The Royal Canadian Air Force expects is CC-295 Kingfisher to reach initial operational capability or IOC in early 2025. (RCAF photo)
By Tim Ryan
The Royal Canadian Air Force expects is CC-295 Kingfisher to reach initial operational capability or IOC in early 2025. In November, the RCAF announced that the Kingfisher had completed the rescue phase of Operational Test & Evaluation which successfully proved the aircraft’s search and rescue capabilities in challenging conditions.
The CC-295 Kingfisher project has been hit with various delays. It was supposed to reach IOC in the summer of 2022 and full operational capability (FOC) in the summer of 2024. FOC is now set for fiscal year 2029-2030.
Canada announced in December 2016 that it was purchasing 16 C-295 aircraft for fixed-wing search and rescue as part of a $2.2-billion project. Initial operational capability for the new fleet was supposed to be mid-2021. That was later revised to summer 2022 and further delayed to 2025.
The Department of National Defence pointed to problems with the cockpit equipment that provides the crew with information on the status of the plane and its various systems. “There are software deficiencies in this system that have been identified and must be corrected through software updates,” the department noted in September 2022.
Australian tactical, high-power laser manufacturer, AIM Defence, has announced its international expansion with the opening of a Canadian arm in Vancouver, to support Canadian and NATO defence forces.
Digital technology leader Evan Digby will lead AIM’s Canadian operations in Vancouver, serving as a director of AIM’s Canadian arm and AIM’s Distributed Systems Research Fellow, according to the company.
Digby is a former Principal Software Engineer with Microsoft and has also worked in large scale autonomous bidding platforms, and MDA’s satellite program.
AIM noted in a statement that its expansion into Canada follows the commitment in August by the Australian and Canadian defence ministers to strengthen the two nation’s defence relationship.
The company noted that international interest in AIM Defence’s laser technology significantly increased since the company won a Canadian military counter-drone technology contest in June 2024. The competition was open to companies from Five Eyes allies and NATO member states with $1 million prizemoney offered to the winner.
The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) has secured a contract with the United States Department of Defense to supply Tactical/Manpack Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) antennas. That equipment will be delivered to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime in Columbus, Ohio.
The DLA, which supports land-based and maritime weapons systems for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, is a key procurement agency within the U.S. military.
The antennas will be made by Guelph, Ont.-based Valcom Manufacturing.
The Tactical/Manpack NVIS antenna is specifically designed to enable reliable short-range communication in challenging environments where traditional line-of-sight radios may fail, according to the CCC.
