Nouvelles

NORMAN DE BONO If the contract to supply Saudi Arabia with London-built military vehicles were cancelled, the impact would also be deeply felt in the hundreds of suppliers that feed General Dynamics and its Oxford Street East factory. Armatec Survivabilty in Dorchester supplies most of the seats to the General Dynamics Land Systems Canada armoured vehicles going to the Middle East, and a “substantial number” of its workers would lose their jobs if it's cancelled, said Rod Flick, manager of business development at Armatec. “We're putting seats in those vehicles. It would have a big impact,” said Flick, adding it now employs just over 100. GDLS has said its suppliers nationwide — including 240 in the London region alone — employ 13,500 people directly or indirectly. “There are other ways Canada can exert pressure than to cancel this. The Saudis will just go and buy vehicles from somewhere else,” Flick said. Flick will be in Ottawa this week pressing Global Affairs Canada not to cancel the deal, he added. Flick has also met with several MPs and MPPs, making the case to defend the agreement. At Abuma Manufacturing on Admiral Drive in London, about half its business is tied to General Dynamics and cancelling the contract would be “a real blow” to its 26 employees, said president Ben Whitney, who is also head of its sister plant, Armo-Tool. Abuma makes parts for GDLS's light armoured vehicles. “I am extremely concerned., It would make things very difficult for us. It would put us in a difficult position,” said Whitney. “It would be a blow, a real blow.” Armo-Tool bought Abuma in May and would keep it afloat by sharing work, but without that partnership, Abuma would shut down if the Saudi deal is cancelled, he added. “When this deal was struck, it was because the Saudis were seen as a stable partner in that region. If we want to engage in that region, there is no perfect democracy there. We can engage and build relationships or we can cancel deals and be seen as not reliable,” said Whitney. “It is tough. Last week, we made a donation to the Salvation Army and now about half our people may need them. It is a tough situation.” CANADA'S SAUDI ARMS DEAL: A CHRONOLOGY February 2014: The federal government under the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives announce the deal to supply light armoured military vehicles to Saudi Arabia, with London defence giant General Dynamics Land Systems Canada building the vehicles for a federal crown corporation, the Canadian Commercial Corp., selling the equipment to the desert kingdom. October 2015: The Conservatives, under fire from human rights critics for selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite its human rights abuses, lose the general election to Justin Trudeau's Liberals. The Liberals green-light the deal, despite growing calls to rescind it in light of Saudi Arabian political and human rights abuses, including in neighbouring Yemen. 2016: Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion quietly approves export permits covering most of the deal, as criticism mounts of Canada doing arms business with Saudi Arabia. October 2018: Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, is killed at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Suspicion instantly rises that the killing was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The killing increases heat on Ottawa over its Saudi arms deal. After first denying Khashoggi was killed, Saudi Arabia admits his slaying was “premeditated” and orders an investigation. Trudeau, facing new pressure to scuttle the Saudi deal in light of Khashoggi's murder, says it would cost $1 billion to scrap the deal. The Liberals say they're reviewing the export permits for the deal. December 2018: Trudeau says publicly for the first time that the Liberals are looking for a way out of the Saudi deal, prompting heightened worry and alarm in London. GDLS: BY THE NUMBERS 1,850: Employees in London 13,500: Jobs supported among its suppliers 500: Suppliers nationwide 240: Suppliers in London region https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/saudi-arms-deal-supplier-says-80-of-employees-jobs-at-risk-if-cancelled

By Charlie Pinkerton Nothing will make the government reconsider its controversial plan to buy 25 second-hand, 30-year-old fighter jets as a temporary stopgap for its fleet, says Canada's minister of National Defence. “For us, (cancelling the purchase is) not even in the picture at all, because it would be absolutely irresponsible if we don't try to fill this capability gap,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told iPolitics in an interview. “We have to invest.” When they came to power, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals deferred a plan to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets, deciding instead to buy a much smaller number in the interim. They first sought to purchase 18 new Super Hornet jets built by American manufacturer Boeing, before canning that plan about a year ago as trade tensions between the countries boiled over. An announcement followed that Canada was buying 18 used F-18s from Australia to supplement its existing CF-18 fleet, which dates from the early 1980s, and was due for replacement after about 20 years. Over the summer, the government announced it would buy seven jets from Australia for parts. The Liberals had set aside $500 million for this purchase, but the final cost is still unclear. Since the announcement to purchase Australia's old planes, Sajjan has faced harsh criticism from opposition members who call the plan unacceptable, especially after a damning report from the auditor general of Canada less than a month ago. Yet when asked if the purchase could be stopped, Sajjan replied, “Why would you want to stop it?” One answer to that — cherrypicked from the auditor general's report — is that under the current plan, Canada will not meet its commitment to NORAD and NATO, which government officials, including Sajjan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have cited as a major reason for the government's decision to buy the planes. The auditor general also casts doubt on the viability of the government's interim fleet because of a shortage of technicians and pilots capable of maintaining and flying the jets. “National Defence expects to spend almost $3 billion, over and above existing budgets, without a plan to deal with its biggest obstacles to meeting the new operational requirement,” says the report. “We know it's going to take time,” Sajjan said, “but at least we're investing in the problem so we can finally get rid of it.” National Defence doubled down on its current plan following the auditor general's report, saying it's seeking approval of “a number” of upgrades to keep Canada's CF-18 fleet in the air until 2032. It also says it will increase the number of technicians and pilots in the fighter force, even though it identified the shortage as far back as 2016. The first jets to replace the existing CF-18s, and those the government is buying from Australia, will arrive in 2025. A yet-to-be-chosen future fleet of 88 fighter aircraft are supposed to be fully operational by 2031, and last until the year 2060. https://ipolitics.ca/2018/12/17/feds-going-ahead-with-plan-to-buy-used-jets-says-defence-minister/

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen A Canadian military plan to boost the number of fighter pilots through a one-time push using allied training won't be happening, and instead the number of aviators will be increased gradually over the next seven years using the existing domestic system. The plan to make use of allied training to increase the numbers of pilots to fly the interim fighter jets being acquired by the Liberals was outlined to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in November 2016, according to documents obtained by Postmedia. “Fighter pilot production would need to be increased above current numbers to fly the additional mission ready aircraft,” Sajjan was told as the number of jets in the military's inventory would be boosted. “This would be done by utilizing allied training capacity with a one-time investment.” That initiative would allow Canada to have the needed pilots in place by 2023, the briefing added. The push for more pilots was to coincide with the purchase of 18 Super Hornets from Boeing, a U.S. aerospace firm. But that deal collapsed after a trade complaint and Canada is now buying 25 used F-18 aircraft from Australia. A one-time push for allied training would no longer be needed. “As the Australian F-18 jets are very similar to our CF-18's, there will be no difference in training our pilots,” an email from the Canadian Forces noted. “We will be using our existing pilots and growing their number gradually over the next five to seven years,” it added. Last month Auditor General Michael Ferguson noted that the additional aircraft being acquired as an interim measure meant that the Canadian Forces “would need to considerably increase the number of trained pilots. National Defence is unlikely to be able to do so because pilots have been leaving the fighter force faster than new ones could be trained.” Military aviators worldwide are being lured away from their jobs by the growing demand in the civilian aviation market for airline pilots. But RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger told the Commons public accounts committee Dec. 3 that the main reason for Canadian pilots leaving had to do with family. “Certainly the feedback from those who are releasing is it's a question of family, challenges for their family,” Meinzinger said. “There's a dimension of ops tempo, work-life balance, predictability in terms of geographical location, and then typically fifth or sixth are comments about financial remuneration.” Canada's main fighter bases are in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que. Meinzinger said there can also be issues with spouses finding employment in the locations where the pilots operate from. In addition, some pilots don't want to be transferred to desk jobs and want to continue with flight operations. The specific number of fighter pilots the Canadian Forces is short of is considered secret. In the email to Postmedia, the RCAF says it is looking at several ways to attract and retain fighter pilots “which include initiatives to make living and working in our organization the best it can be.” “This includes looking at increasing the number of staff positions where pilots still get to fly and reviewing options of longer flying tours, which would provide our members with added stability, enable them to fly longer, and retains valuable experience at the squadrons to train or upgrade qualifications of junior members,” the RCAF added. The RCAF also says it may consider sending its trained pilots to work with allied air forces to gain further experience if there is a need. There have been problems, on and off, since the late 1990s with producing and retaining Canadian military pilots. Postmedia reported that the Canadian Forces had to send fledgling fighter pilots down to the U.S. between 2011 and 2013 because of ongoing issues, including the availability of training aircraft provided by civilian contractors at the flying training facilities in Moose Jaw, Sask., and Cold Lake. That reduction in aircraft availability reduced the level of training, which in turn “negatively impacted the pilot production capability,” according to a briefing for then Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk. dpugliese@postmedia.com Twitter.com/davidpugliese https://nationalpost.com/news/push-to-use-allies-to-train-needed-canadian-fighter-pilots-no-longer-being-considered

Document d'information Le 14 décembre 2018 – Ottawa (Ontario) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Le Canada est déjà un chef de file dans le domaine civil de l'observation de la Terre par radar en raison du lancement de RADARSAT-2 en 2007, et il lancera bientôt la Mission de la Constellation RADARSAT (MCR), qui compte trois satellites. La Mission comprend le déploiement de radars à synthèse d'ouverture multimodaux et d'un système d'identification automatique afin d'améliorer la surveillance des navires et d'obtenir une meilleure connaissance de la situation relativement aux territoires du Canada ainsi qu'à d'autres domaines d'intérêt dans les régions du monde où le ministère de la Défense nationale (MDN) et ses alliés mènent des opérations. Dans le but d'améliorer les capacités actuelles et futures du Canada en matière d'observation de la Terre, il est nécessaire de déployer des efforts de recherche et développement afin de créer de nouvelles approches et de nouveaux outils permettant de simplifier et d'accélérer le cycle d'attribution de t'ches, de collecte, de traitement, d'exploitation et de diffusion (TCPED). Ce cycle permet aux utilisateurs finaux d'avoir à leur disposition des produits d'information opportuns, pertinents, précis et utilisables, comme des cartes et des rapports à l'appui du RSR (renseignement, surveillance et reconnaissance). Ce type d'investissement dans des innovations scientifiques et technologiques de pointe orientera la conception de nouveaux satellites perfectionnés d'observation de la Terre qui remplaceront éventuellement la MCR. Gr'ce au Programme de sciences et technologie pour la connaissance de la situation dans tous les domaines (CSTD), plusieurs appels de propositions soutenant l'innovation ont été financés, notamment pour la simplification du cycle TCPED des satellites d'observation de la Terre à l'appui du RSR. Un récent appel de propositions pour la CSTD, lancé dans le cadre du Programme de recherche d'innovations pour la défense (PRID), a mené à un investissement de 6,7 millions de dollars du gouvernement du Canada dans 12 projets visant à améliorer le cycle TCPED. Structuré en contrats à frais partagés (50/50) entre l'industrie et le gouvernement, le modèle du PRID favorise les coentreprises entre l'industrie de l'innovation canadienne et le gouvernement fédéral. L'investissement total (privé et public) pour le présent appel de propositions s'élève à 13,2 millions de dollars. Les paragraphes qui suivent présentent les contrats qui ont été attribués dans le cadre du deuxième appel de propositions du PRID pour l'initiative du cycle ATCTED. Titre Charge électro-optique/infrarouge utile complémentaire pour la suite de la MCR Fournisseur ABB Lieu Québec (Québec) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 305 000 $ (total : 610 000 $) Ce projet a pour but d'aider à définir les objectifs, les exigences et les concepts pour la poursuite de la MCR, en ce qui concerne la charge optoélectronique/infrarouge utile complémentaire. Il permettra aussi de déterminer les technologies essentielles et les risques. La combinaison des différents types de capteurs de télédétection sur un même engin spatial pourrait grandement augmenter les capacités en matière de connaissance de la situation, particulièrement en ce qui concerne la surveillance de la circulation maritime. Titre Projet Arviq Fournisseur AstroCom Associates Inc. Lieu Ottawa (Ontario) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 165 000 $ (total : 330 000 $) Ce projet porte sur la faisabilité d'une capacité proposée visant à détecter les vagues océaniques dans la glace de mer. Il est axé sur de récents résultats, qui démontrent que des vagues peuvent être captées dans la glace gr'ce à l'interférométrie par radar à synthèse d'ouverture, à une échelle aussi petite que les centimètres. Titre Intégration des données provenant de plusieurs satellites pour la détection, l'identification et le suivi des navires Fournisseur C-CORE Lieu St. John's (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 775 000 $ (total : 1 550 000 $) Cette étude porte sur l'examen et l'établissement d'une approche de classification des données provenant de plusieurs satellites afin d'améliorer la capacité à discerner les navires des icebergs. La classification efficiente et rapide des objets d'intérêt dans l'eau ou sur l'eau est un élément particulièrement important pour la communauté de la connaissance de la situation maritime. Titre Modélisation de la capacité de renseignement géospatial à l'appui de la surveillance et de la souveraineté du Canada Fournisseur C-CORE Lieu St. John's (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 940 000 $ (total : 1 880 000 $) Ce projet évalue les aspects spatiotemporels liés à l'acquisition, à la liaison descendante et à l'analyse de l'imagerie en vue de générer des produits d'information géographique, à l'appui de la surveillance terrestre et maritime. Il porte sur l'examen et l'établissement d'un outil de classification des données provenant de plusieurs satellites afin de mieux caractériser les navires et les cibles autres que des navires. Titre Analyse des données électro-optiques/infrarouges pour améliorer la surveillance maritime Fournisseur Complex System Inc. Lieu Calgary (Alberta) Type de projet Étude et conception d'un prototype Contribution fédérale 200 000 $ (total : 400 000 $) Ce projet porte sur la création d'un système de traitement vidéo embarqué qui sera utilisé avec des radars spatiaux et des capteurs de télédétection des navires afin d'améliorer les capacités de détection, d'identification et de suivi des navires pratiquement en temps réel. Complex Systems Inc. développera un nouveau système d'analyse de données axé sur la vision artificielle et les technologies d'apprentissage automatique de pointe pour offrir un ensemble d'outils de traitement qui améliorent les capacités de surveillance maritime. Titre Démonstrateur de la plateforme d'exploitation thématique RADARSAT Fournisseur CubeWerx Inc. Lieu Gatineau (Québec) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 485 000 $ (total : 970 000 $) Ce projet examine les approches complémentaires sur les données massives et nuagiques à l'appui de l'extensibilité, de l'agilité et de la disponibilité sur demande des produits de données sur l'observation de la Terre. CubeWerx créera une plateforme d'exploitation thématique RADARSAT et en fera la démonstration dans un environnement de travail, où les utilisateurs peuvent regrouper leurs applications et les télécharger vers un nuage qui prend en charge le traitement des algorithmes des utilisateurs à la bonne échelle, ce qui évite de devoir télécharger et d'enregistrer localement un grand volume d'images. Titre Traitement en temps réel d'un grand volume de données spatiales multimodales Fournisseur General Dynamics Mission Systems Lieu Ottawa (Ontario) Type de projet Étude et conception d'un prototype Contribution fédérale 75 000 $ (total : 150 000 $) Ce projet permettra d'établir de nouvelles approches en utilisant de nouvelles architectures de traitement graphique et les plus récents algorithmes pour traiter un grand volume de données de télédétection satellite provenant de diverses sources, comme des radars multibandes ainsi que des capteurs optoélectroniques et infrarouges. Titre Améliorer la capacité de surveillance maritime du Canada gr'ce à des produits complémentaires d'information optoélectronique/infrarouge Fournisseur MDA Systems Ltd. Lieu Richmond (Colombie-Britannique) Type de projet Étude et conception d'un prototype Contribution fédérale 1 000 000 $ (total : 2 000 000 $) Ce projet démontrera comment l'intégration de divers types de données de télédétection satellite peut améliorer les capacités de surveillance maritime, gr'ce à des détections supplémentaires, ainsi que les processus de classification, d'identification et de suivi. Titre Application des techniques d'analyse des données massives pour extraire le renseignement géospatial de l'imagerie obtenue par radar à synthèse d'ouverture Fournisseur MDA Geospatial Services Inc. Lieu Richmond (Colombie-Britannique) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 500 000 $ (total : 1 000 000 $) Ce projet porte sur l'examen des techniques d'analyse et d'automatisation des données massives afin de mieux exploiter les archives de données informatiques (qui sont très nombreuses et dont le volume continue de croître) de RADARSAT-2 et de la MCR. Il vise à comprendre et à démontrer comment l'analyse des données massives, particulièrement l'apprentissage en profondeur, peut être appliquée à des archives volumineuses de données d'imagerie obtenues par radar à synthèse d'ouverture pour extraire du renseignement géospatial pertinent. Titre Surveillance terrestre rémanente à multiples capteurs et suivi des changements Fournisseur MDA Systems Ltd. Lieu Richmond (Colombie-Britannique) Type de projet Étude Contribution fédérale 750 000 $ (total : 1 500 000 $) Ce projet examine comment les techniques de surveillance automatisée à grande couverture des changements peuvent être améliorées en utilisant plusieurs types de données d'observation de la Terre, comme les données RADARSAT et optoélectroniques. Les avantages prévus comprennent des capacités de surveillance dont les caractères rémanent et opérationnel sont accrus, peu importe les conditions météorologiques, ainsi qu'une très grande précision de la classification des changements. Le projet sera axé sur l'apprentissage en profondeur et tirera profit de la disponibilité d'un grand volume d'images par satellite archivées. Titre Innovations architecturales pour les données prêtes à être analysées Fournisseur UrtheCast Corp. Lieu Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique) Type de projet Étude et conception d'un prototype Contribution fédérale 1 000 000 $ (total : 2 000 000 $) Ce projet porte sur le stockage modulable et le traitement sur demande des données de télédétection prêtes à être analysées provenant de divers systèmes d'observation de la Terre. Il permettra d'établir de nouvelles techniques, notamment axées sur l'intelligence artificielle, afin de créer des produits d'information géographique. Titre Exploitation complémentaire par capteurs Fournisseur UrtheCast Corp. Lieu Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique) Type de projet Étude et conception d'un prototype Contribution fédérale 499 000 $ (total : 999 000 $) Ce projet porte sur la conception, la mise en application et la démonstration d'un nouveau système permettant de créer des cartes thématiques à partir de données d'observation de la Terre complémentaires, obtenues par satellite, à l'appui des opérations terrest https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2018/12/le-gouvernement-du-canada-annonce-loctroi-de-contrats-visant-a-ameliorer-les-capacites-dobservation-de-la-terre-depuis-lespace.html

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Auditor General's recent report on fighter pilots leaving the Royal Canadian Air Force sparked a lot of speculation on why that was happening. One of the claims made on social media was the pilots were leaving because the Canadian government didn't go ahead with the purchase of new fighter jets, specifically the F-35. This seems to be a brilliant piece of marketing by F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin and shopped around with glee by F-35 supporters. Unfortunately reality sometimes has a way of shooting down such bogus claims. RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger outlined for Members of Parliament recently the real reasons behind the fighter pilots leaving. “Certainly the feedback from those who are releasing is it's a question of family, challenges for their family,” Meinzinger explained to the Public Accounts committee. “There's a dimension of ops tempo, work-life balance, predictability in terms of geographical location, and then typically fifth or sixth are comments about financial remuneration.” “We find that, unless there's a degree of predictability and positive career management over that individual, we often find individuals who are vexed,” Meinzinger further explained. “They come up to a point where they may not have anticipated they were going to move, or we're asking them to move their family to a location where perhaps their spouse cannot find employment.” Another factor is that some fighter pilots are not happy being streamed into administrative jobs. They want to keep flying. “We find a lot of individuals often don't wish to move to headquarters and work in an office versus work in an aircraft,” the RCAF commander acknowledged. “We recognize that and respect it. But that dialogue, which must happen at the margin, before we force an individual to move, is very, very important.” Not one mention of Canada not having the F-35 or any other new fighter jet. The geographic location aspect has played into retention issues affecting other organizations supporting the RCAF. The federal government will create a new centre of excellence in Ottawa to support aircraft testing, a move that affects the Canadian military's Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, or AETE, which has been at Cold Lake, Alta. since 1971. Under the new plan AETE would be relocated to the international airport in Ottawa and partnered with the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory and Transport Canada Aircraft Services Directorate to create a centre of excellence for flight testing and evaluation. Moving AETE will save $14 million a year and free up space for the arrival of more fighter jets at Cold Lake. But defence industry officials were briefed earlier on one of the other aspects behind the move. That involves the difficulty in attracting civilian researchers and trained support staff to Cold Lake and retaining the military personnel that were transferred there. A move of the facility to a larger centre, less isolated and where spouses can find employment, is expected to help solve recruitment and retention issues for this organization. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/family-issues-desk-jobs-prompting-exodus-of-rcaf-fighter-pilots

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen The Defence department has acknowledged the government's choice for a $60-billion warship program has a propulsion system that has been plagued by problems, at times shutting down entirely while at sea. But the department says it is confident the Type 26 ship, designed by the British firm BAE, meets all the requirements necessary for the Royal Canadian Navy's future fleet. The acknowledgement of the problems is contained in a Department of National Defence fact sheet that outlines potential issues with the selection of Lockheed Martin Canada, with its bid of the BAE Type 26 vessel, as the “preferred bidder” for the Canadian Surface Combatant program. That $60-billion CSC program, the largest single government purchase in Canadian history, will see the construction of 15 warships at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax. Among the issues addressed by the DND was an outline of some potential problems with the Type 26 warship. “The British Navy has had serious issues with the propulsion system in their BAE Type 45s, both in the generator — which has caused near-total power failures — and the engines themselves,” the DND document noted. “Given it uses the same propulsion system, will this affect the CSC too?” But in the document, the DND also expressed confidence in the Type 26, adding that a design that didn't meet all the requirements would not have been considered. Until negotiations with the preferred bidder are completed, the DND can't discuss specific elements of the warship design, the department's response pointed out. Over the years, the BAE Type 45 destroyers have been plagued by problems, with the propulsion system conking out during operations and exercises. In March the British government awarded a contract to BAE worth more than $200 million to fix the problems, with the first ship to be overhauled by 2021. But a representative of the Lockheed Martin Canada-BAE team noted in an email to Postmedia that the propulsion system for the Type 26 “is fundamentally different to the Type 45 propulsion system.” “The T26 design therefore offers more propulsion options, both mechanical and electrical, and is underpinned by a greater number of propulsion engines, providing greater redundancy,” the email noted. “We are confident that the Type 26 design is the right solution for the Royal Canadian Navy and meets the requirements for the Canadian Surface Combatant.” Officials with the consortium expressed surprise at the suggestion the Type 45 issues could be linked to the Type 26 design. Negotiations with Lockheed Martin Canada on the surface combatant program have already hit a roadblock after the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ordered the Canadian government on Nov. 27 to postpone the awarding of a contract while it investigates claims the Type 26 doesn't meet the military's needs. That came after Alion, one of the firms that submitted a bid on the CSC project, filed a complaint with the trade tribunal. Alion, a U.S. firm, has also filed a legal challenge in federal court, asking for a judicial review of the decision by Irving and the Canadian government to select Lockheed Martin and the BAE design. Alion argues the Type 26 cannot meet the stated mandatory requirements, including speed, that Canada set out for the new warship and because of that should be disqualified. Alion had offered Canada the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command frigate, which the firm says meets all of Canada's requirements. The entry of the BAE Type 26 warship in the competition was controversial. Previously the Liberal government had said only mature existing designs or designs of ships already in service with other navies would be accepted, on the grounds they could be built faster and would be less risky. Unproven designs can face challenges as problems are found once the vessel is in the water and operating. But that criteria was changed and the government and Irving accepted the BAE design, though at the time it existed only on the drawing board. Construction began on the first Type 26 frigate in the summer of 2017 for Britain's Royal Navy, but it has not yet been completed. Company claims about what the Type 26 ship can do, including how fast it can go, are based on simulations or projections. The two other bidders in the Canadian program have ships actually in service with other navies so their capabilities are known. dpugliese@postmedia.com Twitter.com/davidpugliese https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/questions-raised-about-propulsion-system-on-new-canadian-warship-amid-fears-engines-could-conk-out

Bloomberg News, Natalie Obiko Pearson Canada was looking for a way out of a US$13 billion deal to export armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a televised interview Sunday. “We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau told CTV on Sunday, without elaborating. Amid growing international outrage over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the government has been reviewing the planned sale of the armored vehicles made by London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems, a unit of U.S.-based General Dynamics Corp. Trudeau's administration has said it wouldn't issue new export permits during its review of the deal, which was signed by the previous government. The Canadian leader had indicated previously that his government's hands were somewhat tied by the contract, saying it could cost $1 billion to cancel it. “The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that,” Trudeau told CTV. https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/trudeau-says-canada-wants-out-of-saudi-vehicle-export-deal

SIDNEY, BC, le 14 déc. 2018 /CNW/ - Assurer la sécurité de nos océans et de nos eaux est une priorité pour notre gouvernement. Deux nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage se joignent à la flotte de la Garde côtière canadienne sur la côte ouest, améliorant ainsi les services essentiels de recherche et sauvetage maritimes fournis par la Garde côtière dans la région et contribuant à assurer la sécurité des Canadiens et de nos eaux canadiennes. Le ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, l'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, était à Sidney(Colombie-Britannique) aujourd'hui pour annoncer l'arrivée des nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage à redressement automatique et à grand rayon d'action, baptisés le NGCC McIntyre Bay et le NGCC Pachena Bay. La Garde côtière canadienne qualifie officieusement les bateaux de sauvetage de « navires de classe Baie », car chacun porte le nom d'une baie canadienne. Les bateaux mesurent 19 mètres de long, ont une vitesse maximale de 25 nœuds dans des conditions calmes et peuvent naviguer jusqu'à 100 milles marins de la côte. Ils sont considérés comme des navires utilisables par tous les temps, capables de naviguer avec des vents de force ouragan, et ils se redressent d'eux-mêmes s'ils chavirent. Le NGCC McIntyre Bay sera déployé à Prince Rupert (C.-B.) en 2019, et le NGCC Pachena Bay sera déployé à Port Hardy(C.-B.) également en 2019. Les deux nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage sont les troisième et quatrième des 20 navires de ce type construits dans le cadre de l'Initiative fédérale liée aux infrastructures, du Plan de renouvellement de la flotte et du Plan de protection des océans. La Garde côtière a déjà pris livraison du NGCC Baie de Plaisance, qui sera amarré aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine, et du NGCC Pennant Bay, qui sera amarré au Canada atlantique. Citations « Le gouvernement du Canada continuera à fournir à la Garde côtière canadienne l'équipement dont elle a besoin pour assurer la sécurité des marins et pour protéger le milieu marin. Notre investissement dans ces nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage de classe Baie améliore les services essentiels de recherche et sauvetage maritimes que nous offrons chaque jour dans les eaux canadiennes, tout en assurant le soutien et la promotion de l'industrie maritime du Canada. » L'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne Faits en bref La Garde côtière canadienne dirige la composante maritime du système fédéral de recherche et sauvetage par la surveillance des cas de détresse et la coordination des interventions en cas d'incident maritime, ainsi qu'en portant secours aux navires désemparés et à ceux qui sont en situation de détresse sur l'eau. L'entreprise Chantier Naval Forillon a obtenu un contrat de 45,8 millions de dollars en juillet 2015 pour la construction de six nouveaux bateaux de sauvetage. L'attribution de ce contrat a donné lieu à la création de 25 nouveaux emplois et au maintien d'environ 35 emplois dans cette entreprise située à Gaspé, au Québec. L'entreprise Hike Metal Products a obtenu un contrat de 43,4 millions de dollars en juillet 2015 pour la construction de six nouveaux bateaux. L'attribution de ce contrat a donné lieu à la création et au maintien de 45 emplois dans cette entreprise située à Wheatley, en Ontario. Le 6 décembre 2018, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada a annoncé des contrats pour la construction de huit nouveaux bateaux de sauvetage, ce qui porte à 20 le nombre total de nouveaux navires pour la Garde côtière. Gr'ce au Plan de protection des océans, le gouvernement du Canada collabore avec les collectivités côtières et autochtones, et les intervenants du secteur maritime pour aider à maintenir la sécurité et la propreté des eaux et des côtes canadiennes aujourd'hui et à l'avenir. Liens connexes Garde côtière canadienne - Recherche et sauvetage Le gouvernement du Canada investira dans 8 bateaux de recherche et sauvetage pour la Garde côtière canadienne Restez branchés Suivez le ministère des Pêches et Océans Canada sur Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et YouTube. Suivez la Garde côtière canadienne sur Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et YouTube. Inscrivez-vous afin de recevoir les communiqués et plus via notre fil RSS. Plus de plus amples informations ou vous inscrire, visitez : http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/rss-fra.htm. SOURCE Pêches et Océans Canada Renseignements : Jocelyn Lubczuk, Attachée de presse, Cabinet du ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, 343-548-7863, Jocelyn.lubczuk@dfo-mpo.gc.ca ; Relations avec les médias, Pêches et Océans Canada, 613-990-7537, Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/la-garde-cotiere-canadienne-recoit-deux-nouveaux-bateaux-de-recherche-et-sauvetage-a-grand-rayon-daction-destines-a-la-cote-ouest-702810802.html

RICHMOND, BC, Dec. 14, 2018 /CNW/ - MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced it was awarded four contracts under the Defence Innovation Research Program (DIRP) with a combined total value of CA$3.8 million. The DIRP supports Canada's long-term commitment to respond to the scientific and technological needs of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces. The objective of this latest DIRP initiative is to help to define the technologies and capabilities for future follow-on RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) spacecraft and ground segment exploitation systems. MDA's projects include: Augmenting Canada's Maritime Surveillance Capability with Complementary EO/IR Information Products: MDA will advance how optical satellite data and hyperspectral imagery complements Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in strategic maritime and coastal surveillance applications. Improving Canada's ability to identify and classify vessels and monitor port and other littoral vessel traffic activities by providing timely information to relevant agencies for threat assessment and action. Persistent Multi-Sensor Land Surveillance and Change Monitoring: MDA seeks to leverage the complementarity of Optical and SAR satellite image stacks to better identify and monitor changes over large areas of land. The expected benefits include more persistent and operational all-weather monitoring capabilities and very high change classification accuracy. To achieve these benefits the project will leverage new technologies such as Deep Learning and exploit the availability of large satellite image archives. The applications are far ranging and are expected to provide actionable intelligence to DND as well as to civil agencies. SAR Big Data Analytics: Petabytes of information-rich RADARSAT data exists in archives. MDA seeks to understand and demonstrate how big data analytics, Deep Learning in particular, can be applied to large archives of SAR imagery to better extract meaningful geospatial information to support actionable decision-making. Complementary EO/IR Payload to RCM: Working with Canadian industry partners, MDA explores the technical readiness and mission value of using Electro-Optical Infrared sensors to strengthen the value of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission follow-on for the surveillance of land, maritime and defence applications at a global scale. By combining, SAR and Electro-Optical Infrared sensors Canada is able to leverage the weather independent observation capabilities of SAR with finer feature discrimination of thermal, hyperspectral, or multispectral sensing for improved day and night global surveillance. "These awards are an exciting opportunity for MDA to explore new synergies of combining Synthetic Aperture Radar with innovative technologies such as optical sensors and Deep Learning," said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. "The research programs have recently commenced and will continue over the next two years." About MDA MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA is a Maxar Technologies company (TSX: MAXR; NYSE: MAXR). For more information, visit www.mdacorporation.com. About Maxar Technologies As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this release. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this release. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this release or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. Contact Wendy Keyzer | MDA Media Contact | 1-604-231-2743 | wendy.keyzer@mdacorporation.com Jason Gursky | Maxar Investor Relations | 1-303-684-2207 | jason.gursky@maxar.com SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/maxar-technologies-mda-to-advance-innovative-technologies-under-the-defence-innovation-research-program-702794292.html