Nouvelles

by Eric Dumigan Held from Sept. 6-8, Aero Gatineau-Ottawa rocked the region with demonstrations by the F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team, the Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team and the Snowbirds Demonstration Team. On the quieter side, Viking Air demonstrated its Turbo Beaver and DHC-1 Chipmunk. The Quebec Government provided a Bombardier CL-415 “Superscooper” fire fighting water bomber. Second World War aircraft provided a glimpse back into Canada' s proud military history and aerobatic performers wowed the crowds with breathtaking manoeuvres. This was the second edition of Aero Gatineau-Ottawa, on Aug. 13 the show hosted a one day event featuring the Royal Air Force Red Arrows as they embarked on a North American Tour. For many, the sight of Canadian astronaut Col Chris Hadfield, flying the Mike Potter Collection Second World War Spitfire Mk. IX fighter in formation with the CF-18 Hornet Demo, piloted by Capt Brian Kilroy, was a great Canadian moment. Kilroy demonstrated the great performance features of Canada's CF-18 Hornet in a 20 minute demonstration. He was then joined by Hadfield for a series of heritage flight passes. Hadfield then demonstrated the Spitfire dedicated to Canadian Second World War fighter pilot, F/L Arnold Roseland, who lost his life in a Spitfire during a dog fight over France in 1944. On the civilian side of flying, extreme aerobatic performers included Rick Volker flying a Sukhoi SU26M and Martin Hivon in a Yak 55. Veteran air show performer Manfred Radius quieted things down with a high-performance glider routine. Manfred also performed in the Friday evening show lighting up the sky with wingtip flares. The Quebec Government CL-415 water bomber demonstrated a water drop and the great handling characteristics of this purpose built aircraft. Along with Viking Air's Turbo Beaver and Chipmunk the companies Series 400 Twin Otter was on static display. Go Skydive parachutes, jumping from a vintage C-45 Expeditor, Acer Cold War Museum flying L-29 trainers, the Bushhawks Squadron and Mike Potter's warbird collection helped keep the action going during each day of the show. Most came to witness the F-35 Lightning II demonstration flown by Capt Andrew “Dojo” Olson. The F-35 is the latest fifth-generation fighter in the United States Armed Forces. It is also a contender to replace Canada's CF-18 Hornet fleet of fighters. Over 400 F-35s have been built and now fly with several air forces around the globe. Unfortunately, the F-35 team operated out of Ottawa International Airport so spectators could not see the Lightning II on static display but they did witness the power and agility of the fighter in the air. During Friday's practice flights, Olson and Maj Aaron Stevens flew with the Canadian Snowbirds team. Aero Gatineau-Ottawa and Vintage Wings of Canada have slowly grown the airshow into one of Canada's premier aviation events. Hosting two shows a month apart has clearly demonstrated the ability of their volunteers to provide quality aviation events in Canada's capitol area. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/aero-gatineau-ottawa-2019-hand-in-hand-with-history/?utm_source=skies-daily-news-top-story

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has added two new events to its fall calendar for its Deep-space Healthcare Initiative; a National Space Health Forum and a NanoRacks Industry Day. National Space Health Forum The National Space Health Forum is scheduled for November 13 and 15 at CSA headquarters. The event is described as follows; Envision the expanse of healthcare innovation to support human deep-space exploration. Get ready to become involved in shaping Canada's future in deep-space healthcare. Catalyze the growth of your network. NanoRacks Industry Day The NanoRacks Industry Day is scheduled for November 15, also at CSA headquarters. The event is described as follows; “The participants will meet Nanoracks, who will present their current product platform and future plans, and will be seeking to secure partnerships with Canadian space & health stakeholders. Registration details will be sent out shortly.” More information on these events and the CSA's Deep-space Healthcare Initiative is available here: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/events/2019/deep-space-healthcare.asp Learn more about Canada's space health and innovation plans. http://spaceq.ca/canadian-space-agency-adds-new-events-for-its-deep-space-healthcare-initiative/

Leonardo and CAE USA have joined forces to collaborate in the United States to offer integrated solutions for helicopter training requirements for the government market. A memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed recently between the companies that expands on the long-established relationship between Leonardo and CAE in helicopter training. The MoA is focused on delivering tailored helicopter-and-training packages to U.S. government operators and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The companies will provide low risk and best value by offering a comprehensive and integrated training solution that includes aircraft, simulators and courseware. Working together to create a cohesive flight training package, Leonardo and CAE will be at the forefront of integrated, live, and virtual training developed for specific aircraft missions. The integrated offerings from Leonardo and CAE could include advanced helicopters, simulators and training devices, courseware, training services, and training centers. Each arrangement will be specific to the customer and determined on a case-by-case basis. William Hunt, CEO AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation, said: “Leonardo has a long history of collaborating with CAE for helicopter training. By creating integrated training systems for the U.S. government together, we are able to offer forward-looking, cost effective solutions that ensure mission success.” “We look forward to collaborating with Leonardo on training opportunities in the U.S. military market related to Leonardo's range of helicopter platforms,” said Ray Duquette, president and general manager, CAE USA. “Our extensive experience in helicopter simulation and training and specifically on Leonardo helicopters means we will be able to offer timely, cost-effective and integrated training solutions to our U.S. customers.” https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/leonardo-cae-collaborate-on-helicopter-training-solutions-for-u-s-government/

By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Another company has pulled out of Canada's competition to buy new fighter jets. The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space informed the Canadian government Friday of their decision to withdraw from Canada's future fighter competition. Airbus had been offering Canada the Eurofighter. Last year the European firm Dassault informed the Canadian government it would not be competing in the competition. It had been planning to offer Canada the Rafale fighter jet. The $19 billion competition has been dogged by allegations it is designed to favour Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter. Postmedia reported earlier this year that 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. Industry representatives have said they will carefully review the Canadian requirements before making their decision to bid. The work needed to prepare a bid will cost the firms around $15 million each. The decision to pull the Eurofighter from the competition leaves the F-35, the Boeing Super Hornet, and Saab's Gripen. It is unclear whether Boeing or Saab will continue in the competition. Airbus and the UK Defence Ministry noted that its decision to withdraw was the result of a detailed review of Canada's request for proposals which was released to industry on July 23. It pointed to the changes Canada made to the industrial benefits package to appease Lockheed Martin as well as the excessive security costs that U.S.-Canadian security requirements placed on a company based outside North America. “A detailed review has led the parties to conclude that NORAD security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States-Canada 2-EYES community,” the statement from Airbus and the UK Defence Ministry noted. “Second, both parties concluded that the significant recent revision of industrial technological benefits obligations does not sufficiently value the binding commitments the Typhoon Canada package was willing to make, and which were one of its major points of focus.” Bids must be submitted by the spring of 2020. Public Services and Procurement Canada, which is running the competition, did not provide comment. A winning bid is expected to be determined by early 2022. The first aircraft would be delivered by 2025. 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. 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. Canada already changed some of the industrial benefits criteria of its fighter jet competition in May to satisfy concerns from the U.S. government that the F-35 would be penalized or couldn't be considered because of how that program was set up. U.S. officials had warned that the F-35 development agreement Canada signed years ago prohibits partners from imposing requirements for industrial benefits. Under the F-35 agreement, partner nations such as Canada are prohibited from demanding domestic companies receive specific work on the fighter jet. Instead, Canadian firms compete and if they are good enough they receive contracts. Over the last 12 years, Canadian firms have earned more than $1.3 billion in contracts to build F-35 parts. The changes made in May would now allow some of those F-35 contracts to be considered when looking at industrial benefits for the new planes. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/eurofighter-drops-out-of-canadian-fighter-jet-program

The Canadian government will provide the Government of the Northwest Territories with up to $150 million over five years for the extension and modernization of the Inuvik Airport runway. The project will extend the existing runway by 3,000 feet and modernize its lighting, navigational and military aircraft landing systems, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Department of National Defence. Owned by the Government of the Northwest Territories, Inuvik's Mike Zubko Airport hosts civilian aircraft and acts as a Forward Operating Location for the Royal Canadian Air Force, according to the Department of National Defence. As part of its role as a Forward Operating Location, the airport's 6,000-foot runway is primarily used for CF-18 operations to support Canadian sovereignty in the North and the country's NORAD obligations. This project will be funded through the DND's Capital Assistance Program, which funds shared-use capital projects for DND infrastructure that is shared by the federal government and other levels of government. This project is in the early planning stages and is expected to be tendered in 2020. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/runway-used-as-forward-operating-location-in-northwest-territories-to-be-modernized-extended

La démonstration du CF-18 Hornet et le spectacle au crépuscule du CF-18 Hornet Le colonel Chris Hadfield se joindra au CF-18 Hornet pour un vol héritage à AERO Gatineau-Ottawa 2019. Le premier astronaute canadien à marcher dans l'espace pilotera le Spitfire Mk IX de Vintage Wings of Canada pour se joindre au CF-18 pour un vol patrimonial. De retour pour sa 9e année à AERO Gatineau-Ottawa, l'équipe de démonstration des CF-18 offrira un spectacle exaltant et dynamique que vous n'oublierez pas! Cette année, l'équipe de démonstration des CF-18 de l'Aviation canadienne a choisi le thème « 70e anniversaire de l'OTAN ». Le CF-18 Hornet peut voler beaucoup plus vite que la vitesse du son – mais pas lorsqu'il se produit pour le public! La démonstration montrera également sa capacité à voler très lentement, le nez vers le ciel. Le CF-18 Hornet de l'ARC sera en spectacle le samedi et le dimanche avec une démonstration spéciale au crépuscule le vendredi soir. Les Snowbirds des Forces canadiennes Saviez-vous que les excitants vols de précision des 9 avions sont rendus possible par 80 membres des Forces armées canadiennes? Basés à Moosejaw, en Saskatchewan, 24 d'entre eux se rendent dans 40 endroits au Canada et aux États-Unis pour la saison 2019. Les Snowbirds volent le Tutor CT 114, conçu et construit au Canada par Canadair afin de servir comme principal avion d'entraînement des Forces armées canadiennes jusqu'à son remplacement par le Hawk CT155 et le Harvard II CT156 en 2000. Le monomoteur General Electric J-85 produit 2700 livres de poussée, laquelle propulse l'appareil relativement léger à des vitesses de plus de 400 noeuds. La voilure droite du CT114 Tutor crée une portance et les contrôles sont précisément réglés, faisant de l'appareil une voiture sport classique pour les airs. Malgré son 'ge avancé, et gr'ce à l'entretien exceptionnel dont il fait l'objet, le Tutor est la plateforme idéale en tant qu'avion à réaction de démonstration. Après le spectacle, les Snowbirds vous invitent à rencontrer leur équipe composée de pilotes de spectacle de voltige, d'un officier des affaires publiques et de techniciens hautement qualifiés en aviation, en avionique, en structure d'aéronefs et en soutien mobile. Si vous ne pouvez pas être au spectacle aéronautique, suivez les Snowbirds sur les médias sociaux! Le « TankCam » des Snowbirds, un réservoir de fumée modifié monté sur le ventre de Snowbird 1, contient trois caméras haute résolution capables de capturer des vidéos et des images étonnantes de la formation en vol. Les images seront publiées sur Twitter et Facebook. http://aerogatineauottawa.com/deux-equipes-de-voltige-canadiennes-dans-le-ciel-les-snowbirds-et-les-cf-18/?lang=fr

Two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets touched down at Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier International Airport on Sept. 4, ahead of their appearance at this weekend's AERO Gatineau-Ottawa airshow. The show, which runs from Sept. 6-8, will feature a flying display performed by the U.S. Air Force F-35 flight demonstration team. The fighter jets will not be on static display. Other performers include aircraft from Vintage Wings of Canada, the Canadian CF-18 Hornet Demo team, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatic team, and more. For details, visit the show's website. Skies photographer Mike Luedey was waiting in Ottawa for the aircraft to arrive. Here are a few shots of the team making a (loud) entrance! https://www.skiesmag.com/news/lightning-strikes-twice-in-ottawa

THE CANADIAN PRESS Days after Airbus Defence and Space pulled out of the $19-billion race to replace Canada's aging fighter jets, the only European firm still eligible to compete says it has not decided whether it will. Saab Canada president Simon Carroll says the Swedish firm is interested in entering its Gripen jet against its two remaining competitors, both of which are from the United States: Boeing's Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin's F-35. However, Mr. Carroll told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that his company is still analyzing the competition's nitty-gritty details – including a security requirement that forced out two other European jet makers. All bidders are required to explain by Sept. 20 how they plan to ensure their planes can integrate with the top-secret Canada-U.S. intelligence network known as “Two Eyes,” which is used to co-ordinate the defence of North America. But in announcing its withdrawal from the competition on Friday, Airbus said meeting the requirement would place “too significant of a cost” on non-U.S. aircraft. French firm Dassault cited the same requirement when it pulled its Rafale jet in November. “We are still looking at that security assessment side of things from the Two-Eyes perspective,” Mr. Carroll said. “We don't see any major issues with it as this point in time. Having said that, we're still reviewing everything through the whole [request for proposals] at this point in time and we will reserve the right to make our judgment on whether or not we provide a bid.” Airbus also raised concerns about changes to a long-standing policy that requires bidders on military contracts to legally commit to invest as much money in Canadian products and operations as they get out of contracts they win. Bidders can now instead establish “industrial targets,” lay out a plan for achieving those targets and sign non-binding agreements promising to make all efforts to achieve them. Such bids do suffer penalties when the bids are scored, but are not rejected outright. That change followed U.S. complaints the previous policy violated an agreement Canada signed in 2006 to become one of nine partner countries in developing the F-35. The agreement says companies in the partner countries will compete for work associated with purchases of the planes. While Saab has previously raised its own concerns about the change, saying it would shortchange Canadian taxpayers and industry, Mr. Carroll said it was “not a hurdle” and that “we think we have a very good offering for what we can offer in Canada.” Even participating in the competition is not a cheap proposition for fighter-jet makers; while Carroll would not speak to the potential cost to Saab, analysts have previously pegged the cost in the millions of dollars. While companies are expected to submit their plans to meet the Two Eyes security requirement on Sept. 20, the government has said it will provide feedback and let bidders amend their submissions. Final bids aren't expected until next winter, with a formal contract signed in 2022. The first plane won't arrive until at least 2025. Successive federal government have been working to replace Canada's CF-18s for more than a decade. Mr. Carroll praised the government for being transparent as it has worked for years to launch the competition, which followed an aborted attempt between 2010 and 2012 to buy F-35s without a competition. “We're supportive of the government processes and what they've done moving forward,” he said. “The transparency from the government has been very good. They've given ample opportunity for us to review documents. They've been very open in saying that these are the dates and these are the times.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-swedens-saab-undecided-on-whether-it-will-participate-in-canadian/

Par LEE BERTHIAUME La division Airbus Defence and Space, en partenariat avec le gouvernement britannique, était l'une des quatre entreprises qui devaient selon toute vraisemblance soumissionner pour ce contrat de 19 milliards portant sur la construction des 88 nouveaux avions de chasse qui doivent remplacer les CF-18 vieillissants de l'Aviation royale canadienne. Mais dans un communiqué publié vendredi, Airbus annonce qu'elle a informé le gouvernement canadien de sa décision de retirer de la course son « Eurofighter Typhoon » pour deux motifs — déjà évoqués par ailleurs avant même le lancement officiel de l'appel d'offres en juillet. Le premier motif concerne l'obligation pour les soumissionnaires de préciser comment ils comptent s'assurer que leurs avions pourront s'intégrer au réseau canado-américain ultra-secret de renseignement, connu sous le nom de « Two Eyes », qui est utilisé pour coordonner la défense commune de l'Amérique du Nord. Airbus conclut que cette exigence fait peser « un coût trop lourd » sur les avions qui ne sont pas américains. Le géant européen explique qu'il aurait été tenu de démontrer comment il envisageait d'intégrer son Typhoon au système « Two-Eyes » sans même connaître les détails techniques de ce système ultra-secret de renseignement. Le deuxième facteur a été la décision du gouvernement libéral de modifier la politique qui obligeait traditionnellement les soumissionnaires à s'engager légalement à investir autant d'argent dans des produits et activités au Canada que ce qu'ils tirent des contrats militaires décrochés. En vertu du nouveau mécanisme, les soumissionnaires peuvent plutôt établir des « objectifs industriels » et signer des accords non contraignants promettant de tout mettre en œuvre pour les atteindre. Ces soumissionnaires perdent des points dans l'appel d'offres, mais ils ne sont plus écartés d'emblée de la course. Les États-Unis soutenaient que la politique précédente violait un accord signé par le Canada en 2006 pour devenir l'un des neuf pays partenaires dans le développement du F-35 de Lockheed Martin. Or, cet accord prévoit que les entreprises des pays partenaires se feront toutes concurrence pour obtenir des contrats en sous-traitance. Deuxième retrait Dans son annonce, vendredi, Airbus soutient que la nouvelle approche ne valorise pas suffisamment les engagements contraignants qu'elle était prête à offrir et qui constituaient l'un de ses principaux arguments. La ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement, Carla Qualtrough, a défendu à nouveau l'approche de son gouvernement dans ce dossier. Dans une déclaration écrite publiée après l'annonce du retrait d'Airbus, elle a estimé que cette nouvelle approche « assurera une participation maximale des fournisseurs ». « Notre gouvernement priorise les retombées économiques solides dans ce projet, a soutenu Mme Qualtrough. Nous sommes convaincus que cet investissement soutiendra la croissance de la main-d'œuvre canadienne hautement qualifiée dans les industries de l'aérospatiale et de la défense pour les décennies à venir et créera d'importantes retombées économiques et industrielles dans l'ensemble du pays. » Airbus devient la deuxième entreprise à retirer son chasseur de l'appel d'offres canadien, après le retrait du « Rafale » de la société française Dassault en novembre dernier. Il ne reste plus maintenant comme prétendants que le « F-35 » de Lockheed Martin, le « Super Hornet » de son concurrent américain Boeing et le « Gripen » du suédois Saab. Boeing et Saab ont déjà exprimé leurs préoccupations au sujet de la nouvelle politique en matière d'exigences industrielles, affirmant que ces changements ne profiteront pas aux contribuables et à l'industrie canadienne de l'aérospatiale et de la défense. Les entreprises devraient soumettre leurs offres l'hiver prochain et le contrat final doit être signé en 2022 ; le premier avion ne sera pas livré avant au moins 2025. Les gouvernements fédéraux successifs s'emploient à remplacer les CF-18 depuis plus de dix ans. Selon le porte-parole conservateur en matière de défense, James Bezan, le retrait d'Airbus prouve que le gouvernement libéral a mal géré tout ce dossier pendant son mandat — notamment en attendant quatre ans avant de lancer l'appel d'offres promis en campagne électorale en 2015. « Alors que d'autres pays ont choisi des avions de combat en moins de deux ans, le bilan du premier ministre Justin Trudeau en matière d'achats militaires en est un de retards et d'échecs », a estimé M. Bezan. Le gouvernement conservateur précédent avait annoncé en 2010 un plan pour acheter des F-35 de Lockheed Martin sans appel d'offres, mais il y a renoncé deux ans plus tard à la suite de préoccupations concernant les coûts et les capacités de ce chasseur furtif. https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/entreprises/201908/30/01-5239279-airbus-se-retire-de-la-course-pour-remplacer-les-cf-18-canadiens.php