Canadian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

FORBIN said:

Canadian Military News
We are not here for money problems !

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'If the government of the U.S. didn't want the aircraft to be sold, it would be very difficult to get them'

Canada's plan to shop for used Australian fighter jets rather than buy new Boeing Super Hornets may backfire, according to defence experts, because the U.S. government will ultimately have a say on whether a deal proceeds.

Even though the FA-18 Hornets are nearly three decades old, require regular corrosion maintenance and are nearing obsolescence, their proposed resale would still require Washington's approval because they are advanced warplanes, originally manufactured in the U.S., a former Royal Australian Air Force officer told CBC News.

"I imagine all of it is going for a fair bargain price," said Peter Layton, a fellow at Griffith University in South East Queensland, Australia, who was a reserve force group captain.

Few customers exist for Australia's used warplanes, and selling to Canada would be an easier sale than most, because the Pentagon would not require all sensitive technology to be stripped out of the aircraft.

But in the context of Canada's current tit-for-tat aerospace trade dispute with the U.S., another defence expert said no one should expect the Trump administration to do Canada any favours in light of the heated rhetoric surrounding Boeing.

"There's a lot of things they could do just within the executive authority to simply be unhelpful," said Dave Perry, an analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "I don't know how far they can go, but if the government of the United States didn't want the aircraft to be sold, it would be very difficult to get them."

Corrosion complaints
Australia's defence materiel group produced a scathing report in 2012 noting that the country's FA-18s were rapidly running out of airframe life and required bigger and bigger slices of the maintenance budget.

"The incidence of discovery of airframe corrosion in the Hornet fleet is increasing, and the annual cost of corrosion‐related repairs has increased significantly," said the report, which Layton said was considered "too critical" by the defence establishment.

The Trudeau government has been using the threat of buying used FA-18s from Australia as a bargaining chip in its wider trade dispute with Washington.

On the eve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, Public Services and Procurement revealed the Liberal government had sent a letter to Australia expressing interest in buying some of its old fighters.

The department had been talking with Chicago-based Boeing about buying 18 new Super Hornets, but those negotiations were suspended after the giant U.S. aircraft-maker filed a trade complaint against Bombardier over passenger jet sales.

The U.S. Commerce Department intends to impose nearly 300 per cent tariff and anti-dumping duties on the Montreal-based manufacturer's CSeries jet.

Trudeau said Canada no longer has an intention of doing business with Boeing.

Limited to uncontested airspace
The used Australian jets are approximately the same age and configuration as Canada's CF-18s, which the Liberals insist must be supplemented if the air force is to meet its Norad and NATO commitments at the same time.

How well those Australian jets would solve that problem is an open question.

Layton said Canada would likely get only five to seven years' service out of each warplane.

Advances in both fighter jet development and anti-aircraft defences among potential enemies and adversaries mean that Canada's air force, in a just a few years, would be limited to low-intensity conflicts in uncontested skies.

"I think beyond 2020, under most circumstances, you would be very cautious about deploying the aircraft into airspace where it would be likely to meet an opponent that has modern fighter aircraft," said Layton, who has written extensively about air combat issues.

"And by 2025, operating in contested airspace will be very dangerous with the classic Hornet fleet as it is now."

Canada's Liberal government said its moves are intended only as a stopgap until it can replace the entire fleet of CF-18s.

Full competition?
Last spring, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan promised that open competition would be launched in the immediate aftermath of the new defence policy review, which was released in June.

Public Services and Procurement would only say "preparatory work" for that tender is still underway.

Perry, the defence analyst, said no one has been able to convincingly explain why it is on the back burner.

"I don't understand why moving ahead with the competition isn't the best overall solution," he said. "You would avoid any of the difficulties of introducing an interim fleet."

Perry has long been a critic of the notion of a stopgap fleet, but recently noted that buying used was better than buying new Super Hornets.

Although the Australian FA-18s are almost identical to the CF-18s, there are some differences, notably in software, air-to-surface weapons and the life-extension work that has been carried out on them.

Only 10 fighters in the Australian fleet have received the kind of extensive airframe reinforcement that Canada paid for in its jets.

"I could conceive of your air force using them as an expensive training aircraft," said Layton.

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Jura said:

Jun 2, 2017

and
US backs Boeing in Bombardier spat, damaging hopes for F-18 to Canada
6 hours ago

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Airbus SE has agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc’s CSeries jetliner program, giving a powerful boost to the Canadian plane and train maker in its costly trade dispute with Boeing Co.

The deal, which would come at no cost for Europe’s largest aerospace group, would give Airbus a 50.01 percent interest in CSeries Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP), which manufactures and sells the jets, the companies said.

While Bombardier will lose control of a plane program developed at a cost of $6 billion, it gives the CSeries improved economies of scale, a better sales network and, crucially, could change the power balance in the trade dispute with Boeing.

The 110-to-130 seat plane, which has not secured a new order in 18 months and is being threatened by a possible 300 percent duty on U.S. imports, would be built for U.S. airlines at Airbus’s Alabama assembly plant, circumventing any import penalties in a move that apparently caught Boeing off guard.

Bombardier said the partnership should more than double the value of the CSeries program.

“Bombardier no longer has control of this jet, but then again, it’s better to have a 30 percent share of a very successful program than to struggle with a highly risky program that was perhaps too big for them from the start,” said aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Canadian Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, who must decide whether to approve the deal, said in a statement that “on the surface, Bombardier’s new proposed partnership ... would help position the CSeries for success”.

Boeing - which is also locked in a separate 13-year trade dispute with Airbus - said it was a “questionable deal” between two of its subsidized competitors.

At 0815 GMT, Airbus shares were up 2.5 percent at 78.96 euros, the biggest rise by a European blue-chip stock.

STRATEGIC DECISION
Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders said the company, based in Toulouse, France, had offered to assemble some of the narrowbody jets at its U.S. plant in Alabama for orders by U.S. carriers.

The U.S. assembly line would mean the jets would not be subject to possible U.S. anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties of 300 percent, Bombardier Chief Executive Alain Bellemare said on a media conference call.

Bellemare called the deal with Airbus, which was first attempted unsuccessfully in 2015, a “strategic” decision that is expected to close in the second half of 2018.

“We’re doing this deal here not because of this Boeing petition. We are doing this deal because it is the right strategic move for Bombardier,” Bellemare said, referring to Boeing’s complaint that the Canadian firm received illegal subsidies and dumped CSeries planes at “absurdly low” prices.

A Boeing spokesman dismissed the agreement as a “questionable deal between two state-subsidized competitors” to try to skirt a recent U.S. trade finding against the CSeries.

In February, the Canadian government announced C$372.5 million ($297 million) in repayable loans for the CSeries and another Bombardier jet program.

The Airbus investment does not place any more financial burdens on Ottawa, two sources close to the case said on Monday.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, also said the deal would have no effect on a separate dispute between Canada and Boeing over a proposed purchase of 18 Super Hornet jets.

Ottawa has frozen contacts with Boeing’s military wing until the company drops its challenge against the CSeries.

Bombardier said the deal would not result in job losses and would keep the head office in Montreal. Unions said the deal would benefit the program.

“Ultimately, the U.S. actions have created a stronger Bombardier,” said Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, which represents some of Bombardier’s unionized workers in Canada.

The Boeing-Bombardier dispute has snowballed into a bigger multilateral trade dispute, with British Prime Minister Theresa May asking U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in order to save British jobs.

Bombardier is the largest manufacturing employer in Northern Ireland. May’s Conservatives are dependent on the support of the small Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) party for their majority in parliament.

BOOST FOR BELFAST
British Business Secretary Greg Clark welcomed the Airbus deal with Bombardier, saying Britain would work closely with the firms to protect its interests and the leader of the Northern Irish party propping up May’s minority government said it was “incredibly significant news” for Belfast.

Talks for the deal between Airbus and Bombardier first started in August. Enders said the deal was different from an earlier round of talks in 2015, when he abruptly ordered an end to negotiations. He said the CSeries’ has since been certified, entered service and was performing well.

“It’s an entirely different situation,” he said.

Delta Air Lines Inc, which ordered 75 CSeries planes, said after the announcement that it looked forward to introducing the planes into its fleet.

The deal could also drive Boeing closer together with Brazil’s Embraer, with which it already cooperates. Embraer’s E2 jet is one of the main potential losers from the CSeries deal.

“The world has two top-tier airframers, and two second-tier airframers,” said Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia. “Airbus and Bombardier are now allies. This greatly increases the likelihood of a stronger Boeing-Embraer alliance as a response.”

Under the deal, Bombardier will own about 31 percent, while Investissement Québec, the investment arm of the province of Quebec, will hold 19 percent. In 2015, Quebec took a 49 percent stake in the CSeries program for $1 billion, although its stake was more recently diluted to 38 percent.

Quebec’s largest pension fund, which holds a 30 percent stake in Bombardier’s rail division, said the decision strengthened the company and improved its growth prospects.

Bombardier is in the middle of a five-year turnaround plan after considering bankruptcy because of a cash-crunch as it developed multiple plane programs simultaneously, including the CSeries.

The deal also provides Airbus warrants exercisable to acquire up to 100 million Class B Shares of Bombardier.

Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise to CSALP, the companies said.

There will be no cash contribution by any of the partners, nor will CSALP assume any financial debt, they added.

Bombardier expects a $400 million loss in commercial aircraft this year, but has set a breakeven target for 2020.

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Upholder-class submarine CHICOUTIMI at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan

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Canada has become the second export customer cleared to buy the latest variant Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), with approval being announced on 1 November.

The Canadian government has been cleared by the US State Department to procure up to 32 AIM-120D-variant missiles, as well as training missiles and other equipment/services valued at a combined USD140 million. The missiles are being bought to equip the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) fleet of Boeing F/A-18 (CF-18/CF-188 in national service) Hornet fighters.

“This proposed sale of defence articles and services is required to enable RCAF fighters to optimally fulfil both North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and NATO missions and also meets the US Northern Command’s goals of combined air operations interoperability and standardisation between Canadian and US forces,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notification said.

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Jura said:

Canada cleared to buy latest-variant AMRAAM
at hefty price:... and the rest is behind paywall at Jane's

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Jura said:

Sep 8, 2017

Jura said:

Jul 27, 2017
and here's an update:
Bids for Canada’s $62-billion warship program expected in by early November — with a chance for a do-over
09.07.2017

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updating again:
New deadline announced for bids to build navy $60B fleet of new frigates

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The Canadian government and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. are extending the submission deadline for the request for proposals for the design of the Canadian Surface Combatant fleet to November 30.

The previous deadline had been Nov. 17.

The Canadian Surface Combatant is the largest, most complex procurement undertaken by the government, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. The ships being built will form the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy.

A winning bidder will be announced sometime in 2018 and the start of ship construction remains scheduled for the early 2020s, the government noted in a statement Friday.

Bidding has been delayed a number of times now. At one point, construction of the vessels was supposed to start in 2018.

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Jura said:

Sep 22, 2017

and again:
Submission of bids delayed again on Canadian Surface Combatant program
November 10, 2017

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A senior manager at Fincantieri has given the first official confirmation that the Italian shipyard will jointly bid to sell the FREMM frigate to Canada in partnership with France’s Naval Group.

The team-up will be a first concrete step toward a possible merger, or joint venture, between Fincantieri and Naval Group, which is currently being discussed by the two firms and has been dubbed a

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for Europe.

Addressing analysts on Nov. 10, Fincantieri General Manager Alberto Maestrini said: “An example of this collaboration is the joint bid we intend to present to the Royal Canadian Navy for their [request for proposals] on the construction of 15 frigates.”

France and Italy jointly designed the FREMM frigate for use by their navies, but have hitherto marketed the vessel separately around the world. Fincantieri is currently shortlisted to sell the frigate to Australia, while France has sold one to Morocco and to Egypt.

Talks to unite France and Italy’s shipbuilding capacity grew out of Fincantieri’s takeover this autumn of French yard STX.

Fincantieri plans to create synergies between STX and its own yards in Italy in the civil cruise-ship sector. But the talks also spurred debate over naval tie-ups between Fincantieri and Naval Group, which would help reduce the fragmentation of Europe’s naval industry and allow it to compete more effectively around the world.

The CEOs of Fincantieri and Naval Group, Giuseppe Bono and Hervé Guillou, are now due to be joined by two government officials from each country — yet to be officially named — to form a committee to discuss the plan.

“A Steering Committee with representatives of all the reference players in the operation is currently being formed, and by June of next year it will present a detailed road map to manage the integration process,” Maestrini told analysts.

“This agreement represents a game-changing opportunity for us, as well as presenting exciting challenges. It will grant even greater stability to our group, confirming the strength of our diversified business model, not least because it is based on a long-standing business relationship that has been over 15 years in the making,” he added.

One obstacle to a joint Canadian bid is Fincantieri’s objections to the way the tender has been organized. Canada has asked private firm Irving to coordinate the work of the ship’s designer, leading to fears that the winning bidder would be forced to hand over too much intellectual property to Irving.

Looking beyond the Canada bid, Maestrini said the FREMM frigate would be well-suited for another pending program. “We think it will also match perfectly the requirements put forward by the U.S. Navy in their recent request for design proposals for the Future Frigate Program,” he said.

Meanwhile, the French and Italian companies are competing in foreign tenders for warships until a close cooperation deal is agreed upon. That could be seen with the Nov. 9 joint announcement by France and the United Arab Emirates that the UAE has picked Naval Group for negotiations for two Gowind corvettes and options for two more.

Fincantieri was reported to be among the competitors, along with CMN and Damen.

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Jura said:

Daumen hoch! Pouce en l'air!

Intrigue Of Shakespearean Proportions Unfolds In Airbus’ Top Echelon
Nov 9, 2017

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Alion Canada is leading a bid for the Canadian Surface Combatant that will involve a host of companies and a Dutch frigate design.

Alion Canada, whose mother firm is a major U.S. player in the defence market, has about 100 engineers, naval architects and designers in Canada. Alion staff are already involved in Joint Support Ship (JSS) and Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) projects.

Alion was the prime design agent for the U.S. Navy’s DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers and C-47 Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser in the US Navy. The firm also manages the maintenance schedule and activities for a fleet of 165 ships in service.

Alion Canada has already successfully exported a ship design for the Australian MV Investigator ship which was designed in Canada, built in Singapore and delivered to Australia, according to the firm.

For the baseline for the Canadian Surface Combatant, Alion has selected the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate, Chief Operating Officer Bruce Samuelsen, told Esprit de Corps magazine.

The firm believes that platform meets all of the mandatory selection criteria without modification. The LCF is a proven, operational in-service warship, proving a vessel that is a very robust starting point for Canada’s needs, company officials point out.

In addition, it could be brought into production very quickly.

Alion noted it is critical that the integration of key capabilities – the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) multimode radar; the missile launch system and surface-to-air missiles (SAM); and the combat management system – be proven, certified and in-service to reduce program risk. Through its partnership with Damen Shipbuilding, Atlas Electronik, and Hendsoldt, it believes its submission for the CSC fits that bill.

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