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Détails du programme La bourse « CRIAQ Start-Up » est ciblée pour les entreprises québécoises en démarrage et actives dans le secteur aérospatial. Le CRIAQ souhaite accorder, sur concours, deux bourses de 10 000$ par année soutenant le développement technologique de deux start-up, dans une perspective où le financement contribue à augmenter l'arrimage du développement du produit ou service avec d'éventuels utilisateurs et clients. Présentation des demandes et processus d'approbation Pour être admissible à cette bourse, l'entreprise doit être une start-up dont au moins une partie de ses activités vise l'industrie de l'aérospatiale (produits, services et solutions) et doit être membre en règle du CRIAQ ou s'engager à le devenir avant l'octroi. Parmi les éléments qui seront considérés : date d'incorporation (+/- 2 ans), nombre d'employés (inférieur à 10) participation à un incubateur ou accélérateur reconnu, etc. Les propositions seront évaluées en fonction des quatre (4) critères suivants: i) Nouveauté du produit ou service, ii) Faisabilité technique, iii) Potentiel de l'opportunité d'affaires pour l'aérospatiale, et iv) Qualité de l'équipe. Il est aussi important de noter que les candidatures d'entreprises qui découlent d'un projet de recherche du CRIAQ seront évaluées positivement. Application et informations additionnelles Le formulaire ci-dessous doit être complété et transmis au plus tard le 22 janvier 2021. L'évaluation sera complétée le 5 février 2021. Les récipiendaires devront être disponibles entre les 16-19 février 2021 pour l'annonce prévue lors du RDV Forum CRIAQ. https://www.criaq.aero/programme/criaq-startup/

Lee Berthiaume The Canadian Press OTTAWA -- An internal Defence Department report has warned that Canadian Armed Forces operations and security may be at risk due to major problems with how the military's computer networks are built and supported. The report follows a review of the Defence Department's information management and technology systems, which are described as "critical" to the success of Canadian military operations and training. That review uncovered a patchwork of IT systems across the Defence Department and Armed Forces that was not only inefficient and expensive to maintain, but also often out-of-date and poorly supported. The brunt of the report's criticism is directed at the technical support provided to the military by another federal entity, Shared Services Canada, the agency that took over management of most federal networks in August 2011. Nearly all defence and military officials who participated in the review were upset by the amount of time it took Shared Services to respond to requests for help, according to the report. In some instances, those delays harmed operations. The report cited one instance in which an email server that went down during an unspecified domestic mission couldn't be fixed right away because it was a weekend and Shared Services did not have staff on call. The reviewers also found that a quarter of requests for assistance made to Shared Services remained unresolved after six months, and the agency did not have anybody in Europe to help the hundreds of Canadian troops posted there. While the problems were partly attributed to a lack of appropriate IT resources and staff, the report also flagged the lack of an agreement between the Defence Department and Shared Services establishing clear expectations for network support. Without such an agreement, the report, defence and military officials believed Shared Services not only didn't understand their needs but also wasn't required to respond quickly, "which led to putting clients at great risk on a number of fronts, including security." Delays in tech support weren't the only point of contention between the Defence Department and Shared Services, with the latter upsetting the navy by requiring the removal of equipment that had increased bandwidth on warships. Shared Services also stopped supporting some older intelligence systems while they were still being used by the air force, army and navy, according to the report recently published on the Defence Department website. Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier on Monday described the review as a "valuable tool" for improving IT support even as he defended the department's relationship with Shared Services Canada. "We have a good working relationship with Shared Services Canada and the two departments continue to work collaboratively to ensure the appropriate and timely delivery of IT services to DND/CAF," he said. "We are also reviewing our relationship with Shared Services Canada with a focus on improving the service delivery model to help better support the department and the Canadian Armed Forces." The internal report also took aim at the military's troubled procurement system, which was found to deliver IT equipment with inadequate or out-of-date technology. Poor planning was partly to blame but the report also blamed onerous levels of oversight. While that oversight was described as the result of cost overruns and delays on past IT projects, the report said that it nonetheless created new problems in delivering modern equipment. "The complex processes associated with the capital projects and procurement are very slow and cumbersome," according to the report. "The process cannot keep up with the rate of change of technology." Those delays -- and their potential impact on operations -- were also cited as a major reason for why a patchwork of IT systems and programs now cover different parts of the Defence Department and military. While that patchwork might serve the day-to-day needs of the military, it was also found to be inefficient and expensive. To that end, the reviewers could not pinpoint exactly how much was being spent by the Defence Department and military on IT services and support every year, but estimated it at more than $700 million. In response to the report, senior officials told reviewers that they were looking at ways to better calculate annual spending on IT and address the problems that have contributed to the creation of so many systems in the first place. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/poor-it-support-hurting-canadian-military-operations-internal-review-finds-1.5253148

Vice Admiral Art McDonald will take over as the Chief of the Defence Staff next Thursday. He will be promoted to full admiral for his new position. McDonald replaces Gen. Jon Vance who has been CDS since July 2015. Vance announced last year that he was retiring. McDonald is currently the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and has served in a variety of positions, both at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa and on board various frigates. As a Capt(N), he was the maritime component commander of Canadian Joint Task Force (Haiti), leading sea-based humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He then commanded a seven-ship combined, multi-national Task Group in the High Arctic later in 2010 during the annual Op Nanook. Later, as a rear admiral he also led the Canadian Forces' responses to fires and floods in British Columbia while commanding Joint Task Force Pacific from 2016-2018. McDonald will be replaced in his current position by Rear-Admiral Craig Baines. Baines will be promoted to vice-admiral. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/vice-admiral-mcdonald-to-take-over-as-defence-chief-on-jan-14

Le Département d'État américain a approuvé la vente potentielle d'avions de combat et du système Patriot à la Suisse. Cette décision fait suite au référendum qui a eu lieu dimanche dernier en Suisse. Lors d'un vote national, les Helvètes ont accepté d'acheter de nouveaux avions de combat pour remplacer les machines Northrop F-5E / F Tiger II et Boeing F / A-18C / D Hornet en service. Deux fournisseurs d'outre-mer et trois européens se sont disputés le contrat. Les États-Unis proposent à la Suisse des avions Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II et Boeing F / A-18 Super Hornet. En prévision d'une éventuelle décision, les Américains ont déjà accepté d'exporter lesdites armes. Dans le cas des avions F-35A, on parle de la vente potentielle de 40 machines, ainsi que de pièces détachées et d'armes, pour un montant d'environ 6,58 milliards de dollars. 40 chasseurs F / A-18E / F Super Hornet avec un package similaire ont été évalués à 7,45 milliards de dollars. Parallèlement, le département d'État américain a également approuvé la vente de systèmes de missiles de défense aérienne et antimissile Patriot à la Suisse. Cinq batteries sont évaluées à 2,2 milliards de dollars. Aucune partie ou la totalité des œuvres contenues dans la revue ne peut être reproduite et diffusée ou diffusée ultérieurement sous quelque forme et par quelque moyen que ce soit (y compris électronique ou mécanique ou autre ou dans tout domaine d'utilisation), y compris la copie, la numérisation au sens large, la photocopie ou copie, y compris publication sur Internet – sans le consentement écrit de Gremi Media SA. Toute utilisation ou utilisation des œuvres en tout ou en partie sans le consentement de Gremi Media SA ou des auteurs en violation de la loi est interdite sous peine de sanction et passible de poursuites. https://www.mercatoshow.com/la-suisse-a-recu-lapprobation-du-departement-detat-pour-acheter-des-combattants/

BY KEVIN M. BAERSON After years of experimentation and analysis, the government of Canada has procured a new Hermes 900 StarLiner from Israeli UAV manufacturer Elbit Systems that can withstand and patrol its massive, inhospitable Arctic territory. Extreme weather with high winds and low temperatures, limited and unreliable satellite communication and navigation, and continuous darkness during the winter months make controlling UAVs in the Arctic especially challenging. Combined with a lack of ground infrastructure, both line of sight and satellite control of a UAV can become nearly impossible. The hope is that the Starliner can conquer these harsh Arctic conditions. This version of Elbit's Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) military UAV is fully certified to operate in civilian airspace and will take off from and land on civilian airfields. It will perform myriad operations to reduce harmful environmental impacts, including detection of oil pollution and wildlife surveying, as well as ice patrol and reconnaissance. It will also support search and rescue, humanitarian efforts and illegal fishing enforcement, and will aid the development and regulation of Canada's drone industry. The $36.16 million contract includes communication links, ground control stations, sensor packages, training and the optional purchase of spare parts. The Starliner is expected to be delivered by December 2022, but procurement has been years in the making. Arctic Takeoff In 2017, Canadian officials began research and development test flights using a Sea Hunter drone produced by Alabama-based Griffon Aerospace. The data collected, including BVLOS results, contributed to developing requirements for the eventual Hermes purchase. Timothy Choi, a maritime strategy expert and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, has said the Canadian government had limited options in its search for a proven maritime drone with Arctic capabilities. “Large maritime surveillance drones—that is, ones equipped with downward-looking radar and AIS [automatic identification system] receivers to detect shipping—have not been as prevalent in the global drone market as their land-centric counterparts,” Choi told the website Eye On The Arctic. “Of these, there are even fewer that have been tested in Arctic conditions.” The model Canada is acquiring has been undergoing operational trials in Iceland via the European Maritime Safety Agency since summer 2019. At 1.6 tons, the StarLiner includes detect and avoid (DAA) systems, redundant datalinks and an advanced terrain avoidance warning system. Its ability to automatically take off and land in near-zero visibility, and to sustain deicing procedures and direct lightning strikes, makes it ideal for the Arctic's extreme weather challenges. According to Canadian officials, the new UAV can operate at up to 72 degrees north latitude and has a range of more than 1,400 nautical miles. It comes equipped with back-up command and control and navigation systems, electrical optical infrared camera, synthetic aperture radar and a mapping camera system. For now, the majority of Canada's Arctic surveillance data will continue to come from RADARSAT, the country's remote sensing earth observation satellite program. But while the satellites can detect emergencies such as an oil spill, their brief visits over the Arctic make it difficult to identify causes and consequences. The same is true for identifying nefarious activities such as illegal dumping and unpermitted fishing. “The ability of a drone to loiter for long periods of time with higher resolution sensors will help fill this gap,” Choi explained. “Operationally, the new drone will greatly help ‘connect the dots' when it comes to surveilling Arctic waters and enforcing Canadian regulations.” Drone Diplomacy While this Hermes version will be used in civilian missions, its acquisition is just one part of Canada's Arctic Unmanned Aircraft System Initiative, and it will join the country's National Aerial Surveillance Program's manned aircraft fleet. With 75% of Canada's coastline and 55% of its landmass located in the Arctic, Canada and its main regional rival, Russia, potentially contest for resources and the new shipping routes being created by global warming. Russia is deploying a fleet of dual-use extreme-weather UAVs featuring a GIRSAM alternative navigation system. China, which is talking about a “Polar Silk Road,” also is developing dual-use UAVs optimized for Arctic conditions. “Canada is committed to protecting our endangered species and our marine environment,” Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement. “Integrating remotely piloted aircraft into Transport Canada's fleet will make federal surveillance operations more robust than ever.” https://insideunmannedsystems.com/canadas-new-drone-can-better-surveil-its-challenging-arctic-environment/

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen The new handguns will replace the Second World War-era Browning Hi-Power pistols. The Second World War-era pistols used by the Canadian military will soon be replaced as the federal government plans to request bids for a new handgun in February. A contract is expected to be awarded by September with initial deliveries beginning in the summer of 2022, Department of National Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande said. The new handguns will replace the Second World War-era Browning Hi-Power pistols. The military was originally going to make an initial purchase of 9,000 pistols for the Canadian Army. But that number has increased to 16,500 as handguns will also be bought for the Royal Canadian Air Force and military police, Lamirande noted. The firearms will be modular, meaning they can be reconfigured for various roles. Attachments such as improved targeting systems can also be installed on the guns. “The procurement will also include options to support future requirements of additional modular pistols, but the precise number has not yet been confirmed as it will depend on requirements,” Lamirande explained. “The total procurement is expected to be up to 20,000 modular pistols.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-military-to-receive-new-pistols-bids-to-be-requested-in-february

While commercial aviation stalled in 2020, many military programs did not so. As a result, 2021 is going to be an eventful year for aviation enthusiasts. Let's see, what new fighter jets are going to see the skies or finish their development cycle in the new year. Shenyang FC-31 A decade ago, China surprised the world with Chengdu J-20, becoming the second nation in the world with domestically-produced fifth-generation fighter jets in operational capability. But J-20s are large and expensive, and just as the United States several years before, China became interested in smaller, cheaper alternatives. One alternative was offered by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. While not much is known about the secretive aircraft, it is likely it was export-oriented at first, and repurposed as a light, possibly carrier-based companion to the J-20 later. The prototype of FC-31 first flew in 2012, but disappeared from the public eye shortly after. The aircraft returned in 2020, much improved, and with the rumors that the mass-production is about to start. We will probably see the resolution of its story in 2021: the aircraft may be officially adopted, deployed, or at least showcased in its primary role on one of China's aircraft carriers. KAI KF-X The first Korean fifth-generation fighter jet entered the development back in 2001. The project evolved, partnering with Indonesian Aerospace and United States' Lockheed-Martin, and gaining more and more government's interest as the geopolitical situation in the region heated up. KAI began building several prototypes in 2019, at least part of them scheduled for completion in mid-2021. According to the developers, the work is going as planned, so, the rollout of the first prototype will likely happen in the coming summer, followed by a round of ground tests. The maiden flight is scheduled for 2022 though, so, we will have to wait another year to see the new jet taking to the skies. Boeing F-15EX https://www.aerotime.aero/26839-New-fighter-jets-to-look-for-in-2021

By RICHARD SHIMOOKA If the government is serious in its desire to sustain the aerospace, and defence aerospace industry, it must do so through a well-reasoned and resourced strategy. Of all sectors, aerospace has been among the hardest hit in the global economy to date. This not only includes airlines, but manufacturers and maintainers—with decreased orders and reductions in maintenance, repair, and overhaul work due to reductions in service, which has knock-on effects for the rest of the economy. Aerospace is arguably among the most vibrant industrial sectors in the Canadian economy—with high levels of R&D spending and export revenues. Until recently, Canada was a top-five civil aerospace producer internationally, though its position has slid in the past several years. https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/12/30/the-decline-of-canadas-defence-aviation-industry/277088

By Lee BerthiaumeThe Canadian Press OTTAWA - The federal Liberal government has tapped a sailor to steer the Canadian Armed Forces, appointing Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Art McDonald as the next chief of the defence staff. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced McDonald's appointment during one of his regular COVID-19 updates on Wednesday, ending months of speculation about who would succeed Gen. Jonathan Vance as Canada's top military commander. “In his new role as chief, Vice-Admiral McDonald will oversee the work of the Canadian Armed Forces, including on vaccine rollout through Operation Vector,” Trudeau said in reference to the military's role distributing COVID-19 vaccines across Canada. “I know that Vice-Admiral McDonald's leadership and expertise will be invaluable as the armed forces continue to work around the clock to keep Canadians safe.” A former frigate captain who oversaw part of Canada's humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010 before commanding the country's Pacific fleet, McDonald will be the first naval officer to serve as the permanent defence chief since 1993. A change of command ceremony is planned for the week of Jan. 11, when McDonald will formally take over from Vance. Wednesday's announcement followed months of speculation around who would succeed Vance, who first announced in July that he was planning to retire after more than five years at the helm. Much of the speculation had revolved around whether Trudeau would appoint Canada's first-ever female chief of the defence staff by tapping Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross for the job. https://www.thestar.com/politics/2020/12/23/news-alert-navy-commander-mcdonald-named-new-chief-of-defence-staff.html