15 janvier 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
Finland, which is considering the same aircraft as Canada, for its new jet fleet, is requiring each competing aerospace company to provide two aircraft to test at low temperatures and in real world operating conditions.
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Updated: January 15, 2020
Canada won't conduct a fly-off between fighter jets competing to become the country's new warplane nor conduct testing to see how such aircraft perform under cold weather conditions.
The decision not to proceed with such tests under Canada's $19-billion future fighter procurement program stands in contrast to Finland, which is considering the same aircraft as Canada, for its new jet fleet. Each competing aerospace company is required to provide Finland with two aircraft to test at low temperatures and be evaluated in real world operating conditions.
Public Services and Procurement Canada has confirmed that Canada will not do any fly-offs among competing jet or tests for cold-weather operations like Finland has underway.
“We do not have plans for an exercise of this nature,” stated department spokeswoman Stéfanie Hamel.
Finland and Canada are considering the Boeing Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35 and Saab Gripen. The Finnish Air Force is also testing the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, both of which pulled out of the Canadian competition because of worries the process was rigged to favour the F-35.
Finland hopes to buy 64 aircraft. Canada will purchase 88 aircraft.
Canadian aerospace industry representatives say the competing companies as well as allied air forces could provide Canada with results from tests they have conducted on the competing aircraft.
Finland could have taken the same route but its procurement staff want to ensure the country is getting value for money since the project will cost around $14 billion.
Finnish defence ministry program manager Lauri Puranen outlined in a blog post the extensive tests that will be conducted and the reasons for not relying on tests conducted by others. “The Finnish operating environment and operating methods may differ from other users' weather and lighting conditions,” Puranen stated. “Winter conditions affect the operation of the multi-function fighter and especially the performance of electro-optical systems, but possibly other active and passive systems as well.”
The fighter jet candidates will be tested on the ground, in the air, and during takeoff and landing, he added.
The testing of the competing aircraft is currently underway.
Another series of tests involving the jets taking part in flight operations and a simulated lengthy war game will be conducted by the Finnish Air Force later this year.
Finland expects to select a winner for the aircraft program in 2021. The planes, which will replace Finland's current fleet of F-18s, are expected in 2025.
The Canadian government expects bids for its fighter jet program to be submitted by the end of March. A winning bidder is to be determined by early 2022. The first aircraft would be delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force by 2025.
Information about how Canada intends to evaluate the jets is limited. But Public Services and Procurement Canada has noted that technical merit will make up the bulk of the assessment at 60 per cent. Cost and economic benefits companies can provide to Canada will each be worth 20 per cent.
Concerns have been raised by Lockheed Martin's rivals that the competition has been designed to favour the F-35. This newspaper reported last year the requirements for the new jets put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions. That criteria is seen to benefit the F-35. In addition, the federal government changed criteria on how it would assess industrial benefits after the U.S. government threatened to pull the F-35 from the competition.
The Conservative government had previously selected the F-35 as the air force's new jet but backed away from that plan after concerns about the technology and growing cost.
During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau vowed that his government would not purchase the F-35. But at the same time, Trudeau stated his government would hold an open competition for the fighter purchase.
The Liberal government backed away from its promise to freeze out the F-35 and the aircraft is now seen as a front-runner in the competition as it has many supporters in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Many of Canada's allies plan to operate the plane.
Canada is a partner in the F-35 program and has contributed funding for the aircraft's development.
14 juin 2021 | Local, Aérospatial
Demain aura lieu la journée de l'industrie de demain sur le programme STTC : https://achatsetventes.gc.ca/donnees-sur-l-approvisionnement/appels-d-offres/PW-21-00957723 Pour participer, un lien sera publié sur le site Achats et ventes. Pour ceux et celles qui ne peuvent participer, je serai disponible pour en discuter et je vous transmettrai la (les) présentations.
12 février 2018 | Local, Sécurité
The Canadian Forces is buying kits that will let its leaders experience what it's like to be stoned on marijuana. The “marijuana simulation kits” will include “marijuana impairment goggles,” among other items. The Canadian Forces wants to acquire 26 of the kits by April 30 or sooner if possible. “The purpose of the Marijuana Simulation Kits is to raise awareness of marijuana impairment, reduce risk of marijuana impairment, and promote healthy lifestyles within the Canadian Armed Forces,” companies who want to bid on the contract were told. “The marijuana impairment goggles, which is one of the several items included in the Marijuana Simulation Kit, allows users to experience first-hand, the deficits marijuana creates on the body.” Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said Friday that the kits will be used in the Military Personnel Command's supervisor training course. “This will help ensure that CAF members in leadership positions will be able to identify signs of, assist in detecting and provide guidance regarding, prohibited drug use,” he said. The value of the contract will only be known once bids are received, evaluated and a contract is awarded, but it is estimated at up to $170,000 over five years. The Liberal government intends to make the use of recreational marijuana legal by the summer. CBC reported this week that a Statistics Canada survey found Canadians pay an average of less than $7 a gram for pot. The kits may also be used at National Defence health fairs, community events, kiosks or other events to educate other military members, families and the public about the impact of marijuana on cognitive functioning, Le Bouthillier said. A number of firms make such devices. In 2015, Innocorp Ltd. in the U.S. unveiled green-tinted goggles that simulate “the distorted processing of visual information, loss of motor co-ordination, and slowed decision-making and reaction time resulting from recreational marijuana use.” Some police departments in the U.S. already use marijuana impairment kits for training. Participants wearing the goggles will experience the simulated effects resulting from recreational marijuana use, such as distorted processing of visual information, slower decision-making and loss of motor coordination, Le Bouthillier said. The training could include exercises such as ball tossing, simulated driving and other means of demonstrating the effect on reaction time. Le Bouthiller said the military currently uses alcohol impairment goggles in similar courses for military leaders. http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/military-to-spend-170000-so-leaders-can-see-what-its-like-to-be-stoned-on-marijuana
1 juin 2023 | Local, Aérospatial
Le 1er juin 2023 – Ottawa (Ontario) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Le général Wayne Eyre, chef d’état-major de la Défense, a annoncé la deuxième promotion au grade de lieutenant-général/vice-amiral de 2023. Le major-général B.F. Frawley a été promu au grade de lieutenant-général et sera nommé commandant adjoint du Commandement de la défense aérospatiale de l’Amérique du Nord (NORAD) à Colorado Springs, au Colorado, en remplacement du lieutenant‑général A.J.P. Pelletier, qui prendra sa retraite des Forces armées canadiennes. Le NORAD est un commandement militaire binational chargé d’assurer l’alerte aérospatiale et maritime ainsi que le contrôle aérospatial pour le Canada et les États-Unis. Il est la pierre angulaire de la relation de défense qu’entretient le Canada avec les États-Unis, et il procure aux deux pays une sécurité continentale plus grande que celle que chacun d’eux pourrait assurer individuellement. Le commandant adjoint du NORAD appuie le commandant du NORAD dans l’exécution des missions du commandement. Puisque le NORAD est un organisme de commandement binational, la nomination du commandant adjoint doit être approuvée par le Canada et les États-Unis. Dans nos deux pays, les Canadiens et les Américains surveillent et défendent l’espace aérien nord-américain 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7 et 365 jours par année. Il s’agit d’une relation militaire sans égale, fondée sur des valeurs communes, l’amitié et un lien durable et indéfectible. Les Forces armées canadiennes (FAC), par l’entremise de leur processus de promotion en constante évolution, continuent de choisir des dirigeants inclusifs qui incarnent les valeurs professionnelles et l’éthos de l’institution. Les candidats admissibles à une promotion sont soumis à une évaluation du caractère fondée sur des données probantes, suivie d’une évaluation à « 360 degrés » réalisée au moyen d’un outil d’évaluation multisources. Cette approche fait appel à un groupe diversifié d’évaluateurs pour réduire les préjugés et favoriser la diversité des points de vue afin d’obtenir une perspective globale des comportements et de l’efficacité des candidats en matière de leadership. De plus, les candidats sont soumis à une entrevue menée par un tiers indépendant du ministère de la Défense nationale et des FAC, qui met l’accent sur les expériences personnelles, la conscience de soi, les défis passés, les échecs et les réussites. De plus amples détails sur le processus de sélection en vue d’une promotion sont accessibles ici. D’autres promotions, nominations et départs à la retraite seront annoncés une fois confirmés. https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2023/06/le-chef-detat-major-de-la-defense-annonce-la-nomination-du-nouveau-commandant-adjoint-du-commandement-de-la-defense-aerospatiale-de-lamerique-du-nord.html