Nouvelles

Communiqué de presse Le 14 novembre 2018 Saint Hubert (Québec) Garde côtière canadienne Le gouvernement du Canada soutient l'épanouissement d'un personnel bien formé et hautement qualifié pour servir au sein de l'industrie aérospatiale de demain, en faisant don de biens excédentaires de la Garde côtière à des établissements d'enseignement partout au Canada. Ces dons permettent d'aider à appuyer la formation en entretien d'aéronefs au Canada, en fournissant aux étudiants une expérience pratique. Au nom de l'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, Sherry Romanado, secrétaire parlementaire de la ministre des Aînés, et députée de Longueuil–Charles-LeMoyne, a annoncé aujourd'hui que l'École nationale d'aérotechnique, affiliée au cégep Édouard-Montpetit, de même que neuf autres établissements d'enseignement ou de formation dans tout le Canada, a reçu un hélicoptère Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm BO-105 de la Garde côtière. Les dix hélicoptères BO-105 ont été en service à la Garde côtière canadienne pendant plus de 30 ans. Le premier hélicoptère BO-105 a été acquis par la Garde côtière en avril 1985, et le tout dernier, en avril 1988. La flotte d'hélicoptères joue un rôle essentiel à l'appui des programmes tels que le déglaçage, la communication maritime, les aides à la navigation, l'intervention environnementale, la protection des voies navigables, la conservation et la protection, la science et le soutien aux autres ministères du gouvernement, au besoin. Dans le cadre du Plan de renouvellement de la flotte de la Garde côtière, le gouvernement du Canada a acquis et déployé 22 nouveaux hélicoptères, incluant 15 hélicoptères de transport de léger tonnage (Bell Epi 429) et sept hélicoptères de transport de moyen tonnage (Bell Epi 412). Citations « Je suis fier que ces hélicoptères de la Garde côtière aideront les étudiants partout au pays à se perfectionner, en leur offrant la possibilité d'acquérir une expérience pratique. Ces actifs ont une longue histoire et font partie du patrimoine de la Garde côtière. Je suis heureux que les générations à venir pourront en profiter pour acquérir l'expertise nécessaire en entretien d'aéronefs de haut niveau ». L'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne « Les étudiants de l'École nationale d'aérotechnique bénéficieront du don du gouvernement du Canada. Il n'y a rien de tel que de pouvoir offrir aux étudiants la possibilité de se perfectionner et d'améliorer leurs compétences en apprenant directement sur des biens réels de la Garde côtière ». Sherry Romanado, secrétaire parlementaire de la ministre des Aînés, et députée de Longueuil–Charles-LeMoyne « L'École nationale d'aérotechnique (ÉNA) compte parmi les dix établissements d'enseignement au Canada ayant reçu un BO-105 en cadeau. En s'ajoutant aux 37 aéronefs de l'ÉNA, cela permet d'accroître la valeur pédagogique des laboratoires et des activités pratiques, dans les hangars, sur un nouveau type d'hélicoptère. Nous sommes très reconnaissants envers la Garde côtière canadienne pour ce don qui permet d'offrir à nos étudiants une formation encore plus collée aux besoins de l'industrie tout en renouvelant notre flotte d'appareils ». Sylvain Lambert, directeur général du cégep Édouard-Montpetit et directeur de l'ÉNA Faits en bref Au total, dix établissements d'enseignement ou de formation approuvés par Transports Canada et offrant des programmes pour techniciens d'entretien d'aéronefs, partout au Canada, ont reçu comme don un hélicoptère BO-105. La Garde côtière canadienne a terminé la construction et la livraison de 15 hélicoptères de transport léger Bell 429 et de 7 hélicoptères de transport moyen Bell 412EPI dans le cadre de son Plan de renouvellement de la flotte toujours en cours. Les 22 nouveaux hélicoptères ont été déployés aux bases de la Garde côtière partout au pays. La Garde côtière canadienne construit actuellement un simulateur de vol complet qui doit offrir une plateforme pour la formation sur la nouvelle flotte. Les établissements bénéficiaires utiliseront les hélicoptères BO-105 pour la formation pratique sur les programmes de mécanique et d'ingénierie. https://www.canada.ca/fr/peches-oceans/nouvelles/2018/11/le-gouvernement-du-canada-fait-don-dhelicopteres-excedentaires-de-la-garde-cotiere.html

NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $22,712,874,822 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price advanced acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0001) for 255 aircraft. This modification provides for the production and delivery of 106 F-35 aircraft for the U.S. services (64 F-35As Air Force; 26 F-35Bs Marine Corps; 16 F-35Cs Navy); 89 F-35s for non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants (71 F-35As, 18 F-35 Bs); and 60 F-35s for Foreign Military Sales customers (60 F-35As). The U.S. aircraft quantities are for the Lot 12 program of record plus fiscal 2018/fiscal 2019 aircraft quantity congressional adds. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (57 percent); El Segundo, California (14 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (9 percent); Cameri, Italy (4 percent); Orlando, Florida (4 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (3 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (3 percent); San Diego, California (2 percent); Nagoya, Japan (2 percent); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement funds (Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy) in the amount of $3,505,522,468 (59 percent); non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $1,578,531,164 (26 percent); and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $916,667,000 (15 percent) for a total of $6,000,720,632 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $382,000,000 not-to-exceed, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, undefinitized contract that provides for the production and delivery of eight MH-60R aircraft as well as associated systems engineering and program management support. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (52 percent); Stratford, Connecticut (40 percent); and Troy, Alabama (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $147,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0013). Bethel-Garney Federal JV,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-19-D-1201); Frawner Corp.,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-19-D-1202); Transtar-Orion JV,* San Diego, California (N62473-19-D-1203); Pate Construction Co., Inc.,* Pueblo West, Colorado (N62473-19-D-1204); KEAR Civil Corp.,* Phoenix, Arizona (N62473-19-D-1205); West Point – Granite JV LLC,* Tucson, Arizona (N62473-19-D-1206); and Central Environmental Inc.,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-19-D-1207), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract for new construction, renovation, and repair primarily by design-build or secondarily by design-bid-build, of wet utilities projects at various government installations located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years for all seven contracts combined is $249,000,000. Types of projects may include, but are not limited to: water, steam, wastewater, storm sewer, pumping stations, treatment plants, storage tanks, and related work. All structures (including buildings) that are integral parts of the water, steam, wastewater, pumping stations, treatment plants and storage tanks are included. This contract will not include environmental remediation, waterfront/marine construction or petroleum, oils, and lubricant systems construction. No task orders are being issued at this time. All work on these contracts will be performed at various government installations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility including, but not limited to, California (90 percent); Arizona (6 percent); Nevada (1 percent); Utah (1 percent); Colorado (1 percent); and New Mexico (1 percent). The terms of the contracts are not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of November 2023. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $35,000 are obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps); and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside procurement via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 16 proposals received. These seven contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. The NAVFAC Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Kaman Precision Products Inc., Orlando, Florida; and Middletown, Connecticut, has been awarded a $52,026,000 firm-fixed-price modification (P00009) to contract FA8681-18-C-0009 for the Joint Programmable Fuzes. The contract modification is for the purchase of an additional 15,000 fuzes being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida; and Middletown, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by June 1, 2020. Fiscal 2016, 2017 and 2018 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $52,026,000 are being obligated at time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $225,422,234. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded a $35,000,000 firm-fixed- price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification to contracts FA8106-17-D-0001 for contractor logistic support of the Air Force C-12 fleet. Work will be performed in Madison, Mississippi; San Angelo, Texas; Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Buenos Ares, Argentina; Gaborone, Botswana; Brasilia, Brazil; Bogota, Columbia; Cairo, Egypt; Accra, Ghana; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Budapest, Hungary; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Nairobi, Kenya; Rabat, Morocco; Manila, Philippines; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Bangkok, Thailand; Ankara, Turkey; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Yokota Air Base, Japan. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $2,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Total face value of obligated funds for this contract is $30,913,890. Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY McRae Industries Inc.,* Mt. Gilead, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $7,558,498 modification (P00003) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-18-D-1011) with four one-year option periods for hot-weather combat boots. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a Nov. 14, 2019, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1690639/source/GovDelivery/

Like several of its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors, Bahrain is gearing up for a rapid modernization of its military capabilities. Having signed up to purchase new-build Block 70-standard F-16 Fighting Falcons last year from Lockheed Martin, the Gulf island state also is investing in new attack helicopters in the form of Bell's AH-1Z Viper and has taken delivery of its first tactical airlifter, one of two ex-British Royal Air Force Lockheed C-130J Hercules. By ... http://aviationweek.com/defense/fighters-and-attack-helicopters-center-bahrain-modernization

By Reuters WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin Corp has won a preliminary contract valued at up to $22.7 billion to build a batch of 255 F-35 jets for the U.S. military and its allies, the U.S. Defense Department said on Wednesday. The department said the deal would allow Lockheed to receive $6 billion in funding immediately, a move aimed at preventing major delays in production of the new stealthy fighter jets. This contract is the first to lock in multiyear commitments from U.S. allies as Lockheed anticipates that buying components in larger quantities will help move the price of the most common F-35 jet to below $80 million by 2020. The most common variation of the jet, the F-35 A, had a price of $89.2 million after the most recent round of contract negotiations announced in September. Lockheed is developing and building three models of the new warplanes for the U.S. military and 10 other countries that have signed up to buy the jets: Britain, Australia, Italy, Turkey, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, Japan, South Korea and Belgium. The Pentagon's chief arms buyer, Ellen Lord, told Reuters on Tuesday that she expected to finalize the interim terms of the deal, known as an "undefinitized contract action" or UCA, with Lockheed, its No. 1 supplier, by the spring of next year. A Lockheed representative said: "This is a smart approach for the taxpayer, the warfighter and for industry." According to the Pentagon, Wednesday's agreement means that U.S. allies buy 149 jets over the three-year period. In the United States' one-year deal, it will buy the remaining 106 jets for delivery beginning in 2020. The U.S. government will continue to buy jets in annual contracts, but is also purchasing components for future-year jets and will also benefit from the economies of scale allowed under the multiyear contract. The three-year deal, known as the "block buy" among the United States and allies, has been said to be worth more than $37 billion and encompass a record 440 jets. Wednesday's contract agrees to a high-water mark of $22.7 billion for all of the 255 jets, but that dollar figure is expected to come down during the negotiations while the jet count is considered a minimum commitment. The interim payment authorized on Wednesday will be deducted from the total contract when the two sides reach a final agreement. The Pentagon is negotiating a separate contract with Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, for engines to power the jets. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/11/14/business/14reuters-usa-lockheed-pentagon.html

By: Sebastian Sprenger BERLIN — Germany may be committed to a project with France aimed at building a new aircraft for Europe by 2040, but don't expect anything drastic or sudden to happen out of Berlin. That was the principal message delivered here to defense industry leaders by German Air Force Brig. Gen. Gerald Funke, who oversees Germany's planning for the Future Combat Air System, or FCAS. “Don't trust anyone who says they can make predictions about the characteristics of an air system in 2040,” Funke said at the International Fighter industry conference on Wednesday. That attitude means Germany is expected to wait as long as possible before closing the design phase of the envisioned weapon and moving toward production. “We need [a] sensible starting point that's worth spending money on,” Funke told Defense News on the sidelines of the conference. “The time pressure is not as acute as industry presents it.” Funke expects money to start flowing toward the project in 2019, when initial concept studies begin to refine plans for the weapon. He said it remains to be seen whether the initial investment will exceed €25 million (U.S. $28 million), the cutoff for parliamentary approval in Germany. Exactly what the new combat jet will look like is still up in the air. But a set of key “design drivers,” as Funke called them, has emerged and are meant to shape the types of questions analysts will pose as they forge a collection of actual capabilities. Autonomy will be a key feature for the jet and its accompanying drones, though never to a degree that humans are no longer involved in striking targets. Officials want it to be highly interoperable with allied aircraft and weapons, even older ones, and able to easily pass data between them. Costs, both for buying the system and operating it, also will be key considerations, especially in Germany, Funke said. The catchphrases “modularity” and “software” also are on the forefront of requirements developers. That means the Air Force eventually wants to have a base aircraft configuration that can be programmed on the fly for specific missions, like strike, reconnaissance or inflicting some sort of cyber damage to future foes. For Germany, a high degree of “tailorability” is a must-have feature, Funke said. Airbus, meanwhile, has some ideas about the physical appearance of the system and its associated components. According to the company, a typical FCAS fleet includes so-called command aircraft of varying configurations, surrounded by autonomous “remote carrier” drones that work in swarms to do anything from attack to surveillance. Additional, smaller unmanned flying sensors provide yet another layer of eyes and ears for the group, with support aircraft for aerial refueling or transport and even space assets counted as part of the FCAS family. The most important component is something called the “combat cloud ecosystem,” a kind of brain connecting all FCAS nodes through secure data arteries. Airbus project lead Bruno Fichefeux argued time is of the essence in developing the program, even though the envisioned fielding time is still decades away. “The technology needs time to mature,” he said. “If we mean the program seriously,” France and Germany should soon begin spending money on it. The Spanish military, meanwhile, is keeping an eye on the FCAS program and will decide at a later point whether to join. While Germany appears eager to pave a path for Madrid's participation, Spain is still keeping its options open, a Spanish defense official said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/11/14/with-plans-for-drone-sidekicks-europes-futuristic-jet-program-slowly-comes-into-focus

By: Jarosław Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed the country's defense industry to develop missile systems to boost its military's strike capabilities as well as combat unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce its air force, according to Roman Golovchenko, the chairman of the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee. “Conflicts come to life in various continents. Tensions between superpowers are on the rise. This is why, certainly, there is demand for defensive weapons," Golovchenko told the state-run news agency BelTA. “The Belarusian defense industry is ready to satisfy the demand. I hope the R&D products the head of state has approved will allow us to hit our targets.” Golovchenko said that the Polonez multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) is the first missile system to be completed by the Belarusian defense industry, and Lukashenko "has given instructions to develop this sphere in the future" as a "key" field of the country's military R&D. Belarus is a member of the Russia-backed Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) which is designed as a counterbalance to NATO. However, Minsk is also developing military cooperation with various countries outside the organization in a bid to mark its independence from Moscow and bolster ties with like-minded governments. Earlier this year, Azerbaijan signed a contract with Belarus to acquire the Polonez missile systems in response to Armenia's purchase of Iskander missiles from Russia. Minsk has also agreed to supply four Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters to Serbia, a non-member observer state to the CSTO, and the two countries were reportedly in talks over the potential sale of S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to Belgrade. In addition to this, Belarus has announced projects to jointly produce drones with China and Turkmenistan, among others. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/11/14/belarus-to-develop-missile-systems-combat-drones-with-eye-on-rising-global-tensions

By Mike Blanchfield OTTAWA — The head of the U.S. space agency says he wants to see Canadian astronauts walking on the moon as part of a first step toward the farther reaches of space. Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, says he wants Canada's decades-long space partnership with the U.S. to continue as NASA embarks on the creation of its new Lunar Gateway. The U.S. is seeking broad international support for the next-generation space station it is planning to send into orbit around the moon starting in 2021. Bridenstine says he wants Canada to contribute its expertise in artificial intelligence and robotics, and that could include a next-generation Canadarm on the Lunar Gateway and more Canadian technology inside. He says NASA wants to create a “sustainable lunar architecture” that would allow people and equipment to go back and forth to the moon regularly. “If Canadians want to be involved in missions to the surface of the moon with astronauts, we welcome that. We want to see that day materialize,” he said told a small group of journalists in Ottawa today. “We think it would be fantastic for the world to see people on the surface of the moon that are not just wearing the American flag, but wearing the flags of other nations.” He says the return to the moon is a stepping stone to a much more ambitious goal: exploration that could include reaching Mars in the next two decades. “The moon is, in essence, a proving ground for deeper space exploration,” he said. Bridenstine is in Ottawa for a large gathering of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, where speculation is running high about Canada's possible participation in the U.S. space program. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, a vocal booster of Canada's AI hubs in Ontario and Quebec, is also scheduled to speak, along with one of Canada's former astronauts, Marc Garneau, the current federal transport minister. On Dec. 3, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will travel to the International Space Station on his first mission. The Canadian Press https://ipolitics.ca/2018/11/14/nasa-wants-canadian-boots-on-the-moon/

Defence firms with cutting-edge ideas ranging from laser radars to Artificial Intelligence have been awarded over £10 million after being named winners of the MOD and Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) Innovation Challenge by Defence Minister Stuart Andrew. The winners provided innovative solutions to key strategic future demands for UK defence in autonomy and big data. The companies and their ground-breaking technologies will receive combined investment and support worth over £4 million from the MOD and £6 million from industry partners to see their full development. The winning solutions announced at the Institute of Engineering and Technology today are: Close Air Solutions with Project Hyper Real Immersion QinetiQ's Software Defined Multifunction LIDAR Horiba Mira's UGV Localisation and Perception using Deep Learning Neural Networks Polaris' Ants on Deck Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said: From shrewd navigation software, A.I. driven autonomous vehicles, laser radar to mixed reality training systems, today's winners are a clear demonstration of industry rising to meet the complex challenges of modern warfare. The MOD, working with commercial partners, will see these pioneering technologies go from the drawing board to the battlefield. Training is at the core of military capabilities and Project Hyper Real Immersion is designed to provide cutting-edge realistic air combat training. This revolutionary technology from Close Air Solutions aims to enable fully networked live training exercises with NATO and Coalition partners. This will reduce costs and increase safety for service personnel. QinetiQ's Software Defined Multifunction LIDAR (laser radar) system will provide a range of high-tech capabilities including 3D imaging, optical communication and covert targeting. Conventional 3D mapping can discover a vehicle under camouflage netting but LIDAR could also determine whether the engine is on and the type of vehicle using vibration sensors. The system could be adopted onto small satellites and unmanned and manned platforms Horiba Mira is developing a super-intelligent navigation system which uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms to identify landmarks around a military vehicle to provide a greater situational awareness. This technology will be key in developing the effective operation of unmanned autonomous vehicles in dangerous areas which will remove soldiers from dangerous situations and task them to more valuable roles. This is a crucial aim of the Last Mile logistics that UK armed forces are developing. Continuing with the autonomy theme, Polaris are developing a pioneering software system that autonomously generates the best routes for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). AntsOnDeck increases fuel efficiency which allows extended operations, provides real-time awareness of conditions and environment and can be extended to platforms across the air, land and sea domains. Co-chair of the Defence Growth Partnership, Allan Cook CBE, said: The innovative solutions developed by our own defence companies over the course of the Innovation Challenge is amazing. Using autonomy and big data these winning companies have found unique solutions to the ongoing challenges we face in the defence sector. The winners of the DGP's Innovation Challenge Final Phase have proven that their products are fundamentally important to the growth and prosperity of their companies. This final funding for the winners will enable them to complete their development and ultimately provide essential solutions in a dynamic, international and competitive market. Their success will benefit the defence sector in the UK and help us win more business in export markets. The Defence and Security Accelerator, in tandem with the Defence Solutions Centre, established the competition in 2012 to explore and develop solutions to ensure the UK armed forces stay ahead of adversaries by finding more efficient methods of communication, logistics, protection, intelligence and training. The initial investment of £10 million for the competition has been matched pound for pound with industry partners and since then, the competition has received an additional £4 million. This is part of the wider £800 million Defence Innovation Fund. Today's event brought together leading industry and military figures from the defence equipment community. This joint approach aims to create high quality UK jobs, boost defence exports and encourage collaboration between large industry, SMEs and academia. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-awarded-to-defence-firms-leading-fight-for-modern-battlefield

by Chris Thatcher Whether he looks ahead or behind, Jim Quick can see the squeeze coming. Ahead, countries with well-established aerospace industries are developing long-term strategies to strengthen their positions and capitalize on new technologies. Behind, emerging markets are aggressively pursuing entry into the sector, expanding aircraft production and staking a claim to the lucrative maintenance, repair and overhaul business. “The global aerospace industry is growing and evolving at an unprecedented rate,” said Quick, the president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC). “New markets are opening up everywhere. New technologies are disrupting our industry [and] shaping a global landscape.” More and more countries in Asia and Africa can see a potential future in the aerospace sector and are investing, in some cases heavily. “There are emerging economies that feel that having aerospace is a key economic driver critical to their economical and industrial success,” he observed. Canada may be ranked fifth among global aerospace markets, and a leader in aircraft-related productivity and research and development, but it's a position that could quickly wane if industry and government lack a long-term plan to guide investments. Look no further than space, where Canada's investment as a percentage of GDP has slipped noticeably from 8th place in 1992 to 18th today. “We have a strong industrial base. We are some of the greatest R&D contributors globally from an aerospace perspective. All the fundamentals are there and our companies have worked hard to put those fundamentals in place,” said Quick. “We have an opportunity to leverage that competitive advantage to grow and innovate. [But] if we don't do that, I think we are at risk of following behind.” AIAC in October launched Vision 2025: Beyond Our Imagination, an industry-led initiative intended to spark a conversation among industry, government, the public, and other stakeholders that will lead to recommendations to shore up Canada's future in the aerospace sector. The initiative is being led by Jean Charest, a former federal cabinet minister and provincial premier, and currently a partner with McCarthy Tétrault in Montreal. Charest served as premier of Quebec between 2003 and 2012, a period following the downsizing of the 1990s when responsibility for many programs shifted from federal jurisdiction to the provinces. Investment in aerospace was one such area and Charest steered several strategic bets in the sector, including support for Bombardier. “I believe in this industry. I certainly have a pretty good understanding of how important the role of government is in this. Whether it is R&D or procurement, this is an area where governments have a pretty key role to play,” he said. “What I also remember from that experience is that we never lost money. Whether it was through the Export Development Canada or other ventures, the governments of Canada never lost money in the industry,” he added. “It has created thousands of good paying jobs [and] it has been part of the branding of the country. When you look back, it is unusual to have a country of 36 million people for this type of industry. The only way for us to support it is to be able to sell abroad. We are exceptional in that way because we built this industry without having an internal market.” Over the next four months, Charest will be conducting a series of meetings and roundtables across Canada, beginning with the Canadian Aerospace Summit in Ottawa Nov. 13 to 14, to engage industry, government and other stakeholders, including the public, in a discussion about the future of the sector. The roadshow will include stops in Toronto and Montreal in December, and in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Halifax in January. The intent is to gather the key elements industry is looking for and make the case to government about the importance of the sector to the country. Charest has already meet with Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and said the government will be following the process closely. “I want to get the provincial governments involved. They have a big stake in this,” he added. The roundtables are also an effort to connect Canadians to the legacy of aerospace and secure broader support for more investment. “We want to bring something constructive to the government,” said Charest of the final report, which is expected in late February or early March, in part to coincide with the budget debates and the looming 2019 election campaign. “Hopefully, the government and the political parties will take up some of the ideas that will come from our report.” That not only includes a discussion about the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, additive manufacturing, big data and greater analytics, but also assurances from government and educators that the people and skillsets will be there to capitalize. “The employees we have today may not be the employees we have in the future,” said Quick. “The World Economic Forum is telling us that over 40 per cent of the people that work in aerospace may not be working in aerospace in 10 to 12 years' time. And 70 per cent of those in the industry will have a different job in the industry. The disruption of some of the technologies is really going to transform how we are doing business.” Charest suggested the federal government's February announcement of a$950 million investment in five innovation superclusters was “a moment of truth for the industry.” Several aerospace companies, with AIAC support, had banded together to propose a supercluster. “It was a realization that if we really want to take hold of these new technologies, then we have to get better organized and make a stronger case to the government [about] what role they need to play in order for us to take advantage of things like AI,” he said. The aerospace sector last went through a similar exercise in 2012 when David Emerson, a former federal minister of Industry and of International Trade, led a program and policy review of aerospace and space. The aerospace report, titled Beyond the Horizon, painted a picture of a sector at a critical juncture. “If the sector is to continue to thrive and to benefit the country as a whole, all players–companies, academic and research institutions, unions, and governments–must understand and adapt to changing realities. Success depends on developing the technologies of tomorrow and securing sales in a highly competitive global arena,” Emerson wrote at the time. “Private aerospace companies will ultimately drive competitive leadership in the new global economy. But thoughtful, focused, and well-implemented public policies and programs can play a critical role in facilitating this success, by encouraging aerospace innovations involving enormous financial risk and long timelines; improving industry's access to global markets and supply chains; leveraging government procurements to support industrial development; and helping to build a skilled, adaptable workforce.” The space industry report, Reaching Higher: Canada's Interests and Future in Space, was even more stark, arguing that “business as usual will not be good enough.” To foster a competitive Canadian space industry “will require resolve, clear priorities that are set at the highest levels, and effective plans and programs to translate these priorities into practice,” stated Emerson. Both Quick and Charest believe the findings are still relevant and the sector needs a long-term vision. “That is the sense in the industry and it's enhanced by the story of the C Series, which has arrived at the end of its development,” noted Charest. “The engineers, for example, who have worked on that project are going to be looking for work. And if we are not able to give them new projects to work on, they are going to go elsewhere. That speaks to where we are right now in the industry.” “I think we are at a crossroads,” added Quick. “Space is a good example. While our competitors are growing and commercializing their space sector, we're actually falling behind. We have some space companies in Canada that are moving capacity and capability to other countries because they have long-term space programs that have been costed and that have a multi-year vision.” Though the initiative is titled Vision 2025, the intent is to begin acting on the recommendations as soon as possible, said Quick. “2025 is significant only because we feel there's going to be a pivot in our industry from a civil aviation perspective.” The subtitle, Beyond Our Imagination, was added in the hope of encouraging thinking “outside the box,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure ... we have a long-term strategy for the future, and we have policies that help us compete in a very fierce, competitive global environment,” he concluded. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/vision-2025-aiac-spearheads-initiative-aimed-at-protecting-canadian-aerospace