates. Fleetway will benefit from access to a range of BAE Systems digital capabilities, including its expertise in configuration management, obsolescence management, and digital twinning. The IDE will allow Fleetway engineers and their enterprise partners to collaborate easily and gain access to engineering life cycle management data, as well as to share, withdraw, edit and re-publish data necessary for supporting the vessels. It will also facilitate a clearer understanding of the complex network of interdependencies between ship systems and components. This will help decrease support time and cost and enable Fleetway to maximise fleet availability. “As the prime contractor providing in-service support to the Halifax Class frigates, Fleetway is well known for its outstanding naval engineering and design services,” commented John Newton, Managing Director Fleetway. “To meet the challenges of the next phase in the life of these incredible Canadian-built warships, we have partnered with a world-best to assure excellence in the delivery of our services to the Royal Canadian Navy. Our combined intellect and efforts, especially the adoption of advanced digital tools informed by decades of learning on these complex ships will facilitate agile, smart and efficient solutions to the toughest engineering and maintenance challenges while keeping the fleet available for operations.” “This contract is testament to our pedigree in naval ship support and the value that our digital solutions and expertise have been shown to deliver,” added Darren Nice, Head of Digital Services at BAE Systems Maritime Services. “As organisations and armed forces around the world continue to digitise their operations, we will continue to develop a range of first-class integrated, through-life, digital solutions that help organisations deliver operational excellence and maximum availability.” BAE Systems brings a strong pedigree of maritime and information management expertise to this partnership. The Company has recently delivered a number of sophisticated information and data management and digital support solutions for other navies around the world. This is the latest in a series of contracts awarded to BAE Systems for work with the Royal Canadian Navy. In February 2019, BAE Systems' Type 26 Global Combat Ship was chosen as the design for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC), Canada's 15 new multi-purpose frigates. BAE Systems also supports and repairs Canada's Victoria-class submarines and BAE Systems recently hosted the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Toronto, at Portsmouth Naval Base, where it performed a number of repairs. This Halifax-class project further underscores the trust placed in BAE Systems to deliver technological innovation to the Canadian Armed Forces. https://navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2020/december/9427-bae-systems-secures-fleetway-contract-to-provide-digital-support-to-royal-canadian-navy.html
31 mai 2023 | Local, Aérospatial
According to an independent study conducted by Doyletech Corporation, selecting the Boeing P-8 Poseidon for Canada's Multi-Mission Aircraft requirement would bring significant benefits to the country.