Canadian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jura said:

Dec 18, 2017
now noticed First 2 Australian fighter jets to be in Canada next year but no word yet on final cost

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Oct 7, 2017
and
Joint Support Ship cost up by $1.1 billion - taxpayers will now spend $3.4 billion on project
Updated: June 5, 2018

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough will take part in a steel cutting ceremony for the first of two Joint Support Ships. That is happening on Friday at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

Taxpayers will have to spend $1.1 billion extra on new navy supply ships, the Liberal government recently acknowledged.

Previously the cost of building the two Joint Support Ships at Seaspan shipyards had been pegged at $2.3 billion.

But the government ordered a review of that cost figure and in an email to Postmedia, Qualtrough’s office confirmed the cost for the Joint Support Ships is set at $3.4 billion.

Pat Finn, the head of procurement at the Department of National Defence, said the new price tag came as the government decided to do an additional analysis of the project and include other items it had not previously included.

In some cases equipment for the ship has been purchased so there are better costs available on those items, Finn said. Also taken into account was new infrastructure and the delays with the program, which, in turn, drove up the price as the cost of material increased over the years.

“The build period has changed quite dramatically,” Finn acknowledged.

At one point, the first ship was supposed to arrive in 2012. That has been changed a number of times with the government later hoping for a 2018 delivery and then a 2019 arrival for the first vessel.

The Department of National Defence is now hoping for the delivery of the first ship in 2022 or 2023.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Apr 20, 2018
and to disinterest of this thread (LOL) Top procurement official outlines how Canadian Surface Combatant budget would be spent

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Three teams of bidders have submitted their final proposals for the construction of a fleet of new frigates for the Royal Canadian Navy under the Canadian Surface Combatant Program.

The companies received feedback to revise their proposals in May and the deadline for the final bids to be submitted was Friday last week.

A total of 15 CSC ships are expected to be built by Irving Shipbuilding as prime contractor. The government expects to spend between CA$55 billion and 60 billion on the program but a more specific figure will be known once companies submit their reviewed financial bids, which were also due Friday.

Canada’s Combat Ship Team – composed of Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and CAE, MDA, L3 Technologies, and Ultra Electronics – submitted their proposal based on the Type 26 Global Combat Ship which was recently selected by Australia as the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

“With the UK Type 26 program running ahead of CSC, our Canadian ship will benefit from lessons learned on the UK and Australian programs,” said Anne Healey, BAE Systems country director, Canada.

“Canadian companies such as W.R. Davis Engineering in Ottawa, Rolls-Royce in Peterborough and L3 MAPPS in Montréal have already begun work on delivering high-technology systems for the UK’s Type 26, demonstrating the skills and capability available from the Canadian supply chain.”

One of the other two bidders is the Alion Science and Technology-led team with a proposal based on the De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command frigate which is in service with the Dutch Navy.

“Each decision we made for equipment selection and systems integration focused on delivering cost-effective solutions that meet the requirements while delivering robust Canadian content,” Bruce Samuelsen, chief operating officer for Alion, said in December 2017 when Alion announced its participation in the program. “Many original system suppliers are building systems in Canada, but our combat system partners are actually creating manufacturing jobs for Canadians.”

The third bidder is Spanish Navantia with its F-105 frigate design. The company will partner with Saab and CEA Technologies to deliver the ships should it be selected.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri tried to seal the deal with its FREMM frigate design in an offer outside the tendering process. Fincantieri oferred to build 15 frigates for a fixed price of $30 billion but the government said it would not be accepting the “unsolicited proposal at the final hour”.

The Canadian government and Irving Shipbuilding are scheduled to announce the winning proposals by the end of the year with construction starting in early 2020s. The surface combatants will be replacing Canada’s Iroquois-class destroyers and Halifax-class frigates.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Apr 28, 2018
now Bidders submit final proposals for Canadian Surface Combatant program

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

The government has once again changed how it will evaluate bids on its $60-billion warship program, prompting more concerns the new process is designed to help out a company linked to Irving Shipbuilding.

The move is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the Canadian Surface Combatant, believed to be the largest single defence purchase Canada has ever undertaken.

Companies have already provided their bids for the surface combatant project to the federal government and Irving, which will construct the vessels. The firms were expecting those to be evaluated using an established process outlined previously, which included one opportunity to fix problems with bids.

But on Aug. 13, the government informed the firms a second opportunity would be provided if the companies weren’t fully compliant in meeting Canada’s naval requirements, according to industry sources.

Jean-François Létourneau of Public Services and Procurement Canada confirmed the new process, but added, “this is an example of how the Government of Canada is developing and applying innovative approaches to improve the results for large, complex defence procurements.”

The government has told companies not to comment during the selection process. But the new change has sparked more concerns the process is rigged to favour a bid by Lockheed Martin Canada and British firm BAE, industry sources say.

Rival firms claim BAE’s Type 26 warship won’t be able to meet Canada’s needs, so the company, which has been involved in other business ventures with Irving, is being given additional chances to fix up its proposal.

BAE and Lockheed Martin have countered that the Type 26 will be more than capable of meeting Canada’s requirements.

Irving declined comment.

Létourneau said fairness and transparency have been key factors in the procurement process. “Given the magnitude and importance of this project, every effort is being made to ensure that this procurement is fairly and effectively executed and that bidders have every opportunity to submit high-quality compliant bids that provide good value for money, including significant benefits for Canadian industry,” he said.

The project, estimated to cost between $55 billion and $60 billion, will see Irving build 15 warships at its Halifax Shipyard. But the project is seen as a major departure from previous purchases as Irving has a significant role in selecting the winning bidder.

That has fuelled industry concerns about favouritism since Irving has worked closely with BAE on other ventures.

Those concerns only increased when the parameters of the project were changed earlier. Federal officials had originally stated Canada wanted mature, proven ship designs to cut down on risk. But the government and Irving accepted the BAE design, which at the time was still only on drawing boards. Construction began on BAE’s Type 26 frigate for Britain’s Royal Navy in the summer of 2017, but the first ship is not yet completed.

New, unproven ships can face challenges as problems are found when the vessel is in the water and operating.

Both Irving and Public Services and Procurement Canada have denied any favouritism towards BAE.

But even as Irving released the request for proposals for the surface combatant program, it was teamed with BAE to bid on a maintenance program for other new Canadian navy ships, according to federal documents. The two firms were not successful on that contract, but the government reminded Irving it had an obligation to “ensure that the Canadian Surface Combatant competition is conducted in a manner that is free from real or perceived conflicts of interest,” according to February 2017 documents prepared for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.

Those documents were obtained by the Conservative Party using the Access to Information law.

A number of defence industry representatives acknowledge there is the widespread belief the BAE proposal has the inside track. In addition, several European shipbuilders decided against submitting bids on the Canadian program because of concerns about the fairness of the process.

In November, a French-Italian consortium also declined to formally submit a bid and instead offered Canada a fleet of vessels at half the price. The Liberal government rejected the deal.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Yesterday at 12:13 PM

now USNI News: Canada Seeking 88 New Fighters to Replace Aging CF-18s; Will Buy Surplus Australian F-18 Hornets in Interim

source:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

The U.S. government has approved Canada’s purchase of used F-18 fighter jets from Australia, paving the way for the deal to be completed by the end of the year.

The sign-off from the Americans was needed because the aircraft were built in the U.S. with U.S. technology.

Dan Le Bouthillier of the Department of National Defence said Friday negotiations with Australia over the sale of the 25 used fighter jets is on-going.

“Should all negotiations and approvals move forward as planned, aircraft would start arriving in Canada in 2019, and the project remains on track to achieve this milestone,” he said. “The delivery plan, including mode of delivery, will be finalized once negotiations are complete and the aircraft being purchased are selected.”

In June, Postmedia reported that Canada had boosted the number of used Australian fighter jets it is purchasing to 25 from 18 but that the deal still hinged on approval from the U.S. government.

Although U.S.-Canada relations have hit a slump, with President Donald Trump vowing to punish Canadians because of ongoing trade disputes, DND officials hope the situation won’t affect approvals for the fighter jet sale to proceed.

The Liberal government originally announced it would buy 18 used Australian F-18 jets to augment the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18s until new aircraft can be purchased in the coming years. But it has added seven more used Australian F-18 aircraft to the deal.

Those extra aircraft will be stripped down for parts or used for testing.

The exact cost of purchasing the 25 aircraft, along with weapons and other equipment, is not yet known, Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough pointed out earlier this year. The Liberal government has set aside up to $500 million for the project.

Earlier this year, Pat Finn, the Department of National Defence’s assistant deputy minister of materiel, said the government has received what’s called a letter of cost proposal on the impending sale. “The Australians have now gone to the U.S. State Department for the transfer under ITAR,” Finn explained to MPs on the Commons defence committee at the time.

Finn indicated the DND wants to have the deal in place by the end of this year. “The idea of firming this up in the fall of 2018 was for the start of delivery of the two first aircraft to be next summer, and then quickly beyond it,” he added.

The federal government has confirmed the Australian aircraft will be operating alongside the RACF’s other CF-18s at Bagotville, Que., and Cold Lake, Alta. “The aircraft will be employed at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake,” a government official noted. “DND is currently reviewing infrastructure requirements to accommodate the additional aircraft. Any modifications are expected to be minimal as the supplemental jets are of similar age and design to the CF-18.”

The Liberal government had planned to buy 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing.

But last year Boeing complained to the U.S. Commerce Department that Canadian subsidies for Quebec-based Bombardier allowed it to sell its C-series civilian passenger aircraft in the U.S. at cut-rate prices. As a result, the Trump administration brought in a tariff of almost 300 per cent against the Bombardier aircraft sold in the U.S.

In retaliation, Canada cancelled the deal to buy the Super Hornets. That project would have cost more than US$5 billion.

Click to expand...

The Royal Canadian Navy has given the go-ahead for the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU) of its Halifax-class frigates with a contract award to General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada.

The upgrade will modernize the underwater warfare sensor suite that is currently installed on the frigates, enhancing their anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

General Dynamics has teamed up with Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems and Nautel to complete work on the contract.

UWSU will deliver an integrated system that replaces the current towed array sensor and sonobuoy processing system, adds additional active intercept sensors, and improves the processing and transmission control system of the existing hull-mounted sonar. Additional components for the project will include a towed low-frequency active sonar capability and a compatible active receive array that will improve detection performance for targets operating in both open ocean and littoral environments.

Ultra Electronic will deliver a transmitter solution that was originally conceived at Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Atlantic Research Laboratory. It enables sound energy to be steered only in the direction of interest, and with the transmitter and receiver combined in-line in a single towed array, the requirement for a second independent tow for the transmitter is eliminated – allowing the single reelable array to be installed on the Halifax-class with minimal modification.

The single-tow, in-line transmitter also significantly increases the ship’s operational envelope because of the transmitter’s ability to operate at full power in shallow waters.

“General Dynamics is pleased to continue its proud tradition of supporting Canada in anti-submarine warfare as we embark on this ambitious upgrade program,” said David Ibbetson, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission Systems–International. “Not only will UWSU benefit the RCN, it will also create and sustain jobs across Ontario and the Maritimes for years to come.”

The navy expects all upgrades to be completed by 2027.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Jul 23, 2018 and
Industry cries foul as Canadian government makes more changes to bid process for $60B warship program

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The new change has sparked more concerns the process is rigged to favour a bid by Lockheed Martin Canada and British firm BAE, industry sources say

Click to expand...

The Canadian government and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. have selected the BAE Systems’ Type 26 frigate design for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future Canadian Surface Combatants.

In an announcement on Friday, the government said it would now enter a “due diligence process” with Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. as prime contractor before awarding the final design and construction contract.

The process will include negotiations with the company on intellectual property rights, an assessment of combat systems performance and an assessment of the company’s financial capability to deliver the project.

Lockheed Martin is at the helm of Canada’s Combat Ship Team which includes BAE Systems with the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and high-tech platforms from CAE, MDA, L3 Technologies, and Ultra Electronics.

Should the due diligence process be successful, Canada will become the third country to acquire the Type 26 design, joining

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

and

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

A contract award is expected this winter, with construction beginning in the early 2020s. A total of 15 Canadian Surface Combatants will be built to replace Canada’s Iroquois-class destroyers and Halifax-class frigates.

The CSC acquisition project is expected to cost between CA$55 billion and 60 billion.

The government also noted that, should the due diligence process with the preferred bidder be unsuccessful, the next highest ranked compliant bidder will become the preferred bidder.

The other two bidders were the Alion Science and Technology-led team with a proposal based on the De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command frigate which is in service with the Dutch Navy, and Spain’s Navantia offering its F-105 frigate design in partnership with Saab and CEA Technologies.

French Naval Group and Italian Fincantieri offered to build 15 frigates based on the FREMM design for a fixed price of $30 billion outside the tendering process in December 2017. Compared to current project cost estimates which sit at over $60 billion, the Fincantieri-Naval Group bid offered considerable savings but the government rejected it arguing that such a move would break faith with other bidders on the project.

Click to expand...

gelgoog said:

... For example I did not even hear of the FREMM being proposed in that contest, the Canadian government probably did not even bother to consider asking them to make an offer, although to me it seems like it would work just fine and it is a design that is already in service. ...

Click to expand...

Jura said:

21 minutes ago
related:
European firms jointly offer frigate to Canadian government, skipping shipbuilder
source is DefenseNews

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Yesterday at 7:30 AM

... and it didn't appear to work:
Update on the Canadian Surface Combatant Request for Proposals

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Yesterday at 9:42 PM

related:
Bold move backfires as Canada declines Naval Group-Fincantieri frigate offering

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Jura said:

now noticed what NavalToday had to say which is Canada brushes off outside, fixed-price FREMM frigate offer for Canadian Surface Combatant project

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...