8 mai 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

U.S. government again urges Canada to acquire American fighter jets, despite Pentagon threats

The American government is once again urging Canada to acquire U.S.-built fighter jets to replace its fleet of CF-18s, one day after it emerged the Pentagon recently threatened to pull the F-35 out of the $26-billion competition for new aircraft.

The contradictory messages from the U.S. government showcase how the Americans are trying to prevent a tendering process that would favour European manufacturers at the expense of either the Lockheed Martin F-35 or the Boeing Super Hornet.

The Canadian government is weeks away from launching a competition for 88 new fighter jets, with the two American firms set to enter into a competition against the Swedish Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is built by a consortium that includes Airbus.

In a statement on Tuesday, the American government called on Canada to make sure its fighter jets can operate alongside U.S. military aircraft around the world. The “crucial” point, according to the American government, is Canada's participation in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) that controls the Canadian and American airspace.

Only U.S.-built fighter jets currently operate in NORAD and European aircraft would face technological hurdles in gaining the ability to fully integrate into the bi-national military alliance.

“We continue to believe in the importance of NATO and NORAD interoperability as a crucial component of Canada's acquisition of defence assets,” said Joseph Crook, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Ottawa.

Mr. Crook added the American government remains “hopeful that U.S. firms are able to participate in open and transparent competition processes that can support Canada's NATO and NORAD obligations, especially when it comes to co-operative engagement capabilities.”

On Monday, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute published letters from American officials who warned their Canadian counterparts last year that the F-35 might be pulled from the competition unless Canada's requirements for industrial benefits were modified.

The American government is concerned about Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy, which requires the winner of the contract to invest the equivalent of the acquisition cost in Canada.

Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is a stealth aircraft developed by an international consortium of allied militaries under a program that specifically rejects the application of traditional industrial benefits. Canada has been a member of the program since 2006.

In an interview after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he has sought to reassure the Americans by pointing out that the Canadian government will focus mostly on technical capabilities in deciding which aircraft to purchase.

“First of all, the capabilities of the aircraft is the number one priority. Making sure we meet the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces – the Air Force in this particular case – is the number one priority. We will always make sure that will happen,” Mr. Sajjan said.

He added that obtaining benefits for the Canadian economy is also important, while suggesting the matter will have less importance in the final weighting of the bids.

“This obviously factors into the equation, but the capability requirements for the Canadian Armed Forces is always the number one priority,” he said.

In a speech laying out his foreign-affairs policy on Tuesday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he will seek to modernize the NORAD alliance if his party forms the next government, including through the purchase of fighter jets that can defend North America alongside the U.S. fleet.

“I will act to select a new fighter jet through an open competition and make sure the new jets are interoperable with our American allies,” Mr. Scheer said.

Vice-Admiral Mathias Winter of the U.S. Navy said in a letter last December that Canada has received US$1.3-billion in economic benefits from its participation in the F-35 program to this point.

“The F-35 supplier team will submit an F-35 offer only if (1) the ITB requirement is waived entirely and (2) there is no future ITB obligation arising from selecting the F-35,” Vice-Adm. Winter said in his letter.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-us-government-urges-canada-to-acquire-american-fighter-jets-in-2/

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29 janvier 2020 | Local, Aérospatial

CAE contracted to upgrade NATO E-3A AWACS training devices
CAE announced it has signed a contract amendment with the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Program Management Agency (NAPMA) to perform avionics updates on the E-3A flight deck simulator and E-3A flight training device located at NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen in Germany. The avionics updates to the training devices relate to the latest standards of the advanced Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems currently being implemented on NATO's fleet of 14 E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The avionics updates to the E-3A flight deck simulator will be complete in 2021. “CAE has supported the training of NATO E-3A aircrews for almost 40 years, and these simulators continue to play a key role in helping ensure the readiness of the E-3A aircrews from 16 nations who carry out a range of critical missions,” said Marc-Olivier Sabourin, vice-president and general manager, Defence & Security International, CAE. “The avionics upgrades we will deliver continue our longstanding support of the E-3A training devices, and we look forward to supporting the NATO E-3A AWACS mission through 2035 as part of the Final Lifetime Extension Program of the fleet.” CAE designed and manufactured the original NATO E-3A flight deck simulator that entered service in 1982. Since that time, the simulator has been continuously upgraded and enhanced to ensure concurrency with the aircraft and enable E-3A aircrews to conduct more synthetic training. The E-3A flight deck simulator is currently qualified to Level D, the highest for flight simulators. The CAE-built E-3A flight training device is qualified to Level II and is used to support familiarization and procedural training for aircrews prior to full-mission training in the E-3A flight deck simulator. CAE is currently responsible for maintenance and support of the E-3A training devices in addition to providing a cadre of instructors and mission system operators to support the delivery of training to NATO E-3A AWACS aircrews. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/cae-contracted-to-upgrade-nato-e-3a-awacs-training-devices
11 mai 2023 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

Marché IDEeS 2023 arrive
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1 février 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Sécurité

Fire Rescue Victoria sets up new drone unit
By Justin Hendry v Drones give firies new imaging capabilities. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) has set up a new drone unit to help firefighters better monitor fires and other emergencies from the air. The new aviation unit, which will initially consist of a squadron of four drones, became operational last month. Staffed by four Civil Aviation Safety Authority-qualified drone pilots and other specialists, the unit will support FRV across the state from its base in Melbourne suburb of Burnley. It builds on FRV's existing remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) unit, which consists of drones from the former Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Country Fire Authority (CFA). MFB – which was the first fire and rescue services in Australia to develop a RPAS capability in 2011 – had at least nine drones before the merger with the CFA last year. However, unlike the previous drones, the new squadron will be able to stay in the air for up to 30 minutes and can withstand difficult wind conditions. They will also be able to carry both thermal and optical cameras at the same time, whereas the existing RPAS fleet can only carry a single camera. Having both thermal imaging and live streaming cameras will allow the drones to capture better quality footage to support firefighting efforts, the government said. “The technology means firefighters can better monitor fires and other incidents from the air, and get a fuller picture of complex fires, ultimately increasing community safety and contributing to saving lives,” it said. Since the unit became operational, the drones have already been used to support the FRV response to a recent industrial fire in the Melbourne suburb of Laverton North. Police and emergency services minister Lisa Neville said the unit and four new drones will “significantly add to [FRV's] firefighting arsenal”. “Thanks to this highly specialist aviation unit and these new highly specialised drones, our emergency services will have greater access to critical information and intelligence to efficiently contain fires, respond to emergencies and save lives,” she said. https://www.itnews.com.au/news/fire-rescue-victoria-sets-up-new-drone-unit-560393

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