A U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet at Abbotsford, BC in 2016. The Canadian government has selected the F-35 as its new fighter jet. (PHOTO BY DAVID PUGLIESE)
by David Pugliese
WITH THE SELECTION of the Lockheed Martin F-35 as Canada’s new fighter jet, the project to acquire the 88 aircraft enters what the federal government calls the “finalization phase.” But few details are being released.
“During the finalization phase, the US government and Lockheed Martin must successfully demonstrate that a resulting contract would meet all of Canada’s requirements and outcomes, including value for money, flexibility, protection against risks, and performance and delivery assurances, as well as high-value economic benefits for Canada’s aerospace and defence industry,” Public Services and Procurement Canada noted in a statement.
But that statement has sparked puzzle- ment in some quarters of Canada’s defence world. For instance, why was the F-35 selected when the U.S. and Lockheed Martin have yet to “successfully demonstrate” that the plan meets all of Canada’s requirements and will deliver “economic benefits?”
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited says it has launched the De Havilland DHC-515 Firefighter (formerly known as the CL-515) program.
“After an extensive business and technical review, we are pleased to announce that we have launched the De Havilland DHC-515 Firefighter program, which will involve negotiating contracts with our European customers and ramping up for production,” said Brian Chafe, Chief Executive Officer of De Havilland Canada.
The DHC-515 Firefighter will build on the history of the Canadair CL-215 and CL-415 aircraft which have been a critical part of European and North American aerial firefighting fleets for over 50 years, the firm noted. Significant upgrades are being made that will increase the functionality and effectiveness of the firefighting aircraft.
European customers have signed letters of intent to purchase the first 22 aircraft pending the positive outcome of government-to-government negotiations through the Canadian government’s contracting agency, the Canadian Commercial Corporation. De Havilland Canada says it expects first deliveries of the DHC-515 by the middle of the decade, with deliveries of aircraft 23 and beyond to begin at the end of the decade.
De Havilland Canada acquired the Canadair CL program in 2016 and has been contemplating a return to production since 2019. The new DHC-515 Firefighter matches the other aircraft in the De Havilland fleet in terms of lifespan, ruggedness and Canadian aerospace engineering quality, according to the company. The final assembly of the aircraft will take place in Calgary, where work on the CL- 215 and CL- 415 aircraft currently takes place. It is anticipated that more than 500 people will need to be recruited over the coming years to successfully deliver this program.
The Liberal government has announced that the Canadian military will receive $8 billion in new funding but few details on where that money will be spent have been released.
It is expected that some of the funds will be used to launch a program to modernize capabilities of NORAD, including replacement of the joint U.S.-Canadian North Warning System. Some cost estimates for such a significant project range from $10 billion to $20 billion.
Defence Minister Anita Anand is expected to unveil the modernization program in the coming months. “Make no mistake: Canada will be at the table in the short term with a robust package to modernize NORAD – a system that has kept Canadians and Americans safe for over 60 years,” Anand said at a defence conference in Ottawa on March 11.
Some of the new funding revealed in the April 7 budget will go to cyber security, a potential large-size growth area for the defence industry. The Communications Security Establishment will receive $875.2 million over five years starting this year to deal with increasing cyber threats. After that five-year period, the CSE will receive $238.2 million annually, specifically to address the “rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.”
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited says it launched the De Havilland DHC-515 Firefighter (formerly known as the CL-515) program. The aircraft will be built in Calgary. (DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT PHOTO)
The runup to this year’s budget saw an unprecedented lobbying campaign by retired generals and academics and think-tanks linked to the Department of National Defence to boost military spending. The $8 billion in new funds from the Liberal government was in contrast to the lack of new money for health initiatives that were part of the Liberal government’s election campaign; more money to be transferred to the provinces to train new doctors to deal with the nation-wide doc- tor shortage and additional funds for the mental health crisis.
But despite that $8 billion boost for the Canadian Forces, defence analysts claimed the increase was a small pittance.
The Canadian government says it has completed what it calls a significant acquisition under the Airspace Coordination Centre Modernization (ASCCM) project. Canada signed an $8.6 million (US) acquisition and in-service support contract with Elbit Systems UK. The contract will deliver the last software required for the complete modernization of CAF’s Airspace Coordination Centres (ASCC). Delivery of these remaining software components is expected by June 2022.
Once fully modernized, the ASCCs – which can either be integrated into land vehicles or be set-up remotely in various infrastructure spaces – will be a digit- ally based, information-sharing system interoperable with allies and integrated with military and civilian airspace control systems, according to the government.
Under the ASCCM project, with a total estimated value of $44 million, the Canadian Forces has also augmented the current ASCC capabilities. That was done with the delivery of the following: five upgraded Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) 6.0 configured as new Airspace Coordination Centres; five Medium Sup- port Vehicle System Specially Equipped Vehicle Shelters (ISO container-based workspaces) specially equipped as new ASCCs; new data link radios (to maintain digital communications between ground, air, and navy systems), laptops, and Land Command Support Systems applications for use in the LAV and mobile shelters; new airspace coordination software; and simulation and training tools.
Initial Operational Capability of the ASCCs is expected in November 2022, with full operational capability in November 2023.
Blue Air Training Corp. and Top Aces Corp., announced what they called the completion of an “industry changing business combination”. Customers for both companies will now benefit from Blue Air’s best-in-class Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training expertise, and the capabilities of Top Aces to exercise their pilots against the world’s most advanced fleet of contracted aggressor aircraft. “As countries worldwide look to ramp up combat readiness, the demand for highly specialized and affordable contracted Adversary Air (ADAIR) and JTAC services is on the rise. We’re extremely proud to join forces with Blue Air, bringing together two of the most capable and experienced ADAIR and JTAC training providers in the world,” Paul Bouchard, CEO of Top Aces Holdings Inc. said.
Both Blue Air and Top Aces Corp. will continue to be headquartered in Las Vegas, NV, and Mesa, AZ, respectively and will operate independently under the same names. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
