Un contrat de 800 M$ pour prolonger la vie des hélicoptères militaires CH-146

Sur le même sujet

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  10 février 2020 | Local, Naval

  Irving to receive $58 million for 'minimal' changes to new Coast Guard ships

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Irving is receiving $58 million from taxpayers to make what the federal government calls minimal changes to an existing ship design so it can be used by the Canadian Coast Guard. Irving is in the midst of building a fleet of six Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) for the Royal Canadian Navy and will add two more in the production line for the coast guard. The addition of two ships for the coast guard, announced by the federal government in May, was supposed to be cost-effective as the design of the vessel was completed and the ships were in the process of being built. But documents recently tabled in Parliament show the government entered into a $58-million contract with Irving for engineering design work on the AOPS that would ensure the coast guard's vessels “can meet regulatory and operational requirements.” The coast guard has determined that only minimal modifications are required to the ships to meet its needs as well as any regulatory requirements, according to documents provided to Parliament as the result of a question from Conservative MP Lianne Rood. “The modifications have been assessed as minimal as none of the identified modifications will impact major elements of the AOPS design and construction,” Bernadette Jordan, the minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, stated in her written response. But critics are questioning why taxpayers are spending $58 million if the changes are so limited. “That's a very expensive tweak,” said Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “We'd like see some clarity from the government on what could possibly justify such an increase in the price tag.” Each AOPS is estimated to cost around $400 million. The coast guard originally looked at the AOPS in 2017-2018 but decided against acquiring the ship, industry representatives noted. But the Liberal government announced in May 2019 that two AOPS would be bought for the coast guard. One of the benefits of the purchase is to prevent layoffs at Irving as there is expected to be a gap between when the shipyard finishes the navy's AOPS and when it starts working on replacements for the navy's frigates. Tom Ormsby, director of communications for Irving, said the first step for the firm is to fully review the AOPS design and then confirm any modifications that are needed to be made for the coast guard. “Once modifications have been agreed to, these changes must then be worked through and implemented into the design,” he noted. “While not making major changes that a first-in-class design would require, the Canadian Coast Guard has a different and critical mission, including the need for scientific laboratories for sampling and research, so each vessel is being tailored to suit the Canadian Coast Guard's unique and important role.” The government only pays for actual costs incurred, he added. Irving will also receive an additional $18.8 million to purchase some initial equipment for the vessels as well as reimbursement for project management. The contract to Irving on the design changes was signed Nov. 1, 2019 and is to end March 31, 2021. Areas of change include modifications to the bridge layout and accommodations to meet Transport Canada requirements for a non-military crew, as well as changes to some areas to accommodate coast guard equipment and modifications to the deck, Jordan noted in her response to Parliament. The main portions of the ship, including the hull and propulsion systems, will remain unchanged, she added. The AOPS program was launched by the Conservative government with a minimum of five ships for the navy. The Liberal government approved the construction of a sixth AOPS for the navy and two for the coast guard But retired Liberal senator Colin Kenny, who served on the Senate defence committee, questions the value of the AOPS for either the navy or coast guard. Kenny noted he is also concerned about the engineering contract. “These changes shouldn't cost $58 million,” Kenny said. “I think it's questionable as to why we are even buying these ships.” In 2017 the Senate Defence Committee raised concerns about the capabilities of the AOPS. Among the issues identified by the committee was the slow speed of the AOPS and its limited ability to operate in ice-covered waters. “These limitations are troubling and raise the question of whether the taxpayers are receiving value for the monies spent,” the Senate report said. The Department of National Defence expects the delivery of the first AOPS by the end of March although it acknowledges there is a possibility that may not happen. The delivery of the vessel has already been delayed a number of times. The navy expects its last AOPS to be delivered by 2024. After the navy vessels are built, construction will begin on the AOPS for the coast guard, the federal government has said. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/irving-to-receive-58-million-for-minimal-changes-to-new-coast-guard-ships

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  12 novembre 2018 | Local, Naval

  Steel costs for sixth patrol vessel could be steeper

  Andrea Gunn (agunn@herald.ca) Ongoing steel and aluminum tariffs between the United States and Canada will not drive up costs for the first five Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, but could contribute to the final price tag for the sixth, the Department of National Defence says. There have been tariffs in place on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum to the U.S. of 25 per cent and 10 per cent respectively since the end of May. In response, Canada implemented its own dollar-for-dollar duties on steel and aluminum being imported from the U.S. Both the American tariffs and Canadian countermeasures remain in place, even with a new tentative agreement to replace NAFTA. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the signing of the new trilateral trade deal was not contingent on the lifting of those tariffs. In an emailed statement, Department of National Defence spokesperson Ashley Lemire said these tariffs will not have an impact on the cost of the first five Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) being built by Irving Shipbuilding as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Lemire said most, if not all, of the steel has already been purchased for these vessels and none of it comes from the U.S. “As part of its contract with the Government of Canada, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is responsible for the procurement of steel used for the construction of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships,” Lemire said in an email. “Irving procured the majority of steel from a foreign supplier who sourced it from Europe and, to a lesser extent, from China. A small amount of steel was procured in Canada.” Lemire said for the sixth AOPS, which the government confirmed plans to build last week, the department has planned and budgeted for the risk of increased steel and aluminum prices. Earlier this week a DND spokesperson said buying a sixth AOPS will increase the cost of the $2.3 billion project by about $810 million. Of that, $250 million is set aside for “adjustments” — things like labour rates, inflation, and exchange rates. Lemire said any additional steel costs will come from that $250 million fund. David Perry, senior analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said the materials needed to build a navy vessel are so specialized that it's not uncommon for governments to do advanced purchases “There's a limited supply; you can't just go and call it up at the last minute kind of thing,” he said. Perry said in the case of the AOPS, having a separate fund set aside for potential cost increases — rather than paying the company a higher contract price to assume all the liability for changes in commodity or labour prices — will likely save taxpayers money if costs do go up. Ian Lee, associate professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business told The Chronicle Herald the federal government is lucky to have avoided any major increases with the AOPS. But, Lee said, if the tariffs remain in place, they are likely to impact future builds either directly or indirectly. “It's not going to affect the (AOPS) program but it's still a burden on the economy it's going to be passed on through the cost of doing business,” he said. This is perhaps concerning given the most expensive build of the National Shipbuilding Strategy — the Canadian Surface Combatant — is on the horizon. But how much that project would be impacted if tariffs remain in place is anybody's guess, Lee said. “Historically governments have been very, very involved in the shipbuilding industry with subsidies, and offsets and that sort of thing, so it's hard to predict how it might affect future builds,” he said. “It's not a normal competitive market like the stock market or most commodities.” That said, Lee said there will likely be a big push on the federal government's part to get the tariffs sorted ahead of the upcoming election. “Generally speaking when you look at the trade agreements that have been signed in the last 10 or 20 years whether it was the original NAFTA, CETA or the TPP, one of the first things and most important things you do is reduce or eliminate tariffs,” he said, “I think it's going to make it more difficult for Mr. Trudeau and his government to defend this in the fall 2019 election, that's why I think they're going to be working assiduously to try and remove them.” https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/local/steel-costs-for-sixth-patrol-vessel-could-be-steeper-257534/

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  13 mai 2020 | Local, Terrestre

  Canadian military to get new sniper rifles

  David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News (dpugliese@ottawacitizen.com) Published: 23 hours ago Updated: 6 hours ago Canadian military sniper teams will be getting new rifles with the first expected to be delivered in the fall. The Liberal government is spending $8.5 million on purchasing the 272 rifles and spare parts. The C20 will replace the C8 as the personal defence weapon for Canadian Forces sniper teams, confirmed Department of National Defence spokeswoman Andrée-Anne Poulin. The government will also launch a competition sometime this month to buy 229 bolt action sniper rifles. That rifle, designated as the C21, will be used for long-range shooting and will come in two different calibres. The Canadian Forces says the new C20, which will be in 7.62 calibre, will be more accurate and an improvement over the current C8 used by sniper teams. The federal government initially awarded a $2-million contact to Colt Canada in Kitchener on February 28 to establish the production line to produce the C20 weapon. That contract also includes an initial delivery of 10 of the C20 rifles. That early production run is to ensure Colt has the technical proficiency to deliver the new weapon, added Poulin. The federal government then awarded a $6.5-million contract to Colt Canada on April 17 to produce 262 additional C20 rifles, associated equipment and spare parts. No announcement was made of the deal, in contrast to the announcement by defence minister Harjit Sajjan on Jan. 24 that the government was purchasing 3,600 machine guns from Colt. DND said an announcement wasn't made about the sniper rifles because the government is focused on its efforts to send out information about the novel coronavirus. Defence officials, however, privately say the deal wasn't publicized because there was concern about the political optics of such an announcement coming just before the Liberal government banned assault rifles, including those made by Colt Canada, from being owned by private citizens. Sajjan's office and the Prime Minister's Office are now carefully reviewing all communications the department sends to the news media, even on non-COVID-19 issues. DND didn't have a per-unit cost for the new C20 rifles. But officials acknowledge that taxpayers are paying a premium to have the guns manufactured in Canada under what is called the Munitions Supply Program, which sees such work directed to Colt Canada. For instance, the machine guns that Sajjan announced in January cost about double what other militaries pay for similar weapons. The Canadian Forces expects deliveries of the new C20 to begin in November. The last deliveries are expected in March 2021, Poulin noted. It was decided to forgo a competition for the new C21 rifle because an analysis under the Munitions Supply Program showed that having Colt create a new production line for just 229 rifles would be too expensive, according to DND. There are many manufacturers of such bolt action rifles throughout the world. Colt was also given another contract under the Munitions Supply Program to refurbish 75 C15 rifles at a cost of $281,000. Those rifles are in .50 calibre. The Canadian Forces expects delivery of those refurbished rifles to be completed by March 31, 2021, according to Poulin. The Canadian Forces has a program to outfit its sniper teams with modern equipment ranging from optical sights, new body armour, night vision equipment, ballistic calculators and “concealment kits.” Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020 https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/canada/canadian-military-to-get-new-sniper-rifles-448930/