By: David Pugliese, The National Post
The Canadian government made a last-minute, billion-dollar change to how much it was willing to spend on its new search-and-rescue aircraft fleet, but didn’t bother informing the bidders trying to win the contract to build the planes of the change in budget.
In December, the federal government announced it would spend $4.7 billion to buy a fleet of C-295 planes from Airbus, including long-term support for the planes. The losing bidder, Italian aerospace firm and Airbus rival Leonardo, had been under the impression Canada could only afford to spend $3.4 billion, so had tailored its bid to that amount.
Leonardo has gone to the Federal Court in Ottawa to ask a judge to overturn the contract, arguing that the C-295 aircraft cannot fulfill the search-and-rescue missions as outlined in the requirements provided to industry. But it is also angered by the last-minute budget switch.
“If we had been told that was the budget then our bid would have been much, much different,” said retired Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas, who is a consultant for Leonardo. “We still haven’t been given a straight answer on how the budget jumped to $4.7 billion.”
The new details about the fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft program are emerging as the Liberal government prepares to announce its defence policy review, likely to include a plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on new equipment.
The Department of National Defence acknowledged in an email to the Ottawa Citizen that companies were provided with the $3.4 billion figure in the information they used to develop their bids. But DND now says that information was “incomplete.”
“The $3.4 billion was a notional figure based on original estimates from 2011,” the DND told the Citizen, and did not take into account the full costs.
Documents obtained by the Citizen also show that at various briefings for industry in the run-up to the bidding deadline, federal officials consistently used the $3.4-billion figure.
DND told the Citizen that the acquisition process looked at overall cost, the capability of the aircraft being offered and the economic benefits the bids offered to Canada. “The winning bidder built its strategy around this scoring system with emphasis on the capability which included the requirement for modern and effective technologically advanced systems, and a robust comprehensive in-service support program to ensure availability of aircraft when needed,” DND said.
But Leonardo representatives are questioning why they weren’t told about the change in budget and why Airbus had information that led them to submit a bid with a significantly higher pricetag.
“It’s strange that (Airbus) would bid more than $1 billion over the stated budget and not be worried about doing that,” said Lucas.
If Leonardo had been aware the Canadian government was willing to spend more than the $3.4 billion indicated, it too could have improved its bid with more capability on the aircraft and more benefits for Canadian companies, he said.
Lucas, the former head of the Royal Canadian Air Force, said it is unclear what extra capabilities and services Canada will get for the added $1.3 billion. Leonardo has asked the federal government for further details but, Lucas claims, it has not received adequate answers.
Airbus declined the Citizen’s request for comment, saying that the federal government should answer questions about the contract.
When the Liberal government awarded the contract to Airbus in December, cabinet ministers highlighted the importance of having the right aircraft for the job. “With this technology, we are giving our women and men in uniform the tools they need to continue to deliver effective and essential search-and-rescue operations,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said.
The new planes will replace the RCAF’s 40-year-old Buffalo aircraft and older model C-130s currently assigned to search-and-rescue duties.
The RCAF will receive 16 C-295s. Their delivery is expected in 2019 but it is unclear what would happen were the Federal Court to find in Leonardo’s favour and overturn the government’s deal with Airbus.
Showing posts with label FWSAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FWSAR. Show all posts
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
FWSAR C296W Considered a "Game Changer"
By: Ken Pole, Frontline Defence Magazine
© 2017 FrontLine Defence (Vol 14, No 1)
The expressions “game changer” and “paradigm shift” tend to be thrown around like gravel on any remote airstrip. Clichéd or not, they truly do apply to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) platform and how it will be used to good effect in one of the largest and arguably most challenging SAR environments in the world.
The government of Canada has ordered 16 Airbus C295Ws, with first delivery by Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) expected in 2019. Like its forerunner, the venerable and still capable deHavilland DHC-5A – which first entered service with the RCAF as the C-115 Buffalo in 1965 – the C295W is a short take off and landing (STOL) high-tailed utility transport with twin turboprops on a high wing.
There’s no denying the aircraft’s solid performance worldwide but, over a decade ago, when the program was in the requirements identification phase, the Alenia C27J Spartan had been considered the RCAF’s preferred platform. However, Leonardo (formerly Alenia-Aermacchi) evidently could not beat the Airbus bid.
Canada’s decision boosted total C295 orders, including earlier variants, to 185 aircraft for 25 countries, a development which Airbus Military Aircraft Head Fernando Alonso says is not only “a clear sign that the C295’s robustness, reliability and cost-effectiveness will ensure that it remains the market leader”, but also demonstrates that Airbus is “on the right path with our strategy of rapidly developing and adapting versions of our aircraft to address emerging market requirements.”
In addition to replacing the remaining Buffalos, all stationed at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, the Airbus platform will replace four-engined H-model Lockheed Martin CC-130s, some of which also have been in RCAF service since 1974 at SAR squadrons in Winnipeg, Trenton, and Greenwood.
Manufactured at the sprawling Airbus facility in Seville, Spain, abutting San Pablo International Airport, the C295W, which first flew in 1998, is fundamentally a stretched version of a Spanish-Indonesian light transport, the CASA/IPTN CN-235, first flown in 1983.
While the basic configuration is much the same, that’s where the similarity to the Buffalo ends. The ‘W’ refers to now-standard winglets. These aerodynamic enhancements were part of a 2013 design evolution that also saw, among other things, beefier landing gear, external hardpoints, an integrated tactical system, and the introduction of uprated 2,645-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turbines driving six-bladed Hamilton Standard 586-F propellors. Another key element is the electro-optical/infrared turret system designed by L-3 WESCAM, headquartered in Burlington, Ontario.
So far, other Airbus partners in the FWSAR program include landing gear overhaul by Heroux Devtekof Longeuil, Quebec, and propellers from Hope Aero of Missisauga, Ontario. Sonovision, which has facilities in seven countries including Canada, is on board to provide the technical publications.
The C295W can cruise faster and further than the legacy aircraft and, while it has a narrower wingspan, a more modern wing profile gives it enhanced manoeuverability in confined mountainous terrain – where “low-and-slow” can be key to a successful search.
It also weighs less and can carry more, which presumably results in fuel savings. Also, thanks to automated load-handling, it requires an aircrew of two rather than the Buffalo’s three (its third crew member is a Flight Engineer who also performs the loadmaster role). The number of others on a SAR mission varies.
Simon Jacques, Airbus Head in Canada, points out that some 20% of the aircraft content is Canadian, a result of global product mandates. “It already serves as a global ambassador for the skills, innovation and expertise of Canadians,” he says. “Now it will get to serve them directly.”
Evidently the Embraer C-390 jet didn’t meet the certification deadline and was deemed non-compliant, so personnel from the RCAF’s Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) in Cold Lake and the FWSAR Project Management Office flew the other two competitor aircraft, the Airbus C295W and the Leonardo C-27J Spartan turboprop. According to a Department of National Defence spokesperson, they are prevented from discussing their hands-on experience by confidentiality agreements as well as the “integrity” of the FWSAR evaluation process.
“What we can tell you is that we’re purchasing a state-of-the-art, sensor-equipped aircraft,” he told FrontLine. “It will have a new communication systems to improve interoperability with key partners, and it is a modern, agile aircraft that will be effective day and night, in all-weather conditions.”
The contract with Airbus also includes “robust, comprehensive, well-integrated, low-risk in-service support which will significantly improve aircraft availability” as well as general infrastructure and set-up such as training and engineering and a new simulator-equipped training centre in Comox from the specialists at CAE.
In-service support (ISS) will be provided by AirPro, a joint venture between Airbus D&S and PAL Aerospace of St. John’s, Newfoundland, which has decades of experience with customers worldwide.
Mexican Air Force C295W toured across Canada this past summer. This photo was taken near Kassabonika, Ontario.
After the first few C295s are delivered, they will be operated in parallel with the Buffalos and Hercs as the RCAF transitions to a single FWSAR platform and the older aircraft are retired. The ISS element will kick in once the final aircraft is delivered in 2022.
Public Works and Procurement Canada (PSPC) says the contract for the initial 11 years, including taxes, is worth more than $2.5 billion. It also includes the prospect of extensions, in increments of one to three years, for up to a possible additional 15 years – potentially pushing the value to nearly $5 billion by 2043.
“With the opportunity to earn contract extensions based on its performance, the company is motivated to provide highly reliable aircraft, services and spare parts,” PSPC says. “This will also provide more efficient government contract management, since it means not renegotiating contracts every year.”
The contract also includes the prospect of a 2% performance bonus, but the other side of that coin is that Airbus could face a penalty of up to 10% if its performance is not in accordance with the contract requirements. Moreover, “payment will only be made after milestones have been met and accepted by Canada.”
The route toward the contract award (December 2016) had been tortuous and dogged by controversy. When the initial Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR) went out, DND was accused of tailoring it specifically to the Spartan instead of the mission. After many years, the increasingly heated debate eventually forced the government to ask the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa to review the document.
NRC’s test pilots and engineers concluded, in their exhaustive 2010 report, that the SOR had effectively limited the RCAF’s options by, among other things, specifying an “off the shelf” aircraft which might require extensive modifications. Nor did they like the SOR’s specification of an unrefueled range of 1,699 nautical miles, which they said was “inconsistent with the stated core objective of […] maintaining or improving the SAR level of service.” So program managers went back to the drawing board, eventually producing a Letter of Interest in July 2013, coupled with a plan to begin “sharing elements” of a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) that summer in preparation for a fall workshop for potential bidders.
Air-to-air refueling.
The procurement process shakedown continued until January 2016, when PSPC confirmed that there had been three bidders but, as a matter of policy, did not name them, leaving confirmation to the original equipment manufacturers.
Bids were evaluated on three fundamentals totalling 100 points: overall capability of the aircraft, its systems and the ISS (65 points); long-term operational capability and the maintenance and support services benefits for Canada (25 points); and the Industrial and Technological Benefits and value proposition (10 points).
As expected, the two turboprops were judged to be compliant. Judy Foote, the Minister of PSPC, said “it came down to the cost.”
The evaluation – which was subjected to an independent third-party review and included the aforementioned flight tests as well as a computer-aided assessment of how each aircraft would have responded to more than 7,000 SAR incidents in the past five years – set the stage for the contract announcement in a 424 Transport and Rescue Sqn hangar at 8 Wing in Trenton in early December, attended by, among others, Fernando Alonso, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, PSPC Minister Judy Foote, and RCAF Commander LGen Mike Hood.
Alonso, who had been involved in early cold-weather testing in Canada, professed that he had only 48 hours’ notice that Airbus had won the contract. “Until this morning, I was saying ‘it’s not really true,’” the burly aerospace engineer said. “Now I am starting to believe it.”
Hood admitted that he had even less notice, a reflection of how closely the program management team had guarded their conclusions. “I only found out yesterday,” he said, saying that the C295W’s ability to track up to 200 objects simultaneously in poor light and weather conditions and to share real-time data with other SAR participants “will fundamentally change the SAR paradigm for us.”
Airbus D&S demonstrated some of its capability recently by air-to-air hose-and-drogue refueling between two C295Ws and then using one to top up an Airbus Helicopter H225M Caracal. There’s also an airborne early warning and control variant and, while that isn’t on the RCAF’s shopping list, the tanker option would arguably be desirable.
In Trenton, Sajjan called the C295W a “game changer” which represented “a great technological improvement of our capabilities for the future.”
However, less than a month after the contract was announced, Leonardo introduced another potential ‘game changer’ by asking the Federal Court on January 6th for a judicial revocation of the contract in favour of its C-27J. “Team Spartan’s main allegation is that the selected airplane is unfit to safely perform certain key Search and Rescue tasks and missions required by Canada and should have been, therefore, disqualified,” it says in its statement.
It insists that the C-27J is “the only aircraft in its class with the speed and range to respond to SAR incidents across Canada’s entire area of responsibility while operating from Canada’s existing base structure.” Leonardo used the opportunity to reiterate its maneuverability, short take-off and landing capabilities (characteristics it shares with the C295W), as well as its higher cabin height and faster cruising speed.
When the Federal Court will issue a ruling is unknown. However, among the things it will have to consider is the AETE/PMO conclusions, potentially setting up this 14-year old contest for a countersuit by Airbus as well as, more critically, an even longer delay in replacing aircraft that should have been pensioned off long ago and are incurring considerable maintenance costs.
The expressions “game changer” and “paradigm shift” tend to be thrown around like gravel on any remote airstrip. Clichéd or not, they truly do apply to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) platform and how it will be used to good effect in one of the largest and arguably most challenging SAR environments in the world.
The government of Canada has ordered 16 Airbus C295Ws, with first delivery by Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) expected in 2019. Like its forerunner, the venerable and still capable deHavilland DHC-5A – which first entered service with the RCAF as the C-115 Buffalo in 1965 – the C295W is a short take off and landing (STOL) high-tailed utility transport with twin turboprops on a high wing.
There’s no denying the aircraft’s solid performance worldwide but, over a decade ago, when the program was in the requirements identification phase, the Alenia C27J Spartan had been considered the RCAF’s preferred platform. However, Leonardo (formerly Alenia-Aermacchi) evidently could not beat the Airbus bid.
Canada’s decision boosted total C295 orders, including earlier variants, to 185 aircraft for 25 countries, a development which Airbus Military Aircraft Head Fernando Alonso says is not only “a clear sign that the C295’s robustness, reliability and cost-effectiveness will ensure that it remains the market leader”, but also demonstrates that Airbus is “on the right path with our strategy of rapidly developing and adapting versions of our aircraft to address emerging market requirements.”
In addition to replacing the remaining Buffalos, all stationed at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, the Airbus platform will replace four-engined H-model Lockheed Martin CC-130s, some of which also have been in RCAF service since 1974 at SAR squadrons in Winnipeg, Trenton, and Greenwood.
Manufactured at the sprawling Airbus facility in Seville, Spain, abutting San Pablo International Airport, the C295W, which first flew in 1998, is fundamentally a stretched version of a Spanish-Indonesian light transport, the CASA/IPTN CN-235, first flown in 1983.
While the basic configuration is much the same, that’s where the similarity to the Buffalo ends. The ‘W’ refers to now-standard winglets. These aerodynamic enhancements were part of a 2013 design evolution that also saw, among other things, beefier landing gear, external hardpoints, an integrated tactical system, and the introduction of uprated 2,645-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turbines driving six-bladed Hamilton Standard 586-F propellors. Another key element is the electro-optical/infrared turret system designed by L-3 WESCAM, headquartered in Burlington, Ontario.
So far, other Airbus partners in the FWSAR program include landing gear overhaul by Heroux Devtekof Longeuil, Quebec, and propellers from Hope Aero of Missisauga, Ontario. Sonovision, which has facilities in seven countries including Canada, is on board to provide the technical publications.
The C295W can cruise faster and further than the legacy aircraft and, while it has a narrower wingspan, a more modern wing profile gives it enhanced manoeuverability in confined mountainous terrain – where “low-and-slow” can be key to a successful search.
It also weighs less and can carry more, which presumably results in fuel savings. Also, thanks to automated load-handling, it requires an aircrew of two rather than the Buffalo’s three (its third crew member is a Flight Engineer who also performs the loadmaster role). The number of others on a SAR mission varies.
Simon Jacques, Airbus Head in Canada, points out that some 20% of the aircraft content is Canadian, a result of global product mandates. “It already serves as a global ambassador for the skills, innovation and expertise of Canadians,” he says. “Now it will get to serve them directly.”
Evidently the Embraer C-390 jet didn’t meet the certification deadline and was deemed non-compliant, so personnel from the RCAF’s Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) in Cold Lake and the FWSAR Project Management Office flew the other two competitor aircraft, the Airbus C295W and the Leonardo C-27J Spartan turboprop. According to a Department of National Defence spokesperson, they are prevented from discussing their hands-on experience by confidentiality agreements as well as the “integrity” of the FWSAR evaluation process.
“What we can tell you is that we’re purchasing a state-of-the-art, sensor-equipped aircraft,” he told FrontLine. “It will have a new communication systems to improve interoperability with key partners, and it is a modern, agile aircraft that will be effective day and night, in all-weather conditions.”
The contract with Airbus also includes “robust, comprehensive, well-integrated, low-risk in-service support which will significantly improve aircraft availability” as well as general infrastructure and set-up such as training and engineering and a new simulator-equipped training centre in Comox from the specialists at CAE.
In-service support (ISS) will be provided by AirPro, a joint venture between Airbus D&S and PAL Aerospace of St. John’s, Newfoundland, which has decades of experience with customers worldwide.
After the first few C295s are delivered, they will be operated in parallel with the Buffalos and Hercs as the RCAF transitions to a single FWSAR platform and the older aircraft are retired. The ISS element will kick in once the final aircraft is delivered in 2022.
Public Works and Procurement Canada (PSPC) says the contract for the initial 11 years, including taxes, is worth more than $2.5 billion. It also includes the prospect of extensions, in increments of one to three years, for up to a possible additional 15 years – potentially pushing the value to nearly $5 billion by 2043.
“With the opportunity to earn contract extensions based on its performance, the company is motivated to provide highly reliable aircraft, services and spare parts,” PSPC says. “This will also provide more efficient government contract management, since it means not renegotiating contracts every year.”
The contract also includes the prospect of a 2% performance bonus, but the other side of that coin is that Airbus could face a penalty of up to 10% if its performance is not in accordance with the contract requirements. Moreover, “payment will only be made after milestones have been met and accepted by Canada.”
The route toward the contract award (December 2016) had been tortuous and dogged by controversy. When the initial Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR) went out, DND was accused of tailoring it specifically to the Spartan instead of the mission. After many years, the increasingly heated debate eventually forced the government to ask the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa to review the document.
NRC’s test pilots and engineers concluded, in their exhaustive 2010 report, that the SOR had effectively limited the RCAF’s options by, among other things, specifying an “off the shelf” aircraft which might require extensive modifications. Nor did they like the SOR’s specification of an unrefueled range of 1,699 nautical miles, which they said was “inconsistent with the stated core objective of […] maintaining or improving the SAR level of service.” So program managers went back to the drawing board, eventually producing a Letter of Interest in July 2013, coupled with a plan to begin “sharing elements” of a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) that summer in preparation for a fall workshop for potential bidders.
The procurement process shakedown continued until January 2016, when PSPC confirmed that there had been three bidders but, as a matter of policy, did not name them, leaving confirmation to the original equipment manufacturers.
Bids were evaluated on three fundamentals totalling 100 points: overall capability of the aircraft, its systems and the ISS (65 points); long-term operational capability and the maintenance and support services benefits for Canada (25 points); and the Industrial and Technological Benefits and value proposition (10 points).
As expected, the two turboprops were judged to be compliant. Judy Foote, the Minister of PSPC, said “it came down to the cost.”
The evaluation – which was subjected to an independent third-party review and included the aforementioned flight tests as well as a computer-aided assessment of how each aircraft would have responded to more than 7,000 SAR incidents in the past five years – set the stage for the contract announcement in a 424 Transport and Rescue Sqn hangar at 8 Wing in Trenton in early December, attended by, among others, Fernando Alonso, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, PSPC Minister Judy Foote, and RCAF Commander LGen Mike Hood.
Alonso, who had been involved in early cold-weather testing in Canada, professed that he had only 48 hours’ notice that Airbus had won the contract. “Until this morning, I was saying ‘it’s not really true,’” the burly aerospace engineer said. “Now I am starting to believe it.”
Hood admitted that he had even less notice, a reflection of how closely the program management team had guarded their conclusions. “I only found out yesterday,” he said, saying that the C295W’s ability to track up to 200 objects simultaneously in poor light and weather conditions and to share real-time data with other SAR participants “will fundamentally change the SAR paradigm for us.”
Airbus D&S demonstrated some of its capability recently by air-to-air hose-and-drogue refueling between two C295Ws and then using one to top up an Airbus Helicopter H225M Caracal. There’s also an airborne early warning and control variant and, while that isn’t on the RCAF’s shopping list, the tanker option would arguably be desirable.
In Trenton, Sajjan called the C295W a “game changer” which represented “a great technological improvement of our capabilities for the future.”
However, less than a month after the contract was announced, Leonardo introduced another potential ‘game changer’ by asking the Federal Court on January 6th for a judicial revocation of the contract in favour of its C-27J. “Team Spartan’s main allegation is that the selected airplane is unfit to safely perform certain key Search and Rescue tasks and missions required by Canada and should have been, therefore, disqualified,” it says in its statement.
It insists that the C-27J is “the only aircraft in its class with the speed and range to respond to SAR incidents across Canada’s entire area of responsibility while operating from Canada’s existing base structure.” Leonardo used the opportunity to reiterate its maneuverability, short take-off and landing capabilities (characteristics it shares with the C295W), as well as its higher cabin height and faster cruising speed.
When the Federal Court will issue a ruling is unknown. However, among the things it will have to consider is the AETE/PMO conclusions, potentially setting up this 14-year old contest for a countersuit by Airbus as well as, more critically, an even longer delay in replacing aircraft that should have been pensioned off long ago and are incurring considerable maintenance costs.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Alenia C-27J Legally Challenges FWSAR Airbus C-295W Buy
By: Murray Brewster, CBC News
The losing bidder in the race to replace Canada's fixed-wing search and rescue fleet is asking a Federal Court judge to toss out the multibillion-dollar contract, CBC News has learned.
Leonardo S.p.A., also know as Alenia, which offered its C-27J transport for the competition, filed notice of legal action in January, but only delivered supporting arguments and affidavits to the court on Tuesday.
The company is challenging the Liberal government's decision last fall to buy 16 new C-295W transports manufactured by rival Airbus Defence and Space.
The Italian aircraft-maker says the bid by Airbus should be disqualified and the court should cancel the contract.
The company cites a number of grounds, including a claim the C-295W does not meet the specifications originally set out by the Royal Canadian Air Force, notably the ability to "perform mandatory long-range missions stipulated" in the request for proposals.
Leonardo's court filing also raises alleged safety concerns related to the absence of a redundant power system in the aircraft.
"The necessary consequences of this inadequacy should have been the disqualification (if no modification was proposed) or rating penalization (if a modification was proposed) of the Airbus proposal," said the filing.
'A decision has been made and it's a really good thing for Canadians.'- Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan
Separately, Leonardo argues that the Airbus bid should have been disqualified at the outset because of cost.
In late November, the Liberal government announced it was buying the C-295 in a two-step procurement for a total price of $4.7 billion over the next two decades.
The first step — at a cost of $2.4 billion — involves the purchase of aircraft, simulators and 11 years of support.
The second step involves a future in-service support program that will have to be negotiated with Airbus, at an estimated cost of $2.3 billion.
However, in the request for proposals, which was filed in court as part of the supporting documents, all bidders were told their package could not exceed $3.4 billion, including in-service maintenance support.
Silence from Public Works
Officials with Leonardo have sought an explanation from Public Works, but have been met with silence, said a source familiar with the file, but who was not authorized to speak with the media.
"The applicant's proposal to supply Canada with FWSAR aircraft and related services … was evaluated as being fully compliant with the requirements of the (request for proposals) and substantially less costly than the aircraft and services proposed by Airbus," the court filing said.
Federal lawyers have indicated the government intends to fight the claim, but has not filed a statement of defence.
The announcement last December by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Public Works Minister Judy Foote and the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood, was supposed to end a frustrating 12-year procurement odyssey that spanned three governments.
Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan says he is confident the appropriate steps were followed in the procurement process and doesn't see any need for further delay. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
It was former prime minister Paul Martin's Liberal government in 2004 that first proposed replacing the fleet.
The former Conservative government, which put the program on hold over allegations the air force had calibrated the specifications in favour of Leonardo's C-27J, eventually asked the National Research Council to evaluate the requirements.
The Air Bus C-295, which is in service in 15 countries, is supposed to speed along the retirement of the air force's nearly 50-year-old C-115 Buffalos and older model C-130 Hercules transports, which were assigned to search and rescue duties a number of years ago.
The government said last fall that the first C-295 is expected on the tarmac in 2019, with the final delivery slated for 2022.
It is unclear how the court challenge will affect that timetable.
Sajjan defended the government's choice late Wednesday, saying he's confident the appropriate steps were followed and doesn't see any need for a delay.
"A decision has been made and it's a really good thing for Canadians," Sajjan told CBC News. "If somebody has any concerns about that decision they have the right to be able to have a look at that decision and use the various processes within our court system."
He described the C-295 as a "game-changer" for the air force.
The losing bidder in the race to replace Canada's fixed-wing search and rescue fleet is asking a Federal Court judge to toss out the multibillion-dollar contract, CBC News has learned.
Leonardo S.p.A., also know as Alenia, which offered its C-27J transport for the competition, filed notice of legal action in January, but only delivered supporting arguments and affidavits to the court on Tuesday.
The company is challenging the Liberal government's decision last fall to buy 16 new C-295W transports manufactured by rival Airbus Defence and Space.
The Italian aircraft-maker says the bid by Airbus should be disqualified and the court should cancel the contract.
The company cites a number of grounds, including a claim the C-295W does not meet the specifications originally set out by the Royal Canadian Air Force, notably the ability to "perform mandatory long-range missions stipulated" in the request for proposals.
Leonardo's court filing also raises alleged safety concerns related to the absence of a redundant power system in the aircraft.
"The necessary consequences of this inadequacy should have been the disqualification (if no modification was proposed) or rating penalization (if a modification was proposed) of the Airbus proposal," said the filing.
'A decision has been made and it's a really good thing for Canadians.'- Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan
Separately, Leonardo argues that the Airbus bid should have been disqualified at the outset because of cost.
In late November, the Liberal government announced it was buying the C-295 in a two-step procurement for a total price of $4.7 billion over the next two decades.
The first step — at a cost of $2.4 billion — involves the purchase of aircraft, simulators and 11 years of support.
The second step involves a future in-service support program that will have to be negotiated with Airbus, at an estimated cost of $2.3 billion.
However, in the request for proposals, which was filed in court as part of the supporting documents, all bidders were told their package could not exceed $3.4 billion, including in-service maintenance support.
Silence from Public Works
Officials with Leonardo have sought an explanation from Public Works, but have been met with silence, said a source familiar with the file, but who was not authorized to speak with the media.
"The applicant's proposal to supply Canada with FWSAR aircraft and related services … was evaluated as being fully compliant with the requirements of the (request for proposals) and substantially less costly than the aircraft and services proposed by Airbus," the court filing said.
Federal lawyers have indicated the government intends to fight the claim, but has not filed a statement of defence.
The announcement last December by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Public Works Minister Judy Foote and the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood, was supposed to end a frustrating 12-year procurement odyssey that spanned three governments.
Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan says he is confident the appropriate steps were followed in the procurement process and doesn't see any need for further delay. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
It was former prime minister Paul Martin's Liberal government in 2004 that first proposed replacing the fleet.
The former Conservative government, which put the program on hold over allegations the air force had calibrated the specifications in favour of Leonardo's C-27J, eventually asked the National Research Council to evaluate the requirements.
The Air Bus C-295, which is in service in 15 countries, is supposed to speed along the retirement of the air force's nearly 50-year-old C-115 Buffalos and older model C-130 Hercules transports, which were assigned to search and rescue duties a number of years ago.
The government said last fall that the first C-295 is expected on the tarmac in 2019, with the final delivery slated for 2022.
It is unclear how the court challenge will affect that timetable.
Sajjan defended the government's choice late Wednesday, saying he's confident the appropriate steps were followed and doesn't see any need for a delay.
"A decision has been made and it's a really good thing for Canadians," Sajjan told CBC News. "If somebody has any concerns about that decision they have the right to be able to have a look at that decision and use the various processes within our court system."
He described the C-295 as a "game-changer" for the air force.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Two Fleets for FWSAR: Specialization can be more Cost-Effective
Written by Canadian American Strategic Review — Editorial
The Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) has held primary responsibility for aerial search and rescue (SAR) over Canada and its territorial waters since 1947. [1] Initially, the dedicated SAR aircraft fleet consisted of patrol aircraft for search (large, four- engined Avro Lancaster Mk.10 SRs ) and flying boats for rescue (the Canadian-made Canso and, later, Grumman Albatrossamphibians). [2]
Helicopters joined these fixed-wing SAR aircraft as rotary-wing technology matured. By the 1970s, Canada's fixed-wing search and rescue fleet had devolved into an ad hoc collection of old tactical transport aircraft – CC-130 Herculesand CC-115 Buffalo STOL transports (which lacked a role). [3]
Fast-forward to 2004 and DND's Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) Project presented no real advance over the 1970s approach. Those ad hoc tactical transport aircraft were to be replaced by purpose-bought tactical transports, without questioning which type of aircraft actually suited the FWSAR role. This approach appealed to Air Force planners focused on bolstering the transport fleet. But, other than providing newer airframes, this procurement approach offered no real enhancement of the actual fixed-wing search and rescue capability.
After a 2010 external review by the National Research Council of the FWSAR Project, DND belatedly acknowledged that fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft might benefit from a more capable sensor than simply relying upon the human eye. [4] As a result, an infrared electro- optical turret was added to a revised FWSAR Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR).
The FWSAR Project has dragged on for a decade because, despite all of the proclamations, neither the Air Force nor the Government of Canada has ever made the FWSAR Project a genuine top priority. [5] This indifference may be, in part, because both bureaucracies know that completing the FWSAR Project will gain them very little in the end. Most of the current complaints about existing FWSAR aircraft relate to lengthy reaction times. But new FWSAR aircraft – still based on transport airframes – will make almost no difference to reaction times.
Idée fixe: Getting away from Fixed Ideas about the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project
In accordance with the Canadian SAR Manual, an RCAF SAR Major Operating Base (MOB) must have one FWSAR aircraft ready to respond to any emergency call at 30 minutes notice. New FWSAR aircraft would continue to fly out of these MOBs, which are situated far to the south. As a result, response times will be no quicker than before the arrival of new FWSAR aircraft – and transit times to Northern Canada almost as long and just as exhausting for the FWSAR aircraft flight crews. Potential solutions to this FWSAR conundrum emerge from re- examinating the way that the RCAF implemented the aerial SAR when first assigned the role.
As noted, in 1947, the RCAF separated 'Search' from the more complex 'Rescue' functions. Compared to today, SAR bases were more widely distributed. There were very few 'Regular' SAR squadrons. Most of the early RCAF FWSAR aircraft weren't assigned to squadrons at all. They belonged to small, regional 'Rescue Flights' and were flown by RCAF Reservists.
A survivor of that model is Yellowknife-based 440 Transport Squadron. Originally designated a Transport and Rescue Squadron, [6] 440 (T) began as 111 Search and Rescue Flight. Based further north than other RCAF squadrons, 440 members are a mix of Reservists and Regulars. 440's four CC-138Twin Otter aircraft are a tiny number to be designated a squadron, but quite typical for earlier RCAF Air Reserve 'Rescue Flights' – which often held only 3-to-5 aircraft.
'Fixed-Wing Surveillance and Response'? – Re-examining the RCAF's FWSAR Roles
In a modern context, having RCAF Reservists form the crew of 'Search' aircraft has multiple advantages. Currently, the RCAF has been forced to employ foreign pilots due to domestic recruiting constraints (civilians lacking prior military experience) and training budget limits.
With a different approach to FWSAR, this 'experienced pilot' recruiting problem can be side- stepped. Consider a dedicated 'Search' role within FWSAR. By adopting an airframe already in widespread Canadian commerical service, RCAF Reserve crews could be readily recruited. And the ideal airframe for search, surveillance, and monitoring is the Canadian-made Dash 8.
Earlier model Dash 8s (with their greater cruising economy) are operated by airlines throughout Canada – including in the Arctic ( with Air Inuit, Canadian North and Summit Air). [7] In contrast to finding pilots with military aircraft experience, recruiting suitable pilots to become Reservists to crew the 'Search' Dash 8would be comparatively easy. Recruits would have ties to home locations across Canada, with no incentive to stick to the established RCAF SAR MOBs in the south.
The advantages of recruiting Reservist flightdeck crews would also be true for 'spotters'. At present, volunteers from the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) often man the 'bubble' windows on the RCAF's FWSAR aircraft. That volunteer resource should not be abused, but it does show that civilians are quite capable of doing the 'spotter' job. And some of the CASARA volunteers might be highly motivated to serve in the RCAF Air Reserve. [8]
Also see: 'Search': The First Element in the FWSAR Project's Interim Solution
FWSAR Primary and Secondary Roles – Tactical Transport is as Tactical Transport does
The primary role for any FWSAR aircraft is SAR. But that has never been all that FWSAR aircraft do. The 'Search' Dash 8 described above is a surveillance platform specialized in the SAR role. However, sensors would allow it to perform a host of surveillance and monitoring roles when not required for SAR duty. What it wouldn't do is carry parachuting SAR Techs.
The 2010 NRC review reaffirmed the Air Force's choice of rear ramps for any FWSAR aircraft dropping SAR Techs. And 'rear ramp' means 'tactical transport aircraft'. The current FWSAR conundrum results, in part, from trying to squeeze some operating economies out of tactical transports. But it doesn't work. Tactical transport is a demanding role and few economies are to be found. The Air Force's attempted solution was to make their tactical transports smaller.
The outcome of the FWSAR project as planned would be unfamiliar new airframes with only marginally better operating economies than the Hercules. But separate 'Search' from 'Rescue' and a superior option appears. Relieved of the need to fly long search patterns, that 'Rescue' aircraft is already more economical. That allows other capabilities – like tactical transport and fleet commonality – to be made higher priorities for the FWSAR Project. Viewed in that light, the ideal 'Rescue' component of this two-role FWSAR approach would be another Hercules.
Also see: 'Rescue': The Second Element in the FWSAR Project's Interim Solution
[1] See online pdf, 'Canada Command SAR CONOPs' (or Concept of Operations) for details.
[2] Secondary responsibility for aerial SAR tended to fall on RCAF 'KU' or Composite Units. Many of the KUs flying utility transport aircraft would evolve into regional 'Rescue Flights'.
[3] The Buffalo had been designed as a short take-off and landing tactical transport. But the Canadian Air Force found little use for these rough-field specialists (outside Arctic supply).
[4] FWSAR now relies exclusively on human spotters augmented with night vision goggles and flares. The revised FWSAR SOR also included, under instruction from government, the consideration of 'Alternative Service Delivery' and to allow for more than one aircraft type.
[5] FWSAR as top priority was 2005 Conservative election promise. However, once elected, the Harper Tories shelved the FWSAR Project in favour of buying C-17 strategic transports.
[6] 440 TRS was redesignated a pure Transport squadron when moved from Edmonton up to Yellowknife in 1995. Despite their yellow paint, 440's Rescue markings were removed in 1999.
[7] Summit's Dash-8/Q100s first flew with Arctic Sunwest (which Summit took over in 2012).
[8] Remaining in one's home community is a recruiting advantage for the RCAF Air Reserve.
The Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) has held primary responsibility for aerial search and rescue (SAR) over Canada and its territorial waters since 1947. [1] Initially, the dedicated SAR aircraft fleet consisted of patrol aircraft for search (large, four- engined Avro Lancaster Mk.10 SRs ) and flying boats for rescue (the Canadian-made Canso and, later, Grumman Albatrossamphibians). [2]
Helicopters joined these fixed-wing SAR aircraft as rotary-wing technology matured. By the 1970s, Canada's fixed-wing search and rescue fleet had devolved into an ad hoc collection of old tactical transport aircraft – CC-130 Herculesand CC-115 Buffalo STOL transports (which lacked a role). [3]
Fast-forward to 2004 and DND's Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) Project presented no real advance over the 1970s approach. Those ad hoc tactical transport aircraft were to be replaced by purpose-bought tactical transports, without questioning which type of aircraft actually suited the FWSAR role. This approach appealed to Air Force planners focused on bolstering the transport fleet. But, other than providing newer airframes, this procurement approach offered no real enhancement of the actual fixed-wing search and rescue capability.
After a 2010 external review by the National Research Council of the FWSAR Project, DND belatedly acknowledged that fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft might benefit from a more capable sensor than simply relying upon the human eye. [4] As a result, an infrared electro- optical turret was added to a revised FWSAR Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR).
The FWSAR Project has dragged on for a decade because, despite all of the proclamations, neither the Air Force nor the Government of Canada has ever made the FWSAR Project a genuine top priority. [5] This indifference may be, in part, because both bureaucracies know that completing the FWSAR Project will gain them very little in the end. Most of the current complaints about existing FWSAR aircraft relate to lengthy reaction times. But new FWSAR aircraft – still based on transport airframes – will make almost no difference to reaction times.
Idée fixe: Getting away from Fixed Ideas about the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project
In accordance with the Canadian SAR Manual, an RCAF SAR Major Operating Base (MOB) must have one FWSAR aircraft ready to respond to any emergency call at 30 minutes notice. New FWSAR aircraft would continue to fly out of these MOBs, which are situated far to the south. As a result, response times will be no quicker than before the arrival of new FWSAR aircraft – and transit times to Northern Canada almost as long and just as exhausting for the FWSAR aircraft flight crews. Potential solutions to this FWSAR conundrum emerge from re- examinating the way that the RCAF implemented the aerial SAR when first assigned the role.
As noted, in 1947, the RCAF separated 'Search' from the more complex 'Rescue' functions. Compared to today, SAR bases were more widely distributed. There were very few 'Regular' SAR squadrons. Most of the early RCAF FWSAR aircraft weren't assigned to squadrons at all. They belonged to small, regional 'Rescue Flights' and were flown by RCAF Reservists.
A survivor of that model is Yellowknife-based 440 Transport Squadron. Originally designated a Transport and Rescue Squadron, [6] 440 (T) began as 111 Search and Rescue Flight. Based further north than other RCAF squadrons, 440 members are a mix of Reservists and Regulars. 440's four CC-138Twin Otter aircraft are a tiny number to be designated a squadron, but quite typical for earlier RCAF Air Reserve 'Rescue Flights' – which often held only 3-to-5 aircraft.
'Fixed-Wing Surveillance and Response'? – Re-examining the RCAF's FWSAR Roles
In a modern context, having RCAF Reservists form the crew of 'Search' aircraft has multiple advantages. Currently, the RCAF has been forced to employ foreign pilots due to domestic recruiting constraints (civilians lacking prior military experience) and training budget limits.
With a different approach to FWSAR, this 'experienced pilot' recruiting problem can be side- stepped. Consider a dedicated 'Search' role within FWSAR. By adopting an airframe already in widespread Canadian commerical service, RCAF Reserve crews could be readily recruited. And the ideal airframe for search, surveillance, and monitoring is the Canadian-made Dash 8.
Earlier model Dash 8s (with their greater cruising economy) are operated by airlines throughout Canada – including in the Arctic ( with Air Inuit, Canadian North and Summit Air). [7] In contrast to finding pilots with military aircraft experience, recruiting suitable pilots to become Reservists to crew the 'Search' Dash 8would be comparatively easy. Recruits would have ties to home locations across Canada, with no incentive to stick to the established RCAF SAR MOBs in the south.
The advantages of recruiting Reservist flightdeck crews would also be true for 'spotters'. At present, volunteers from the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) often man the 'bubble' windows on the RCAF's FWSAR aircraft. That volunteer resource should not be abused, but it does show that civilians are quite capable of doing the 'spotter' job. And some of the CASARA volunteers might be highly motivated to serve in the RCAF Air Reserve. [8]
Also see: 'Search': The First Element in the FWSAR Project's Interim Solution
FWSAR Primary and Secondary Roles – Tactical Transport is as Tactical Transport does
The primary role for any FWSAR aircraft is SAR. But that has never been all that FWSAR aircraft do. The 'Search' Dash 8 described above is a surveillance platform specialized in the SAR role. However, sensors would allow it to perform a host of surveillance and monitoring roles when not required for SAR duty. What it wouldn't do is carry parachuting SAR Techs.
The 2010 NRC review reaffirmed the Air Force's choice of rear ramps for any FWSAR aircraft dropping SAR Techs. And 'rear ramp' means 'tactical transport aircraft'. The current FWSAR conundrum results, in part, from trying to squeeze some operating economies out of tactical transports. But it doesn't work. Tactical transport is a demanding role and few economies are to be found. The Air Force's attempted solution was to make their tactical transports smaller.
The outcome of the FWSAR project as planned would be unfamiliar new airframes with only marginally better operating economies than the Hercules. But separate 'Search' from 'Rescue' and a superior option appears. Relieved of the need to fly long search patterns, that 'Rescue' aircraft is already more economical. That allows other capabilities – like tactical transport and fleet commonality – to be made higher priorities for the FWSAR Project. Viewed in that light, the ideal 'Rescue' component of this two-role FWSAR approach would be another Hercules.
Also see: 'Rescue': The Second Element in the FWSAR Project's Interim Solution
[1] See online pdf, 'Canada Command SAR CONOPs' (or Concept of Operations) for details.
[2] Secondary responsibility for aerial SAR tended to fall on RCAF 'KU' or Composite Units. Many of the KUs flying utility transport aircraft would evolve into regional 'Rescue Flights'.
[3] The Buffalo had been designed as a short take-off and landing tactical transport. But the Canadian Air Force found little use for these rough-field specialists (outside Arctic supply).
[4] FWSAR now relies exclusively on human spotters augmented with night vision goggles and flares. The revised FWSAR SOR also included, under instruction from government, the consideration of 'Alternative Service Delivery' and to allow for more than one aircraft type.
[5] FWSAR as top priority was 2005 Conservative election promise. However, once elected, the Harper Tories shelved the FWSAR Project in favour of buying C-17 strategic transports.
[6] 440 TRS was redesignated a pure Transport squadron when moved from Edmonton up to Yellowknife in 1995. Despite their yellow paint, 440's Rescue markings were removed in 1999.
[7] Summit's Dash-8/Q100s first flew with Arctic Sunwest (which Summit took over in 2012).
[8] Remaining in one's home community is a recruiting advantage for the RCAF Air Reserve.
Friday, September 9, 2016
DRS Meets the FWSAR Training Challenge
© 2016 FrontLine Defence (Vol 13, No 4)
The topography of Canada is perhaps the world’s foremost challenge for search and rescue operations. If the C-27J Spartan is chosen to become the nation’s next fixed-wing search-and-rescue (FWSAR) aircraft, the mission of DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. will be to help make that challenge more manageable.
Participating in a joint venture known as Spartan Aviation Services between corporate parent Leonardo-Finmeccanica and General Dynamics Mission Systems—Canada, DRS Technologies Canada, as the prime contractor and systems integrator for training systems, leads a group of Canadian companies. The group would build a training centre in Comox, British Columbia, and design a training program for it.
DRS has developed an integrated training solution that combines elements from established suppliers across Canada for the training of all FWSAR aircrew members and maintenance personnel. The Comox location on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island is considered ideal because of its proximity to nearby mountain ranges as well as other government and military training centres that will play a key role in the training program.
“Our training solution brings together first-class Canadian experience and suppliers that will provide state-of-the-art training support systems to meet Fixed-Wing SAR needs,” said Steve Zuber, vice president and general manager of DRS Technologies Canada, Ltd. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure excellent training for these crews who provide a vital service for Canadian citizens.”
The DRS solution combines top-tier training elements from established suppliers located across Canada. They include Bluedrop Training and Simulation of Halifax and TRU Simulation + Training of Montreal. Bluedrop would supply sophisticated courseware to meet the design requirements established by DRS and TRU. TRU would design and deliver training devices, including a full flight simulator. ATCO Structures and Logistics of Calgary, another member of the Spartan team, would design, build and maintain the training center.
DRS also would design and build an operational mission simulator, a sensor station simulator, and a mission procedures trainer. A virtual maintenance trainer would be built by Leonardo Aeronautics(formerly Alenia Aermacchi), the manufacturer of the C-27J Spartan. The training devices would be based on a common architecture, which would support the maximum re-use of the software simulated, optimizing the in-service support and minimizing costs due to configuration changes.
Canada is an imposing challenge for search and rescue operations but certainly one within the realm of modern aircraft and well-trained crews. If the C-27J Spartan is chosen to become the nation’s next FWSAR aircraft, the mission of DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. will be to deliver an integrated training system solution to support the SAR mission.
A rugged and maneuverable multi-mission aircraft, the Spartan offers some of the most up-to-date features available in aviation today. It can transport troops and cargo; air-drop paratroopers, equipment and material; and carry out medical evacuation and special missions. Designed for short takeoffs and landings, the Spartan could use a wide range of airfields, including truncated and unprepared Arctic strips that lack support equipment.
The Team Spartan proposal includes a commitment to deliver 100% of contract-value industrial offsets and benefits in the form of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.
“This is a vital mission for Canada and we are bringing together the best Canadian companies to ensure mission success,” Zuber said.
If the C-27J is selected, Team Spartan will manage the integrated logistic support for the aircraft through Spartan Aviation Services, a joint venture company led by General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Leonardo Aircraft, and headquartered in Ottawa, ON. It will be the Canadian in-service support integrator for the aircraft. In addition to overseeing all of the training system operations, Spartan Aviation Services will have the support of a strong Canadian partner network across the country.
The topography of Canada is perhaps the world’s foremost challenge for search and rescue operations. If the C-27J Spartan is chosen to become the nation’s next fixed-wing search-and-rescue (FWSAR) aircraft, the mission of DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. will be to help make that challenge more manageable.
Participating in a joint venture known as Spartan Aviation Services between corporate parent Leonardo-Finmeccanica and General Dynamics Mission Systems—Canada, DRS Technologies Canada, as the prime contractor and systems integrator for training systems, leads a group of Canadian companies. The group would build a training centre in Comox, British Columbia, and design a training program for it.
DRS has developed an integrated training solution that combines elements from established suppliers across Canada for the training of all FWSAR aircrew members and maintenance personnel. The Comox location on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island is considered ideal because of its proximity to nearby mountain ranges as well as other government and military training centres that will play a key role in the training program.
“Our training solution brings together first-class Canadian experience and suppliers that will provide state-of-the-art training support systems to meet Fixed-Wing SAR needs,” said Steve Zuber, vice president and general manager of DRS Technologies Canada, Ltd. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure excellent training for these crews who provide a vital service for Canadian citizens.”
The DRS solution combines top-tier training elements from established suppliers located across Canada. They include Bluedrop Training and Simulation of Halifax and TRU Simulation + Training of Montreal. Bluedrop would supply sophisticated courseware to meet the design requirements established by DRS and TRU. TRU would design and deliver training devices, including a full flight simulator. ATCO Structures and Logistics of Calgary, another member of the Spartan team, would design, build and maintain the training center.
DRS also would design and build an operational mission simulator, a sensor station simulator, and a mission procedures trainer. A virtual maintenance trainer would be built by Leonardo Aeronautics(formerly Alenia Aermacchi), the manufacturer of the C-27J Spartan. The training devices would be based on a common architecture, which would support the maximum re-use of the software simulated, optimizing the in-service support and minimizing costs due to configuration changes.
Canada is an imposing challenge for search and rescue operations but certainly one within the realm of modern aircraft and well-trained crews. If the C-27J Spartan is chosen to become the nation’s next FWSAR aircraft, the mission of DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. will be to deliver an integrated training system solution to support the SAR mission.
A rugged and maneuverable multi-mission aircraft, the Spartan offers some of the most up-to-date features available in aviation today. It can transport troops and cargo; air-drop paratroopers, equipment and material; and carry out medical evacuation and special missions. Designed for short takeoffs and landings, the Spartan could use a wide range of airfields, including truncated and unprepared Arctic strips that lack support equipment.
The Team Spartan proposal includes a commitment to deliver 100% of contract-value industrial offsets and benefits in the form of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.
“This is a vital mission for Canada and we are bringing together the best Canadian companies to ensure mission success,” Zuber said.
If the C-27J is selected, Team Spartan will manage the integrated logistic support for the aircraft through Spartan Aviation Services, a joint venture company led by General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Leonardo Aircraft, and headquartered in Ottawa, ON. It will be the Canadian in-service support integrator for the aircraft. In addition to overseeing all of the training system operations, Spartan Aviation Services will have the support of a strong Canadian partner network across the country.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Spartan FWSAR Consortium Proposes $3B SAR Training Center in Comox
By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch
A consortium trying to win a $3 billion contract to provide Canada with new search and rescue aircraft says it will build a new training facility in British Columbia if it is selected as the winning bidder.
The proposed three-storey, 73,000 square foot building would be located in Comox, British Columbia, Steve Lucas, a retired lieutenant general and former head of the Royal Canadian Air Force, told a news conference on Wednesday. Lucas is with Team Spartan, a consortium of companies which bid the C-27J aircraft for the Canadian contract.
Team Spartan consists of Leonardo-Finmeccanica, General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, DRS Technologies Canada and other firms. The company faces competition from Airbus and its team, which are offering Canada its C-295 plane as well as Embraer of Brazil, which has proposed its KC-390.
A new aircraft fleet will replace the Canadian military’s existing fleet of Buffalo and Hercules aircraft used for search and rescue. The Buffalos, first purchased in 1967, are key to search and rescue on the west coast and in parts of the Rockies.
The training center and training support system will be designed, built and managed by a team of Canadian-based companies led by DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. The new facility will be designed to house a cadre of instruction classrooms, the air maintenance training hangar, and state-of-the-art full-flight and sensor-operator simulators for the C-27J Spartan aircraft, Lucas said.
19 Wing Comox is home to the Buffalo search and rescue aircraft as well as CH-149 Cormorant helicopters, also used for SAR missions.
Lucas said Comox is an ideal training location because of its proximity to mountain areas, the ocean and other bodies of water.
The Canadian government expects to select the winning bidder by the end of the year.
During the election campaign, the Liberals promised that their government would “prioritize the acquisition of cost-effective search and rescue aircraft.”
The project originally envisioned buying 17 aircraft. But that has been changed and it will be up to aerospace firms to submit in their bids the numbers of aircraft they believe are needed for Canada to handle the needed search and rescue capability.
A consortium trying to win a $3 billion contract to provide Canada with new search and rescue aircraft says it will build a new training facility in British Columbia if it is selected as the winning bidder.
The proposed three-storey, 73,000 square foot building would be located in Comox, British Columbia, Steve Lucas, a retired lieutenant general and former head of the Royal Canadian Air Force, told a news conference on Wednesday. Lucas is with Team Spartan, a consortium of companies which bid the C-27J aircraft for the Canadian contract.
Team Spartan consists of Leonardo-Finmeccanica, General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, DRS Technologies Canada and other firms. The company faces competition from Airbus and its team, which are offering Canada its C-295 plane as well as Embraer of Brazil, which has proposed its KC-390.
A new aircraft fleet will replace the Canadian military’s existing fleet of Buffalo and Hercules aircraft used for search and rescue. The Buffalos, first purchased in 1967, are key to search and rescue on the west coast and in parts of the Rockies.
The training center and training support system will be designed, built and managed by a team of Canadian-based companies led by DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. The new facility will be designed to house a cadre of instruction classrooms, the air maintenance training hangar, and state-of-the-art full-flight and sensor-operator simulators for the C-27J Spartan aircraft, Lucas said.
19 Wing Comox is home to the Buffalo search and rescue aircraft as well as CH-149 Cormorant helicopters, also used for SAR missions.
Lucas said Comox is an ideal training location because of its proximity to mountain areas, the ocean and other bodies of water.
The Canadian government expects to select the winning bidder by the end of the year.
During the election campaign, the Liberals promised that their government would “prioritize the acquisition of cost-effective search and rescue aircraft.”
The project originally envisioned buying 17 aircraft. But that has been changed and it will be up to aerospace firms to submit in their bids the numbers of aircraft they believe are needed for Canada to handle the needed search and rescue capability.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Last RCAF CC-130E Lands at Aviation Museum in Ottawa
Check out the Tweet Above to watch the Last CC-130E land at the Aviation and Space Museum, in Ottawa.— CWH Museum (@CWHM) April 5, 2016
Written by David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen
The Hercules will become part of the museum’s permanent exhibition.
In the case of transfer of the last CC-130 E Hercules Legacy in service to the museum, standard preservation procedures were applied: the fuel tanks were drained and engines disabled, the RCAF noted.
 |
| RCAF Crew with the CC-130E Hercules, ahead of its last flight (photo courtesy of RCAF) |
Although designed in the early 1950s, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules remains one of the most successful military transport airplanes ever designed. Operated in every region of the globe, this flying truck has consistently shown itself to be extremely durable, reliable, and tough. The Royal Canadian Air Force received its first Hercules in the fall of 1960. Improved versions were ordered as time went by. A new batch was in fact delivered in 2010-12 and will remain in service for years to come. The Hercules offered to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is the oldest Canadian example of the type. It entered service in 1965 and was used as a transport airplane, a navigation training airplane, and a search and rescue airplane.
The Hercules offered to the Museum (manufacturer number 382-4041) is the third CC-130E – and the seventh CC-130 – acquired by the Canadian military. Taken on strength on February 9, 1965, the airplane received the RCAF serial number 10307 (130307 from May 1970 onward). It flew with 435 Squadron, a unit based at RCAF Station Namao (Alberta).
After approximately ten years spent at Namao, the Hercules was converted into a navigation training airplane, with the designation CC-130N / NT or Nav-Herc, and used at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Winnipeg by the Canadian Forces Air Navigation School. It was one of four Hercules so modified to train navigators who would fly aboard transport airplanes (Lockheed CC-130 Hercules) or maritime patrol airplanes (Canadair CP-107 Argus or, later, Lockheed CP-140 Aurora). The airplanes could be configured for either type of training by using removable pallet-mounted consoles made by Northwest Industries of Edmonton. Each of these consoles carried two student positions as well as an instructor position, further back. A Hercules could either carry two identical consoles, or one of each type.
With the introduction of a dedicated navigation training airplane in 1991, the Hercules offered to the Museum was transferred to 429 Squadron, a transport unit based at CFB Winnipeg. In 1993, it was converted into a search and rescue airplane, a version known informally as the CC-130E(SAR). The airplane went to 424 Squadron, a unit based at CFB Trenton (Ontario).
This Hercules is the last of the CC-130Es and the oldest Hercules still flying in Canada. There is a CC-130E Hercules (serial number 130314), very similar to the one offered to the Museum, at the National Air Force Museum of Canada, in Trenton
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Change Needed in Canadian Defence Policy - Should we be looking at Australia?
Published in today's National Post, Matthew Fisher has written an interesting article explaining how Australia decides its matters of national security and overall defence policy. The intent of his article is to perhaps convince Canadians that we would be better off if Canada changed how it dealt with national security issues, military spending, and procurement; and took a lead from the non-partisan way Australia has been working for years.
Fisher's main arguement is that Australia has adapted a non-partisan forum for deciding issues of national security and its overall defence policy because it is geographically isolated from its allies, and therefore must make swift defence decisions. Australia cannot afford to take decades to decide on procurement; like Canada has been doing now on its FWSAR, CF-18 replacement, and the replacement fleet for the Royal Canadian Navy.
You can read his article below and decide for yourself.
Australians figured out decades ago that national defence was too important to be left to the whims of competing political parties and their leaders.
While Canada has long dithered about what fighter jets to buy, Australia has acquired F-35s and F-18 Super Hornets with little political fuss or public outcry, Matthew Fisher writes, due to an all-party consensus that a common and consistent vision on national security is top priority.
What has evolved Down Under is an all-party consensus that robustly defending Australia is a top-level national interest. Decisions on strategic policy, defence budgets and procurement policies reflect that. A common vision on security supersedes everything.
There is a strong public expectation political parties and their leaders will set aside their differences and work together.
No matter which party is in power in Canberra, major defence policies have remained the same. There was been little parliamentary squabbling or controversy over such issues as the deployment of Royal Australian Air Force F-18 Hornets and Super Hornets to bomb the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while training more Iraqi security forces than Canada has done or is proposing to do.
Nor do opposition parties seek election in Australia by campaigning to undo many of the outgoing government’s defence policies. Continuity in security strategy and philosophy are considered far too important. Even the media and defence analysts tend to be agreed on this. So debates on national defence often end up being about different shades of grey.
Australia provides the best straight-up comparison with Canada because both are large, thinly populated countries and share the Westminster political system and traditions. But while Canada has dithered for years about what fighter jets and warships to buy next, with little political fuss or public outcry Australia has acquired F-35s and F-18 Super Hornets. Its navy has commissioned a huge new assault ship, with another on the way, and is committed to spending more than $15 billion on a fleet of submarines to be built in Japan, Germany or France.
Such purchases often become political footballs in Canada because some politicians demand the money be spent in their jurisdictions. Australia can avoid such expensive partisan nonsense because the public has little patience for politicians trying to gain advantage from important decisions about the country’s security.
The usual explanation for Australia’s striking unity on security issues is that it is far from friends in a distant corner of the world while Canada expects the U.S. to pay most of its defence bills.
This is at least partly true, but consensus on national security has also been obvious for decades in Britain and France, and even in small Nordic countries with liberal traditions such as Norway, Sweden and Finland. In the U.S., there is still fairly broad political backing whenever a president commits troops overseas.
Canada has not had a broad public or political consensus on major military matters for some years. The most notable exception to this drift, which set in after the Korean War, was the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan. John Manley’s report, whose recommendations were accepted by Parliament in 2008, called for combat troops in Kandahar to be provided with helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle support, and combat help from a U.S. army infantry battalion.
Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, who was responsible for the prosecution of Canada’s combat mission in southern Afghanistan during its most difficult years, points out it was not only incoming Liberal governments that tried to reverse the security policies of those they were replacing. For the first time in more than half a century the Paul Martin government decided to send ground troops to fight overseas in 2005. Within a few months, it was out of power.
“Canadians had instead elected the Harper government and its main military plank was to do more in the Arctic, not Afghanistan” he said. “The Conservatives had to immediately adjust to NATO and working in coalitions.”
Stephen Harper was no fan of peacekeeping or the United Nations. Justin Trudeau champions peacekeeping and internationalism. So does the New Democratic Party, which has a strong pacifist bent and would like the military to be defanged.
Without taking a position on these opposing views, Gauthier said, “You can’t turn around national security policy on a dime. Procurement takes 20 years and development of military capacities takes 15 to 20 years. There has to be some kind of consistency in a country’s national security vision. Defence and foreign policy derive from agreed interests and values.”
Armed forces in a democracy must abide by the decisions made by those whom the public elects. There is no question about that.
But it would be mighty helpful if Canada’s political parties understood, as Australians do, why there is a compelling need for continuity in defence policy and could forge a consensus about what the country’s strategic interests and values are. There is no chance that will happen as long as they do not regard national defence as a priority.
Fisher's main arguement is that Australia has adapted a non-partisan forum for deciding issues of national security and its overall defence policy because it is geographically isolated from its allies, and therefore must make swift defence decisions. Australia cannot afford to take decades to decide on procurement; like Canada has been doing now on its FWSAR, CF-18 replacement, and the replacement fleet for the Royal Canadian Navy.
You can read his article below and decide for yourself.
Published by Matthew Fisher, National Post, Thursday February 18, 2016 Edition
While Canada has long dithered about what fighter jets to buy, Australia has acquired F-35s and F-18 Super Hornets with little political fuss or public outcry, Matthew Fisher writes, due to an all-party consensus that a common and consistent vision on national security is top priority.
What has evolved Down Under is an all-party consensus that robustly defending Australia is a top-level national interest. Decisions on strategic policy, defence budgets and procurement policies reflect that. A common vision on security supersedes everything.
There is a strong public expectation political parties and their leaders will set aside their differences and work together.
No matter which party is in power in Canberra, major defence policies have remained the same. There was been little parliamentary squabbling or controversy over such issues as the deployment of Royal Australian Air Force F-18 Hornets and Super Hornets to bomb the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while training more Iraqi security forces than Canada has done or is proposing to do.
Nor do opposition parties seek election in Australia by campaigning to undo many of the outgoing government’s defence policies. Continuity in security strategy and philosophy are considered far too important. Even the media and defence analysts tend to be agreed on this. So debates on national defence often end up being about different shades of grey.
Australia provides the best straight-up comparison with Canada because both are large, thinly populated countries and share the Westminster political system and traditions. But while Canada has dithered for years about what fighter jets and warships to buy next, with little political fuss or public outcry Australia has acquired F-35s and F-18 Super Hornets. Its navy has commissioned a huge new assault ship, with another on the way, and is committed to spending more than $15 billion on a fleet of submarines to be built in Japan, Germany or France.
Such purchases often become political footballs in Canada because some politicians demand the money be spent in their jurisdictions. Australia can avoid such expensive partisan nonsense because the public has little patience for politicians trying to gain advantage from important decisions about the country’s security.
The usual explanation for Australia’s striking unity on security issues is that it is far from friends in a distant corner of the world while Canada expects the U.S. to pay most of its defence bills.
This is at least partly true, but consensus on national security has also been obvious for decades in Britain and France, and even in small Nordic countries with liberal traditions such as Norway, Sweden and Finland. In the U.S., there is still fairly broad political backing whenever a president commits troops overseas.
Canada has not had a broad public or political consensus on major military matters for some years. The most notable exception to this drift, which set in after the Korean War, was the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan. John Manley’s report, whose recommendations were accepted by Parliament in 2008, called for combat troops in Kandahar to be provided with helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle support, and combat help from a U.S. army infantry battalion.
Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, who was responsible for the prosecution of Canada’s combat mission in southern Afghanistan during its most difficult years, points out it was not only incoming Liberal governments that tried to reverse the security policies of those they were replacing. For the first time in more than half a century the Paul Martin government decided to send ground troops to fight overseas in 2005. Within a few months, it was out of power.
“Canadians had instead elected the Harper government and its main military plank was to do more in the Arctic, not Afghanistan” he said. “The Conservatives had to immediately adjust to NATO and working in coalitions.”
Stephen Harper was no fan of peacekeeping or the United Nations. Justin Trudeau champions peacekeeping and internationalism. So does the New Democratic Party, which has a strong pacifist bent and would like the military to be defanged.
Without taking a position on these opposing views, Gauthier said, “You can’t turn around national security policy on a dime. Procurement takes 20 years and development of military capacities takes 15 to 20 years. There has to be some kind of consistency in a country’s national security vision. Defence and foreign policy derive from agreed interests and values.”
Armed forces in a democracy must abide by the decisions made by those whom the public elects. There is no question about that.
But it would be mighty helpful if Canada’s political parties understood, as Australians do, why there is a compelling need for continuity in defence policy and could forge a consensus about what the country’s strategic interests and values are. There is no chance that will happen as long as they do not regard national defence as a priority.
Comparing the FWSAR Bids for RCAF
BY KEN POLE
© 2016 FrontLine Defence (Vol 13, No 1)
Sometime in the late 1990s, air force planners in the Department of National Defence began considering the next stage in fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) capabilities. Whatever aircraft was selected would continue a proud heritage dating to just after World War: servicing what has evolved into one of the largest SAR jurisdiction in the world, extending to the High Arctic and well out into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
2012 – MCpl Sean Daniell, a SAR Tech from 442 Transport and Rescue Sqn, Comox, British Columbia checks the tail of the CC-115 Buffalo aircraft for ice buildup during a SAR training scenario during Operation NUNALIVUT 2012. (Photo: Sgt Matthew McGregor, CF Combat Camera)
It would be 2002 before the new requirement would be officially identified, in 2003 the Defence Minister would announce it as “a priority” for his department. After a few drafts, the first Statement of Requirements (SOR), which DND planners did not make public, followed in 2004 and the government’s budget that March provided for $1.3 billion in initial funding. The stated goal was to have the first new aircraft entering service in 2006, however, the project became mired in controversy – originally due to complaints that the SOR had been written with a particular aircraft in mind, effectively eliminating any opportunity for competitive bids. Since then, a Request for Proposals (RFP) from industry was drafted and revised a half dozen times and the project bogged down in rewrites, bureaucratic delays and worry over political fallout. Every Defence Minister from Art Eggleton (1999-2002) to Jason Kenney (2015) has tried to push this project forward to no avail. The new minister, Harjit Singh Sajjan, will finally see it move forward.
Two decades after the need was first considered by those DND planners (most or all of whom have retired), the SOR was reportedly heavily modified, and the new RFP (deemed satisfactorily fair by industry stakeholders) was issued in March 2015 – finally setting the stage for first delivery of new aircraft.
As of the 11 January 2016 deadline for responding to the new Request for Proposals (RFP), three twin-engine aircraft (two European-built turboprops and one Brazilian jet) are in the final competition to supply the Royal Canadian Air Force with new fixed-wing search and rescue capability. Entry into service of new aircraft will end one of the longest and most controversial procurements in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Although Team Spartan’s C-27J and the Airbus C-295W (the two turboprops from Italy and Spain) had long been considered the only serious contenders for Canada’s Fixed Wing SAR contract, a number of others have considered entering the competition, such as Bombardier and Lockheed Martin. Embraer’s KC-390 (the jet from Brazil) is now the newest and only other contender to seek to fill the role. Over the years, a few companies had also offered alternative solutions, such as Boeing and Viking Air. Now, however, with three contenders submitting bids, and a decision anticipated later this year, the painful procurement saga is about to end and a tantalizing new chapter of operational missions is on the horizon.
The C-295W, built in Spain by Airbus Defence & Space, and the C-27J Spartan, built in Italy by the Aircraft Division of Finmecchanica (formerly Alenia-Aermacchi), are both similar in basic configuration to the six remaining deHavilland C-115 Buffalos, which entered service with the RCAF in the 1960s as tactical transports and were retasked for SAR work in 1975. Those six remaining “Buffs” currently operate on the West Coast at RCAF Base Comox. While still capable aircraft, having been extensively upgraded a decade ago, they now cost millions annually to keep in service, and spare parts are increasingly difficult to find. The third and newest contender, the KC-390 built in São Paulo by Embraer, is a latecomer to the FWSAR competition.
CC-115 Buffalo goes through the bird-bath to remove any residue that may have accumulated on the airframe as a result of the hours flown over salt water. Buffalos, Hercules and Twin Otters have been handling all FWSAR flights over the years.(Photo: Sgt Eileen Redding)
When the extended bidding process finally closed for the $3.1-billion contract to supply around 17 missionized aircraft (which will also replace 11 older Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft used for SAR work), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) would say only that three companies had responded to its 2,000-page Request for Proposal (RFP), which also provides for an initial 20 years of in-service support (ISS).
While PSPC declines to identify the bidders as a matter of policy, FrontLine Defence had already confirmed their identities. Lockheed Martin had been rumoured to be considering bidding new J models of its C-130, which would have had fleet commonality with the RCAF’s current core transport, but the company was neither confirming nor denying that it had bid even two days after the deadline had expired.
A week after the bids closed, Lockheed Martin confirmed to FrontLine that although it had been a “potential” bidder, the company had opted to drop out after “an extensive and thorough analysis of the RFP’s requirements.” Spokesperson Cindy Tessier said the company preferred to focus on supporting the RCAF’s fleet of newer J-model Hercules.
Each of the RFP bidders were requested to provide a digitally-signed master and six printed copies, the latter weighing at least a couple of hundred kilograms each. “The master copy . . . takes precedence,” PSPC explained. “Additional paper copies are required to support bid evaluation teams that will be working in parallel across three departments.” PSPC retained two copies, the Department of National Defence received three for distribution to its evaluation teams, and the other copy went to the Department of Innovation, Science & Economic Development, which assesses industrial offsets proposed for Canadian companies in the various bids.
“Verification of the proposals will be conducted by the bid evaluation teams . . . and there is a process in place where bidders may be requested to clarify information or correct any inadvertent errors or omissions,” PSPC said. “Bid evaluation, which includes aircraft (ground and flight) testing, is expected to take about six months and a contract award is anticipated sometime in the late 2016, early 2017 timeframe.”
September 2015 – Search and Rescue Technicians aboard a CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 435 Squadron, watch out the spotter window for their ground target during in SAREX 15, in Comox, British Columbia. (Photo: Cpl Ian Thompson, 4 Wing Cold Lake Alberta)
The original target date to meet a need anticipated by the RCAF in the 1990s and officially identified in 2002 is long past. History shows that after a few drafts, the first official version of the Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR), which was signed off in March 2004, was greeted with accusations that DND had written it with a specific aircraft in mind (the C-27J) rather than the mission. Controversy delayed the issue of an RFP and subsequent revisions (versions 2 and 3) of the SOR, issued in April and August 2005, did not resolve the complaints. The increasingly rancorous political debate went on for years and confounded numerous Defence Ministers.
Despite attempts to “fast-track” the program, it continually found itself at the bottom of the “to do” list due to the political quagmire. In late 2009, in an attempt to get out from under the multi-layered accusations, the department of Public Works & Government Services, as it was known then, asked the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa to review the SOR.
The NRC’s test pilots and engineers concluded in their March 2010 report that the SOR had effectively limited the RCAF’s options by, among other things, specifying an “off the shelf” aircraft which lacked integrated SAR sensors such as electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR), search radar and night vision imaging. This represented a need for extensive modifications involving significant risk, expense, and delay (otherwise known as “Canadianization”). The NRC team recommended avoiding the use of this terminology “unless it is anticipated that aircraft may be procured in the form they are currently produced with no design changes.
Sept 2015 – WO Norm Penny parachutes out of a Twin Otter aircraft as Sgt Chad Hildebrant and MCpl Ashley Barker look on during SAREX15 in British Columbia. (Photo: Sgt Halina Folfas, 19 Wing Imaging)
The review team also balked at the SOR’s specification of an unrefueled range of 1,699 nautical miles (nearly 3,150 kilometres) with a 3,130 kg payload, which they said was “inconsistent with the stated core objective of […] maintaining or improving the SAR level of service.” The current Buffalos have a range of 2,240km with a maximum load of 2,727 kilograms. It should be noted that the standard SAR payload for the Buffalo is just under 1,000 kg, and the minimum payload, as stated in the RFP, is reportedly 3057 lbs (1,387 kg).
Another comparison to utilize is “Ferry range” which implies a lightly-loaded aircraft with full tanks (the minimum payload cited in the SOR likely would be close). FrontLine gathered the following ferry range data on the contenders: C295W: 5750km; C-27J: 5926km; KC-390: 6019km.
More critical to the issue of transparency, and what may have kick-started the accusations of impropriety, was the SOR’s mandatory requirement of a minimum cabin height of 83 inches. This eliminated the competition as, at the time, only the C-27J conformed to that specification. In its review of the SOR, the NRC team noted that both the Cormorant and Buffalo cabin heights are significantly less than 83 inches, and that none of the SAR techs they interviewed were uncomfortable with the cabin heights of those aircraft. NRC concluded that the stated requirement of 83 inches cabin height was “not supported”.
Lauded as a fair and unbiased assessment by the NRC, this report created the much-needed whiff of transparency that finally unlocked the shackles, allowed the SOR to be revised, and the program finally saw the light of day after more than a decade of controversy.
Captain Matt Adam steers his CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 435 Sqn in a tight orbit around the ground target during SAREX 15.(Photo: Cpl Ian Thompson, Imagery Technician, 4 Wing Cold Lake)
Airbus C-295W
The revised SOR enabled Airbus to keep the C-295 in contention. A tactical transport developed from the proven CN-235, it features a stretched fuselage, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G engines (which afford longer range, a higher operational ceiling, and heavier payloads), and the now-ubiquitous winglets (which improved its aerodynamics – performance and fuel efficiency – significant enough to add the W to the designator).
In bidding for the contract, Airbus has set up AirPro SAR Services, a joint venture with Provincial Aerospace Ltd. (PAL), which is headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland and has a track record of providing ISS and other services to customers in Caribbean and Middle East markets as well as at home, racking up more than 250,000 hours of flying time. PAL Chief Development Officer Keith Stoodley told FrontLine at a bid-day briefing that all C-295W in-service support will be done in Canada.
Other partners added to the C-295 team include CAE (training provider), Pratt & Whitney Canada(engine provider), and L-3 WESCAM (for their world-renowned electro-optical/infrared turrets). The company has indicated it will release a list of second tier suppliers at a later date.
Pablo Molina, Head of Airbus’ Military Aircraft Division in Canada, told the briefing that the C-295W is the “market leading aircraft” in its category, capable of handling any conditions the Canadian SAR mission can throw at it – and at the lowest cost. Airbus advises that since the RFP was launched in March, there have been sales of an additional 13 aircraft, bringing the total C-295 sales to more than 165. Antonio Rodriguez-Barberan, Senior Vice-President Commercial, Special Projects for Airbus, noting that 15 years had passed since he first visited Canada to discuss the FWSAR project, added that their proposal was “fully compliant” with the “very, very demanding requirement” set out in the RFP.
Airbus is proud to point out that, despite the development of the KC-390s, the Brazilian Air Force purchased three new Airbus C-295 aircraft (configured for SAR with mission system and sensors), to augment the 12 basic-configuration C-295s the country has been operating since 2006. Although they have opted out of the winglet configuration for reasons of fleet commonality, the mission systems and sensors of the new aircraft are similar to what is required for Canada, the company says. The first aircraft for the 2014 contract will be delivered to the Brazilian government later this year.
Airbus C-295W
Airbus points out that all “Canadianization” will be incorporated into the C-295 at the manufacturing stage, not added after delivery. The mission system, sensors, engines, EO/IR turrets and other components are all installed on the assembly line in Seville as part of the manufacturing process and facilitating quality control. This “eliminates the need to modify the aircraft after final assembly,” says a company representative. It also creates more accountability based on control of the process and allows Airbus to reduce risk and cost, while ensuring the aircraft is delivered on schedule, as contracted.
Like its two competitors, the C-295W requires a minimum crew of two, pilot and co-pilot, but SAR missions also can involve sensor operators, spotters, SAR Technicians and a load master as needed. Measuring 24.4 metres in length with a 27.59 m wingspan, its maximum speed is 480 kilometres per hour, with a range of over 5400 km (over 2,900 nm) with the required minimum SAR payload of 3,057 lbs (1,387 kg).
Finmeccanica C-27J
The other top contender, Finmeccanica, brought its C-27J Spartan to Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport for a two-hour briefing in December 2015. A multi-mission variant for la Fuerza Aérea del Perú, one of more than a dozen military and paramilitary services around the world which fly the Spartan, it was being flown by company pilots to Lima from Italy via Canada and the Bahamas.
The C-27J was developed from a 1962 design for the Fiat G.222 and is, hence, effectively a contemporary airframe to the Buffalo. Its engine, propeller and flight deck equipment were originally Hercules-based, however, Lockheed has publicly stated that there are no remaining flight deck commonalities between the C-130J and the C-27J. Team Spartan’s FWSAR configuration would be an upgraded version of the one acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard. The cockpit would feature the latest avionics, and extra power from the Rolls Royce AE-2100-S2A turbines would increase its maximum takeoff weight.
Paratroopers prepare to jump from the rear ramp of a Polish C-295.
Team Spartan consists of numerous aerospace defence companies ready to supply their specialized expertise. For example, Finmeccanica Aeronautics would supply green aircraft for outfitting at IMP Aerospace in Nova Scotia. Others include Airdyne (spotter windows, seats and flare launcher); DRS Technologies Canada (courseware and training aids); Esterline CMC (flight management system and electronic flight bag); Flyht Aerospace Solutions (Iridium satellite communications); General Dynamics Mission Systems – Canada (ISS integrator); KF Aerospace (maintenance, supply chain and repair engineering ISS, pilot and maintenance training, management support); L-3 WESCAM (EO/IR turrets); Rockwell Collins (radios); and Selex-ES (search radar).
On the key element of industrial offsets, Team Spartan said in a statement that it has committed to delivering “100 per cent of contract value […] benefits in the form of hundreds of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.”
DND’s former Chief of the Air Staff (2005-2007), Steve Lucas, is now Canadian spokesman for Team Spartan. He told a media briefing at the Gatineau airport that “thanks to its exceptional speed, size, endurance and manœuverability,” the C-27J “can reach austere and remote locations […] from Canada’s existing main operating bases.”
Although similar in length and manœuvrability to the Buffalo, the C-27J’s speed, pressurized cargo compartment and circumference are more similar to the Hercules than the Buffalo. Shorter than the Airbus platform at 22.7 m, it has a significantly higher and wider cabin. The C-27-J also features a greater wingspan and 25% more wing area, which facilitates searching at slower speeds. Its maximum speed is 602kph, its range is nearly 1,852km with a full payload of 11,500kg. Based on the minimum SAR load specified in the RFP, Team Spartan puts the C-27J’s range between 2,300 and 2,600 nautical miles (4,260 to 4,815 km), depending on the conditions.
Both aircraft offer, like the venerable Buffalo, exceptional short-field take-off and landing capability.
C-27J
IMP’s “Canadianization” would involve a range of government-mandated hardware, including the chin-mounted L-3 WESCAM turret, belly-mounted radar and extraordinarily large bubble spotter windows which would take up almost the entire rear doors on each side of the aft fuselage. Coupled with a modular “palletized” interior, all mean increased weight and drag and, when asked whether that was why winglets have been added to the design, Lucas replied that it was “certainly one of the reasons.” Noting that many newer commercial aircraft feature them, he added that in the case of the C-27J, “in a number of flight environments, the winglets will either completely or partially offset those particular drag components.”
Embraer KC-390
As for the third contender, the KC-390, Embraer is touting its speed, range, payload and lifecycle costs as key attributes for the RCAF. Conceived as a clean-sheet design in 2006, it was still in early development when FrontLine Defence visited São Paulo in late 2012, but the company rolled out the first of two prototypes in just two years.
Geraldo Gomes, vice-president of international business development for Embraer Defense and Security, said the company managed to fast-track the program by drawing on nearly a half-century of civil and military design, development and production expertise. “Development of the KC-390 made extensive use of advanced digital modeling technologies, test rigs and advanced manufacturing processes in order to anticipate any issue,” he explained to FrontLine while attending the AIAC conference in November 2015.
The first flight of the KC-390 was in February 2015 and that aircraft, about to be joined by the second prototype, now is approximately halfway through 2,000 hours of flight test evaluation. Certification is expected in the second half of 2017, entry into service in 2018. Embraer’s heaviest model to date, the KC-390 is by far the largest candidate for the Buffalo replacement at 33.43m in length with a 33.94m wingspan. It can carry up to 23.6 tonnes some 1,400km at a top speed of 850kph. Its range, based on the minimum SAR payload of 3,057 pounds, is 6,278 km (3,390 nm); this range includes reserves for 100 nautical miles alternate and 45 minutes hold.
According to Embraer, the certification strategy for the KC-390 is based on a dual approach: civil certification, under Part 25 (transport category), by ANAC, the Brazilian Civil Certification Authority, for the “green aircraft” (basic aircraft), complemented by IFI, the Brazilian Military Certification Authority, military certification, for the full certification of all systems and capabilities of the aircraft.
KC-390
“In the case we are selected for the FWSAR Program, the Canadian Military Certification Authority is expected to issue the FWSAR configuration type certificate, based on the Brazilian full military certification,” explained corporate spokesperson Valtécio Alencar. “For the moment,” he continued, “there is no identified need for a civil certification with the FAA (USA) or Transport Canada. The KC-390 development planning and schedule allow us to assure full compliance with all certification requirements on the FWSAR request for proposals and we are very confident about our ability to deliver the best solution for the Canadian SAR needs.”
As for specialized technologies, Gomes said the KC-390 features the latest avionics, electro-optic/infrared and radar sensors, full night-vision-goggle capability, and fly-by-wire technology, which enables the crew to focus on the mission. It would, he said, be “the ideal aircraft” for the Canadian SAR mission because it can be flown not only ‘high and fast’ but also ‘low and slow’ (which is a Brazilian Air Force requirement for paratrooper drops and inflight refueling of helicopters). He said it is “SAR-ready from the initial concept” and “fast reconfiguration allows the plane to act as a fast transport for injured victims with litters and life-support equipment.”
He pointed out that the BAF’s SAR environments are similar to Canada’s, including dense forest, mountains and large maritime areas. “The sooner you get to the search area, the higher the chances of success,” reminds Gomes.
Power is from International Aero Engines V2500-E5 turbofans, and this is the first military application of the units used in the larger Airbus A320s. While test evaluation is “progressing well”, none of it has involved austere airstrips. Even so, Gomes said “the ability to operate from unpaved or contaminated runways has been an integral part of the design requirements.”
Other key suppliers to Embraer include two U.S. majors – Rockwell Collins (avionics and cargo-handling and aerial delivery system) and Goodrich Corp. (primary fly-by-wire) – as well as the venerable Czech firm Aero Vodochody (aft fuselage). Although Embraer has talked with potential Canadian partners about spinoffs from the RCAF procurement, Gomes would say only that Embraer would deliver “a competitive, custom-made solution for Canada and this will certainly include local participation.”
As for lifecycle costs, Gomes insisted that the KC-390’s are the lowest in its class. “The latest maintainability processes and tools allow the aircraft to operate with longer time between inspections and reduced maintenance downtime. The KC-390 uses mature solutions like proven engines, commercial off-the-shelf basic avionics, and integrated fault monitoring. It also introduces new technologies to the medium airlift category such as Prognostic Health Monitoring and Advanced Structural Health Monitoring.”
There currently are 28 firm orders from the BAF, which also will acquire the two prototypes, having put up the equivalent of $1.5 billion in initial funding. Argentina, the Czech Republic and Portugal (which also contributed to the $2-billion development cost) have signed letters of intent, as have Chile and Colombia. If all translate into firm orders, the total would be 60 aircraft, excluding the prototypes.
A Canadian selection would give Embraer a foothold in North America, which is a key element of its goal of securing “a good share” of what Gomes called the “addressable replacement market” of some 700 medium-airlift transports worldwide by 2030.
Wrap-up
Selection of any one of the three contenders would be a significant step toward a long-overdue reinvigoration of Canada’s overall SAR capabilities in what is acknowledged at home and abroad as one of the most demanding environments in the world.
===
Ken Pole is a contributing editor
at FrontLine magazines.
© 2016 FrontLine Defence (Vol 13, No 1)
Sometime in the late 1990s, air force planners in the Department of National Defence began considering the next stage in fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) capabilities. Whatever aircraft was selected would continue a proud heritage dating to just after World War: servicing what has evolved into one of the largest SAR jurisdiction in the world, extending to the High Arctic and well out into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
2012 – MCpl Sean Daniell, a SAR Tech from 442 Transport and Rescue Sqn, Comox, British Columbia checks the tail of the CC-115 Buffalo aircraft for ice buildup during a SAR training scenario during Operation NUNALIVUT 2012. (Photo: Sgt Matthew McGregor, CF Combat Camera)
It would be 2002 before the new requirement would be officially identified, in 2003 the Defence Minister would announce it as “a priority” for his department. After a few drafts, the first Statement of Requirements (SOR), which DND planners did not make public, followed in 2004 and the government’s budget that March provided for $1.3 billion in initial funding. The stated goal was to have the first new aircraft entering service in 2006, however, the project became mired in controversy – originally due to complaints that the SOR had been written with a particular aircraft in mind, effectively eliminating any opportunity for competitive bids. Since then, a Request for Proposals (RFP) from industry was drafted and revised a half dozen times and the project bogged down in rewrites, bureaucratic delays and worry over political fallout. Every Defence Minister from Art Eggleton (1999-2002) to Jason Kenney (2015) has tried to push this project forward to no avail. The new minister, Harjit Singh Sajjan, will finally see it move forward.
Two decades after the need was first considered by those DND planners (most or all of whom have retired), the SOR was reportedly heavily modified, and the new RFP (deemed satisfactorily fair by industry stakeholders) was issued in March 2015 – finally setting the stage for first delivery of new aircraft.
As of the 11 January 2016 deadline for responding to the new Request for Proposals (RFP), three twin-engine aircraft (two European-built turboprops and one Brazilian jet) are in the final competition to supply the Royal Canadian Air Force with new fixed-wing search and rescue capability. Entry into service of new aircraft will end one of the longest and most controversial procurements in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Although Team Spartan’s C-27J and the Airbus C-295W (the two turboprops from Italy and Spain) had long been considered the only serious contenders for Canada’s Fixed Wing SAR contract, a number of others have considered entering the competition, such as Bombardier and Lockheed Martin. Embraer’s KC-390 (the jet from Brazil) is now the newest and only other contender to seek to fill the role. Over the years, a few companies had also offered alternative solutions, such as Boeing and Viking Air. Now, however, with three contenders submitting bids, and a decision anticipated later this year, the painful procurement saga is about to end and a tantalizing new chapter of operational missions is on the horizon.
The C-295W, built in Spain by Airbus Defence & Space, and the C-27J Spartan, built in Italy by the Aircraft Division of Finmecchanica (formerly Alenia-Aermacchi), are both similar in basic configuration to the six remaining deHavilland C-115 Buffalos, which entered service with the RCAF in the 1960s as tactical transports and were retasked for SAR work in 1975. Those six remaining “Buffs” currently operate on the West Coast at RCAF Base Comox. While still capable aircraft, having been extensively upgraded a decade ago, they now cost millions annually to keep in service, and spare parts are increasingly difficult to find. The third and newest contender, the KC-390 built in São Paulo by Embraer, is a latecomer to the FWSAR competition.
CC-115 Buffalo goes through the bird-bath to remove any residue that may have accumulated on the airframe as a result of the hours flown over salt water. Buffalos, Hercules and Twin Otters have been handling all FWSAR flights over the years.(Photo: Sgt Eileen Redding)
When the extended bidding process finally closed for the $3.1-billion contract to supply around 17 missionized aircraft (which will also replace 11 older Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft used for SAR work), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) would say only that three companies had responded to its 2,000-page Request for Proposal (RFP), which also provides for an initial 20 years of in-service support (ISS).
While PSPC declines to identify the bidders as a matter of policy, FrontLine Defence had already confirmed their identities. Lockheed Martin had been rumoured to be considering bidding new J models of its C-130, which would have had fleet commonality with the RCAF’s current core transport, but the company was neither confirming nor denying that it had bid even two days after the deadline had expired.
A week after the bids closed, Lockheed Martin confirmed to FrontLine that although it had been a “potential” bidder, the company had opted to drop out after “an extensive and thorough analysis of the RFP’s requirements.” Spokesperson Cindy Tessier said the company preferred to focus on supporting the RCAF’s fleet of newer J-model Hercules.
Each of the RFP bidders were requested to provide a digitally-signed master and six printed copies, the latter weighing at least a couple of hundred kilograms each. “The master copy . . . takes precedence,” PSPC explained. “Additional paper copies are required to support bid evaluation teams that will be working in parallel across three departments.” PSPC retained two copies, the Department of National Defence received three for distribution to its evaluation teams, and the other copy went to the Department of Innovation, Science & Economic Development, which assesses industrial offsets proposed for Canadian companies in the various bids.
“Verification of the proposals will be conducted by the bid evaluation teams . . . and there is a process in place where bidders may be requested to clarify information or correct any inadvertent errors or omissions,” PSPC said. “Bid evaluation, which includes aircraft (ground and flight) testing, is expected to take about six months and a contract award is anticipated sometime in the late 2016, early 2017 timeframe.”
September 2015 – Search and Rescue Technicians aboard a CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 435 Squadron, watch out the spotter window for their ground target during in SAREX 15, in Comox, British Columbia. (Photo: Cpl Ian Thompson, 4 Wing Cold Lake Alberta)
The original target date to meet a need anticipated by the RCAF in the 1990s and officially identified in 2002 is long past. History shows that after a few drafts, the first official version of the Statement of Operational Requirements (SOR), which was signed off in March 2004, was greeted with accusations that DND had written it with a specific aircraft in mind (the C-27J) rather than the mission. Controversy delayed the issue of an RFP and subsequent revisions (versions 2 and 3) of the SOR, issued in April and August 2005, did not resolve the complaints. The increasingly rancorous political debate went on for years and confounded numerous Defence Ministers.
Despite attempts to “fast-track” the program, it continually found itself at the bottom of the “to do” list due to the political quagmire. In late 2009, in an attempt to get out from under the multi-layered accusations, the department of Public Works & Government Services, as it was known then, asked the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa to review the SOR.
The NRC’s test pilots and engineers concluded in their March 2010 report that the SOR had effectively limited the RCAF’s options by, among other things, specifying an “off the shelf” aircraft which lacked integrated SAR sensors such as electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR), search radar and night vision imaging. This represented a need for extensive modifications involving significant risk, expense, and delay (otherwise known as “Canadianization”). The NRC team recommended avoiding the use of this terminology “unless it is anticipated that aircraft may be procured in the form they are currently produced with no design changes.
Sept 2015 – WO Norm Penny parachutes out of a Twin Otter aircraft as Sgt Chad Hildebrant and MCpl Ashley Barker look on during SAREX15 in British Columbia. (Photo: Sgt Halina Folfas, 19 Wing Imaging)
The review team also balked at the SOR’s specification of an unrefueled range of 1,699 nautical miles (nearly 3,150 kilometres) with a 3,130 kg payload, which they said was “inconsistent with the stated core objective of […] maintaining or improving the SAR level of service.” The current Buffalos have a range of 2,240km with a maximum load of 2,727 kilograms. It should be noted that the standard SAR payload for the Buffalo is just under 1,000 kg, and the minimum payload, as stated in the RFP, is reportedly 3057 lbs (1,387 kg).
Another comparison to utilize is “Ferry range” which implies a lightly-loaded aircraft with full tanks (the minimum payload cited in the SOR likely would be close). FrontLine gathered the following ferry range data on the contenders: C295W: 5750km; C-27J: 5926km; KC-390: 6019km.
More critical to the issue of transparency, and what may have kick-started the accusations of impropriety, was the SOR’s mandatory requirement of a minimum cabin height of 83 inches. This eliminated the competition as, at the time, only the C-27J conformed to that specification. In its review of the SOR, the NRC team noted that both the Cormorant and Buffalo cabin heights are significantly less than 83 inches, and that none of the SAR techs they interviewed were uncomfortable with the cabin heights of those aircraft. NRC concluded that the stated requirement of 83 inches cabin height was “not supported”.
Lauded as a fair and unbiased assessment by the NRC, this report created the much-needed whiff of transparency that finally unlocked the shackles, allowed the SOR to be revised, and the program finally saw the light of day after more than a decade of controversy.
Captain Matt Adam steers his CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 435 Sqn in a tight orbit around the ground target during SAREX 15.(Photo: Cpl Ian Thompson, Imagery Technician, 4 Wing Cold Lake)
Airbus C-295W
The revised SOR enabled Airbus to keep the C-295 in contention. A tactical transport developed from the proven CN-235, it features a stretched fuselage, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G engines (which afford longer range, a higher operational ceiling, and heavier payloads), and the now-ubiquitous winglets (which improved its aerodynamics – performance and fuel efficiency – significant enough to add the W to the designator).
In bidding for the contract, Airbus has set up AirPro SAR Services, a joint venture with Provincial Aerospace Ltd. (PAL), which is headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland and has a track record of providing ISS and other services to customers in Caribbean and Middle East markets as well as at home, racking up more than 250,000 hours of flying time. PAL Chief Development Officer Keith Stoodley told FrontLine at a bid-day briefing that all C-295W in-service support will be done in Canada.
Other partners added to the C-295 team include CAE (training provider), Pratt & Whitney Canada(engine provider), and L-3 WESCAM (for their world-renowned electro-optical/infrared turrets). The company has indicated it will release a list of second tier suppliers at a later date.
Pablo Molina, Head of Airbus’ Military Aircraft Division in Canada, told the briefing that the C-295W is the “market leading aircraft” in its category, capable of handling any conditions the Canadian SAR mission can throw at it – and at the lowest cost. Airbus advises that since the RFP was launched in March, there have been sales of an additional 13 aircraft, bringing the total C-295 sales to more than 165. Antonio Rodriguez-Barberan, Senior Vice-President Commercial, Special Projects for Airbus, noting that 15 years had passed since he first visited Canada to discuss the FWSAR project, added that their proposal was “fully compliant” with the “very, very demanding requirement” set out in the RFP.
Airbus is proud to point out that, despite the development of the KC-390s, the Brazilian Air Force purchased three new Airbus C-295 aircraft (configured for SAR with mission system and sensors), to augment the 12 basic-configuration C-295s the country has been operating since 2006. Although they have opted out of the winglet configuration for reasons of fleet commonality, the mission systems and sensors of the new aircraft are similar to what is required for Canada, the company says. The first aircraft for the 2014 contract will be delivered to the Brazilian government later this year.
Airbus C-295W
Airbus points out that all “Canadianization” will be incorporated into the C-295 at the manufacturing stage, not added after delivery. The mission system, sensors, engines, EO/IR turrets and other components are all installed on the assembly line in Seville as part of the manufacturing process and facilitating quality control. This “eliminates the need to modify the aircraft after final assembly,” says a company representative. It also creates more accountability based on control of the process and allows Airbus to reduce risk and cost, while ensuring the aircraft is delivered on schedule, as contracted.
Like its two competitors, the C-295W requires a minimum crew of two, pilot and co-pilot, but SAR missions also can involve sensor operators, spotters, SAR Technicians and a load master as needed. Measuring 24.4 metres in length with a 27.59 m wingspan, its maximum speed is 480 kilometres per hour, with a range of over 5400 km (over 2,900 nm) with the required minimum SAR payload of 3,057 lbs (1,387 kg).
Finmeccanica C-27J
The other top contender, Finmeccanica, brought its C-27J Spartan to Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport for a two-hour briefing in December 2015. A multi-mission variant for la Fuerza Aérea del Perú, one of more than a dozen military and paramilitary services around the world which fly the Spartan, it was being flown by company pilots to Lima from Italy via Canada and the Bahamas.
The C-27J was developed from a 1962 design for the Fiat G.222 and is, hence, effectively a contemporary airframe to the Buffalo. Its engine, propeller and flight deck equipment were originally Hercules-based, however, Lockheed has publicly stated that there are no remaining flight deck commonalities between the C-130J and the C-27J. Team Spartan’s FWSAR configuration would be an upgraded version of the one acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard. The cockpit would feature the latest avionics, and extra power from the Rolls Royce AE-2100-S2A turbines would increase its maximum takeoff weight.
Paratroopers prepare to jump from the rear ramp of a Polish C-295.
Team Spartan consists of numerous aerospace defence companies ready to supply their specialized expertise. For example, Finmeccanica Aeronautics would supply green aircraft for outfitting at IMP Aerospace in Nova Scotia. Others include Airdyne (spotter windows, seats and flare launcher); DRS Technologies Canada (courseware and training aids); Esterline CMC (flight management system and electronic flight bag); Flyht Aerospace Solutions (Iridium satellite communications); General Dynamics Mission Systems – Canada (ISS integrator); KF Aerospace (maintenance, supply chain and repair engineering ISS, pilot and maintenance training, management support); L-3 WESCAM (EO/IR turrets); Rockwell Collins (radios); and Selex-ES (search radar).
On the key element of industrial offsets, Team Spartan said in a statement that it has committed to delivering “100 per cent of contract value […] benefits in the form of hundreds of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.”
DND’s former Chief of the Air Staff (2005-2007), Steve Lucas, is now Canadian spokesman for Team Spartan. He told a media briefing at the Gatineau airport that “thanks to its exceptional speed, size, endurance and manœuverability,” the C-27J “can reach austere and remote locations […] from Canada’s existing main operating bases.”
Although similar in length and manœuvrability to the Buffalo, the C-27J’s speed, pressurized cargo compartment and circumference are more similar to the Hercules than the Buffalo. Shorter than the Airbus platform at 22.7 m, it has a significantly higher and wider cabin. The C-27-J also features a greater wingspan and 25% more wing area, which facilitates searching at slower speeds. Its maximum speed is 602kph, its range is nearly 1,852km with a full payload of 11,500kg. Based on the minimum SAR load specified in the RFP, Team Spartan puts the C-27J’s range between 2,300 and 2,600 nautical miles (4,260 to 4,815 km), depending on the conditions.
Both aircraft offer, like the venerable Buffalo, exceptional short-field take-off and landing capability.
C-27J
IMP’s “Canadianization” would involve a range of government-mandated hardware, including the chin-mounted L-3 WESCAM turret, belly-mounted radar and extraordinarily large bubble spotter windows which would take up almost the entire rear doors on each side of the aft fuselage. Coupled with a modular “palletized” interior, all mean increased weight and drag and, when asked whether that was why winglets have been added to the design, Lucas replied that it was “certainly one of the reasons.” Noting that many newer commercial aircraft feature them, he added that in the case of the C-27J, “in a number of flight environments, the winglets will either completely or partially offset those particular drag components.”
Embraer KC-390
As for the third contender, the KC-390, Embraer is touting its speed, range, payload and lifecycle costs as key attributes for the RCAF. Conceived as a clean-sheet design in 2006, it was still in early development when FrontLine Defence visited São Paulo in late 2012, but the company rolled out the first of two prototypes in just two years.
Geraldo Gomes, vice-president of international business development for Embraer Defense and Security, said the company managed to fast-track the program by drawing on nearly a half-century of civil and military design, development and production expertise. “Development of the KC-390 made extensive use of advanced digital modeling technologies, test rigs and advanced manufacturing processes in order to anticipate any issue,” he explained to FrontLine while attending the AIAC conference in November 2015.
The first flight of the KC-390 was in February 2015 and that aircraft, about to be joined by the second prototype, now is approximately halfway through 2,000 hours of flight test evaluation. Certification is expected in the second half of 2017, entry into service in 2018. Embraer’s heaviest model to date, the KC-390 is by far the largest candidate for the Buffalo replacement at 33.43m in length with a 33.94m wingspan. It can carry up to 23.6 tonnes some 1,400km at a top speed of 850kph. Its range, based on the minimum SAR payload of 3,057 pounds, is 6,278 km (3,390 nm); this range includes reserves for 100 nautical miles alternate and 45 minutes hold.
According to Embraer, the certification strategy for the KC-390 is based on a dual approach: civil certification, under Part 25 (transport category), by ANAC, the Brazilian Civil Certification Authority, for the “green aircraft” (basic aircraft), complemented by IFI, the Brazilian Military Certification Authority, military certification, for the full certification of all systems and capabilities of the aircraft.
KC-390
“In the case we are selected for the FWSAR Program, the Canadian Military Certification Authority is expected to issue the FWSAR configuration type certificate, based on the Brazilian full military certification,” explained corporate spokesperson Valtécio Alencar. “For the moment,” he continued, “there is no identified need for a civil certification with the FAA (USA) or Transport Canada. The KC-390 development planning and schedule allow us to assure full compliance with all certification requirements on the FWSAR request for proposals and we are very confident about our ability to deliver the best solution for the Canadian SAR needs.”
As for specialized technologies, Gomes said the KC-390 features the latest avionics, electro-optic/infrared and radar sensors, full night-vision-goggle capability, and fly-by-wire technology, which enables the crew to focus on the mission. It would, he said, be “the ideal aircraft” for the Canadian SAR mission because it can be flown not only ‘high and fast’ but also ‘low and slow’ (which is a Brazilian Air Force requirement for paratrooper drops and inflight refueling of helicopters). He said it is “SAR-ready from the initial concept” and “fast reconfiguration allows the plane to act as a fast transport for injured victims with litters and life-support equipment.”
He pointed out that the BAF’s SAR environments are similar to Canada’s, including dense forest, mountains and large maritime areas. “The sooner you get to the search area, the higher the chances of success,” reminds Gomes.
Power is from International Aero Engines V2500-E5 turbofans, and this is the first military application of the units used in the larger Airbus A320s. While test evaluation is “progressing well”, none of it has involved austere airstrips. Even so, Gomes said “the ability to operate from unpaved or contaminated runways has been an integral part of the design requirements.”
Other key suppliers to Embraer include two U.S. majors – Rockwell Collins (avionics and cargo-handling and aerial delivery system) and Goodrich Corp. (primary fly-by-wire) – as well as the venerable Czech firm Aero Vodochody (aft fuselage). Although Embraer has talked with potential Canadian partners about spinoffs from the RCAF procurement, Gomes would say only that Embraer would deliver “a competitive, custom-made solution for Canada and this will certainly include local participation.”
As for lifecycle costs, Gomes insisted that the KC-390’s are the lowest in its class. “The latest maintainability processes and tools allow the aircraft to operate with longer time between inspections and reduced maintenance downtime. The KC-390 uses mature solutions like proven engines, commercial off-the-shelf basic avionics, and integrated fault monitoring. It also introduces new technologies to the medium airlift category such as Prognostic Health Monitoring and Advanced Structural Health Monitoring.”
There currently are 28 firm orders from the BAF, which also will acquire the two prototypes, having put up the equivalent of $1.5 billion in initial funding. Argentina, the Czech Republic and Portugal (which also contributed to the $2-billion development cost) have signed letters of intent, as have Chile and Colombia. If all translate into firm orders, the total would be 60 aircraft, excluding the prototypes.
A Canadian selection would give Embraer a foothold in North America, which is a key element of its goal of securing “a good share” of what Gomes called the “addressable replacement market” of some 700 medium-airlift transports worldwide by 2030.
Wrap-up
Selection of any one of the three contenders would be a significant step toward a long-overdue reinvigoration of Canada’s overall SAR capabilities in what is acknowledged at home and abroad as one of the most demanding environments in the world.
===
Ken Pole is a contributing editor
at FrontLine magazines.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Lockheed Martin Admits it didn't enter CC-130J for FWSAR
Four days ago David Pugliese published an article in The Ottawa Citizen that said Lockheed Martin didn't bid on the RCAF's FWSAR program; despite having indicated in June 2015 that it would.
Today, Pugliese's Defence Watch published the following article about Lockheed admitting it did not bid.
Defence Watch, as well as Skies magazine, published the news last week that Lockheed Martin didn’t submit a bid.
But at the time Lockheed Martin was still sticking to its media line: “Out of respect for the procurement process, Lockheed Martin does not comment on competitive tenders that are underway.”
As noted earlier, this statement, which LM had been repeating for months, is laughable. Companies love to talk about their products to the news media and LM’s competitors have been holding press conferences and briefings on their FWSAR submissions.
In fact, for the last couple of years, Lockheed Martin officials had been highlighting how great their C-130J would be for the FWSAR program.
All that changed and the “out of respect for the procurement process” media line materialized when Lockheed’s proposal ran into trouble.
So with the bids in, and news reports from Defence Watch and Skies magazine that Lockheed Martin was a no-show for FWSAR (and queries also coming in from the U.S. media), the firm has decided to change its message.
“Lockheed Martin participated in the FWSAR procurement process as a potential bidder,” the company noted in a new statement Monday to Defence Watch. “After following an extensive and thorough analysis of the RFP’s requirements, we decided to not submit a formal response to Canada’s FWSAR RFP. We remain fully committed to supporting the RCAF and its CC-130J fleet as it continues to perform the tactical transport role in Canada for decades to come.”
Lockheed Martin, however, has not explained why it didn’t bid. But its competitors have toldDefence Watch the firm decided against bidding because the in-service support costs for the C-130J are extremely high, making a proposal a non-starter.
Embraer, Alenia and Airbus all bid on the $3.1 billion FWSAR program.
Monday, January 11, 2016
FWSAR Eval to Take up to 6 Months
By: David Pugliese
Aerospace firms will submit their bids on Monday to provide Canada’s air force with a new fleet of search-and-rescue planes.
Aerospace companies will submit bids proposing a combination of aircraft and in-service support to replace the RCAF’s existing fleet of Buffalo and older Hercules aircraft used for search and rescue.
The Buffalos, first purchased in 1967, are key to search and rescue on the west coast and in parts of the Rockies. Those aircraft are already facing mechanical and technical problems and several years ago the air force had difficulty obtaining spare propellers.
The Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft project originally envisioned buying 17 planes. But that has been changed and it will be up to aerospace firms to submit in their bids the numbers of aircraft they believe are needed for Canada to handle the needed search and rescue capability.
Public Services and Procurement Canada hasn’t provided a timeline for when the new aircraft might arrive. But it looks like it is hoping the evaluation of the bids will be done fairly soon.
“It is estimated that the evaluation period for the selection of the successful bidder, which includes aircraft testing, may take up to six months, after closing of the RFP (request for proposal),” according to Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Canada.
No details were provided on when the winning company would be announced but some aerospace firms are expecting that to happen by early 2017.
Aerospace firms will submit their bids on Monday to provide Canada’s air force with a new fleet of search-and-rescue planes.
Aerospace companies will submit bids proposing a combination of aircraft and in-service support to replace the RCAF’s existing fleet of Buffalo and older Hercules aircraft used for search and rescue.
The Buffalos, first purchased in 1967, are key to search and rescue on the west coast and in parts of the Rockies. Those aircraft are already facing mechanical and technical problems and several years ago the air force had difficulty obtaining spare propellers.
The Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft project originally envisioned buying 17 planes. But that has been changed and it will be up to aerospace firms to submit in their bids the numbers of aircraft they believe are needed for Canada to handle the needed search and rescue capability.
Public Services and Procurement Canada hasn’t provided a timeline for when the new aircraft might arrive. But it looks like it is hoping the evaluation of the bids will be done fairly soon.
“It is estimated that the evaluation period for the selection of the successful bidder, which includes aircraft testing, may take up to six months, after closing of the RFP (request for proposal),” according to Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Canada.
No details were provided on when the winning company would be announced but some aerospace firms are expecting that to happen by early 2017.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
FWSAR Bids Due Monday
So far, three companies have said they plan to bid on the $3.1 billion project.
The bids are due Monday, Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said in an email.
Aerospace companies will submit bids proposing a combination of aircraft and in-service support to replace the Canadian military’s existing fleet of Buffalo and Hercules aircraft used for search and rescue, he said.
The Buffalos, first purchased in 1967, are key to search and rescue on the west coast and in parts of the Rockies. Those aircraft are already facing mechanical and technical problems and several years ago, the air force had difficulty obtaining spare propellers.
Airbus Defence and Space plans to offer Canada its C-295 aircraft while Alenia is bidding its C-27J plane.
The Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer has said it will propose its KC-390 aircraft.
Canada released its request for proposals from industry on March 31.
But the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces first announced the project to buy a new fleet of search-and-rescue aircraft in 2004.
The Conservatives reannounced that project as part of their Canada First Defence Strategy. In 2008, then-defence minister Peter MacKay called the project a top priority and vowed to buy a new fleet of planes by early 2009. That never happened.
In 2011, DND and the Canadian Forces again noted the project was to be one of their top procurement goals over the next three years but the acquisition has continued to limp along.
On Tuesday, a report from the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the University of Calgary blamed delays in equipment purchases on the turnover of ministers and senior military staff as well as on delays caused by federal elections.
But aerospace industry representatives say that wasn’t the case with the proposed purchase of the fixed-wing search-and-rescue planes. Shortly after the project was launched, various aerospace firms accused the Canadian air force of rigging the contract to favour Alenia’s C-27J. Those accusations, in turn, caused years of delays as government officials painstakingly tried to ensure the process was seen to be fair.
Senior air force officers denied there was any favouritism at play.
But Alan Williams, the Department of National Defence’s former assistant deputy minister for materiel, later testified before a parliamentary committee that the Canadian air force had designed the requirements for the original search-and-rescue aircraft project to favor the C-27J, prompting the complaints to government from companies.
In 2014, the Citizen obtained DND documents that also blamed some of the delay on the Conservative government’s freeze on hiring staff. That resulted in a shortage of personnel in the search-and-rescue aircraft project management office, according to the records.
DND officials acknowledged the freeze had created some problems but noted that it was only temporary and the situation has improved.
During the election campaign, the Liberals promised that their government would “prioritize the acquisition of cost-effective search and rescue aircraft.”
The project originally envisioned buying 17 aircraft. But that has been changed and it will be up to aerospace firms to submit in their bids the numbers of aircraft they believe are needed for Canada to handle the needed search-and-rescue capability.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Alenia Brings C-27J Spartan Ottawa-Gatineau for FWSAR
Article by: Philippe Cauhi
GATINEAU – On Friday, December, the 11th, Team Spartan Canada brought for a three hours stop and a press conference, a Peruvian Air Force C-27J Spartan to the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport on its way to Peru.
This event took place exactly one month before the deadline to submit bids to Publics Works and Governement Services Canada to supply the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft. The cost of the program is set at CAN$3,1 billions including a 20-year maintenance contract.
Turin Italy based Alenia Aermacchi, a division of Finmeccanica is leading Tean Spartan which includes :
General Dynamics Mission Systems Canada : supplier, integrator and in-service support (ISS) of the state of the art mission system based on the one found on the RCAF CP-140 Block III aircraft ;
IMP Aerospace : aircraft Canadianization by modifying the C-27J baseline aircraft into the Canadian
FWSAR, support to Alenia during initial delivery, installation of the mission systems, flare launchers,
EO/IR turret, search radar and interior design modifications ;
L3 Wescam : MX-15HDI electro-optical/infrared turret ;
DRS Technologies Canada, a Finmeccanica company : courseware and training aid ;
Esterline CMC : CMA-9000 Flight Management System and Flight Bag
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions : AFIRS 228S SATCOM Iridium satellite communications ;
KF Aerospace : maintenance, supply chain and repair engineering ISS, and pilot and maintenance training management support ;
Rockwell Collins : ATC radios ;
Finmeccanica Selex-EX : Seaspray 7500E search radar ;
Aerodyne : wide observer windows and pressurized flare launchers
Steve Lucas.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
Steve Lucas senior representative for team Spartan and former chief of the Air Staff of the now Royal Canadian Air Force from 2005 to 2007 was flanked by the two C-27J test pilots, Marco Venanzetti and Gianni Ammoniaci who left Turin on thursday afternoon on their way to Peru and the Peru Defence Attaché in Ottawa, Colonel Alejandro Humberto Marusic Caceda, attended.
Mr. Lucas started the press conference by stating that the C-27J, the aircraft of Team Spartan in the Canada’s Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) RFP whose bids are due for January, the 11th, 2016 , is ‘An exceptional aircraft beyond expectations but still within reach of Canada’.
Alenia C-27J Spartan.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
In spite of the fact that the C-27J offered to Canada is based on the same configuration that has been supplied to the US Coast Guard, the US Army Special Operations Forces and the Royal Australian Air Force, it will be modified by the Canadian industry in order to ‘make this aircraft right to fulfill the Canadian FWSAR mission’.
The FWSAR will be replacing the six aging De HavilLand CC-115 Buffalo based in Comox, British Columbia and fourteen Lockheed CC-130H Hercules based in Winnipeg, Manitoba (4), Trenton, Ontario (4) and Greenwood, Nova Scotia (3). This process which began more than ten years ago aims to replace theses two fleets of aircraft in service for more than 50 years.
According to Steve Lucas, the C-27J has a rapid response time thanks to its exceptional speed, size, endurance and manoeuvrability enabling it to reach austere and remote locations including theses in the mountains as well as in the far North and the far sea. This way, the C-27J is only aircraft in its class far enough capable to respond by its speed to SAR incidents to the limits of Canada vast SAR area of resposability.
The Canadian RFP underlined Steve Lucas is not a simple replacement on a one-to-one replacement basis of existing aircraft but a very complex set of requirements of thousands of pages requesting that the contender’s aircraft be able :
To respond to three simultaneous SAR incidents in Canada’s three different SAR regions : Victoria SSR, Trenton SSR and Halifax SSR ;
To reach the most remote Canadian location in the shortest time ;
To achieve a 95% availability rate for at least one aircraft in each SSR and a 70% rate for a second one ;
To reach 2674 points in Canada where incidents occured in the last five years.
The size of the cabin of the Spartan is a big plus acording to Mr. Lucas. With a heigth of 2,60 meters, a width of 3,33 meters, and its high floor strength, (4,900kg/mload capability), the cabin allows a lot of activity of moving around in the back, the SAR technicians bringing a lot of equipment.
It is divided in three sections : the mission system section, the storage section and on the ramp, the personnel section.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
The C-27J Spartan is not only an aircraft capable to bring the first respondents to site but also to land on short strips and bring back everyone.
Compared to the Buffalo, the C-27J flies faster, further and is pressurized. For this reason, the Buffalo can be used only in the Victoria Region. On top of that, the Spartan have the landing and take off performances of the Buffalo in spite of the weigth of its complete mission system and longer endurance.
Team Spartan C-27J is based on the same configuration of the aircraft supplied to the US Coast Guard which is looking for systems similar to the one installed on the one offered to Canadian Forces. This means opportunities for Canadian suppliers if Canada picks the Spartan.
Steve Lucas recalled that the C-27J is a modern military transport aircraft with an established production line, mature production processes and excellent operational performances.
He concluded by stating that the Spartan is an affordable solution to Canada SAR needs ‘very within reach of Canada with no need to compromise on response time, geographical coverage, crew comfort and cockpit visibility’ and ‘Maximizing Canadian participation and minimizing program risks’.
An advanced derivative of the Aeritalia G222 first flown in 1970, the C-27J is a tactical military cargo aircraft able to perform a variety of missions including transport of troops, logistical resuply, MEDEVAC, air drop operations, paratroopers launches, humanitarian assistance, oil spill relief, fire fighting and SAR.
The C-27J featured the same engines and propellers than the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules as well as a common avionics architecture.
Having obtained its Military Qualification Certificate, the C-27J is also airworthy to civil standards with certification from EASA and FAA.
Certification of the C-27J Spartan included cold weather flight testing in Finland.
More than 82 C-27J had beeen ordered by the air forces of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Morocco, Mexico, Australia, Chad, Peru, Slovak Republic, an undisclosed African customer as well as the US Army Special Operations Command and the US Coast Guard.
GATINEAU – On Friday, December, the 11th, Team Spartan Canada brought for a three hours stop and a press conference, a Peruvian Air Force C-27J Spartan to the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport on its way to Peru.
This event took place exactly one month before the deadline to submit bids to Publics Works and Governement Services Canada to supply the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft. The cost of the program is set at CAN$3,1 billions including a 20-year maintenance contract.
Turin Italy based Alenia Aermacchi, a division of Finmeccanica is leading Tean Spartan which includes :
General Dynamics Mission Systems Canada : supplier, integrator and in-service support (ISS) of the state of the art mission system based on the one found on the RCAF CP-140 Block III aircraft ;
IMP Aerospace : aircraft Canadianization by modifying the C-27J baseline aircraft into the Canadian
FWSAR, support to Alenia during initial delivery, installation of the mission systems, flare launchers,
EO/IR turret, search radar and interior design modifications ;
L3 Wescam : MX-15HDI electro-optical/infrared turret ;
DRS Technologies Canada, a Finmeccanica company : courseware and training aid ;
Esterline CMC : CMA-9000 Flight Management System and Flight Bag
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions : AFIRS 228S SATCOM Iridium satellite communications ;
KF Aerospace : maintenance, supply chain and repair engineering ISS, and pilot and maintenance training management support ;
Rockwell Collins : ATC radios ;
Finmeccanica Selex-EX : Seaspray 7500E search radar ;
Aerodyne : wide observer windows and pressurized flare launchers
Steve Lucas.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
Steve Lucas senior representative for team Spartan and former chief of the Air Staff of the now Royal Canadian Air Force from 2005 to 2007 was flanked by the two C-27J test pilots, Marco Venanzetti and Gianni Ammoniaci who left Turin on thursday afternoon on their way to Peru and the Peru Defence Attaché in Ottawa, Colonel Alejandro Humberto Marusic Caceda, attended.
Mr. Lucas started the press conference by stating that the C-27J, the aircraft of Team Spartan in the Canada’s Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) RFP whose bids are due for January, the 11th, 2016 , is ‘An exceptional aircraft beyond expectations but still within reach of Canada’.
Alenia C-27J Spartan.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
In spite of the fact that the C-27J offered to Canada is based on the same configuration that has been supplied to the US Coast Guard, the US Army Special Operations Forces and the Royal Australian Air Force, it will be modified by the Canadian industry in order to ‘make this aircraft right to fulfill the Canadian FWSAR mission’.
The FWSAR will be replacing the six aging De HavilLand CC-115 Buffalo based in Comox, British Columbia and fourteen Lockheed CC-130H Hercules based in Winnipeg, Manitoba (4), Trenton, Ontario (4) and Greenwood, Nova Scotia (3). This process which began more than ten years ago aims to replace theses two fleets of aircraft in service for more than 50 years.
According to Steve Lucas, the C-27J has a rapid response time thanks to its exceptional speed, size, endurance and manoeuvrability enabling it to reach austere and remote locations including theses in the mountains as well as in the far North and the far sea. This way, the C-27J is only aircraft in its class far enough capable to respond by its speed to SAR incidents to the limits of Canada vast SAR area of resposability.
The Canadian RFP underlined Steve Lucas is not a simple replacement on a one-to-one replacement basis of existing aircraft but a very complex set of requirements of thousands of pages requesting that the contender’s aircraft be able :
To respond to three simultaneous SAR incidents in Canada’s three different SAR regions : Victoria SSR, Trenton SSR and Halifax SSR ;
To reach the most remote Canadian location in the shortest time ;
To achieve a 95% availability rate for at least one aircraft in each SSR and a 70% rate for a second one ;
To reach 2674 points in Canada where incidents occured in the last five years.
The size of the cabin of the Spartan is a big plus acording to Mr. Lucas. With a heigth of 2,60 meters, a width of 3,33 meters, and its high floor strength, (4,900kg/mload capability), the cabin allows a lot of activity of moving around in the back, the SAR technicians bringing a lot of equipment.
It is divided in three sections : the mission system section, the storage section and on the ramp, the personnel section.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.
The C-27J Spartan is not only an aircraft capable to bring the first respondents to site but also to land on short strips and bring back everyone.
Compared to the Buffalo, the C-27J flies faster, further and is pressurized. For this reason, the Buffalo can be used only in the Victoria Region. On top of that, the Spartan have the landing and take off performances of the Buffalo in spite of the weigth of its complete mission system and longer endurance.
Team Spartan C-27J is based on the same configuration of the aircraft supplied to the US Coast Guard which is looking for systems similar to the one installed on the one offered to Canadian Forces. This means opportunities for Canadian suppliers if Canada picks the Spartan.
Steve Lucas recalled that the C-27J is a modern military transport aircraft with an established production line, mature production processes and excellent operational performances.
He concluded by stating that the Spartan is an affordable solution to Canada SAR needs ‘very within reach of Canada with no need to compromise on response time, geographical coverage, crew comfort and cockpit visibility’ and ‘Maximizing Canadian participation and minimizing program risks’.
An advanced derivative of the Aeritalia G222 first flown in 1970, the C-27J is a tactical military cargo aircraft able to perform a variety of missions including transport of troops, logistical resuply, MEDEVAC, air drop operations, paratroopers launches, humanitarian assistance, oil spill relief, fire fighting and SAR.
The C-27J featured the same engines and propellers than the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules as well as a common avionics architecture.
Having obtained its Military Qualification Certificate, the C-27J is also airworthy to civil standards with certification from EASA and FAA.
Certification of the C-27J Spartan included cold weather flight testing in Finland.
More than 82 C-27J had beeen ordered by the air forces of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Morocco, Mexico, Australia, Chad, Peru, Slovak Republic, an undisclosed African customer as well as the US Army Special Operations Command and the US Coast Guard.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Embraer to Enter KC-390 in Bid for RCAF FWSAR
By: David Pugliese, Defensenews.com
OTTAWA, Canada — Embraer is set to shake up the competition to provide Canada with search-and-rescue aircraft as the Brazilian firm seeks export orders for its new KC-390.
The CAN $3.1 billion (US $2.3 billion) search-and-rescue aircraft procurement has long been seen as a competition between Airbus’ C-295 and Alenia’s C-27J. But Embraer officials told Defense News the company will submit its bid in January when Canada requests formal proposals from aerospace firms.
Bids for the Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) program are to be submitted Jan. 11.
The KC-390 conducted its first flight in February 2015 but the aircraft is not expected to enter into service until early 2018.
 |
| An artists rendering of the Embraer KC-390 in the SAR Paint Scheme of the RCAF. |
Sixty aircraft are on order for Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Argentina, the Czech Republic and Colombia. Gomes said the KC-390 was designed to be a search-and-rescue aircraft and that one of its strong selling points is its low life-cycle costs.
Aerospace industry sources said that selection of the KC-390 would give the company a foothold in the North American market for the aircraft and a high profile customer in the search-and-rescue arena. Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and its search–and-rescue aircraft are also expected to cover the massive Arctic region of the country.
But the industry sources also questioned whether the Brazilian-built plane would be ready in time for the Canadian program.
Gomes said the company does not see any issues with the delivery schedule for the KC-390. The Royal Canadian Air Force has not outlined exactly when the first aircraft would be delivered. A winning bidder is expected to be selected by Canada in late 2016, according to industry representatives. Delivery of the first aircraft is required three years after the contract is signed.
The Canadian government noted in its Defence Acquisition Guide 2015 published May 28 that it expects all aircraft for the FWSAR program to be delivered by 2023.
Both Airbus and Alenia have been courting the Canadian government for more than a decade on FWSAR. Their aircraft are proven and currently flying in search-and-rescue missions.
Asked whether the Embraer bid will change the tone of the competition, Pablo Molina, head of military aircraft for Airbus Defence and Space in Canada, responded, “We remain convinced that we will be able to offer the best solution to Canada with the C295.”
Alenia officials said it is company policy not to comment on a competitor’s bid.
Steve Lucas, a former head of the Royal Canadian Air Force and now an adviser to Alenia, said the firm is in the final stages of preparing its bid.
“We are confident about the aircraft and have put together an excellent team,” he added.
Alenia Aermacchi North America has brought together a team that includes IMP Aerospace, Halifax, NS; General Dynamics Canada, Ottawa; DRS Technologies, Ottawa; and Kelowna Flightcraft, Kelowna, BC.
Airbus Defence and Space has teamed with Provincial Aerospace, St. John’s, Newfoundland; Pratt & Whitney Canada, Longueuil, Quebec; CAE, Montreal; Vector Aerospace, Richmond, BC; and L-3 WESCAM, Burlington, Ontario.
Gomes said Embraer has had initial discussions with Canadian firms but has not settled on any partners for the Canadian bid.
Lockheed Martin was looking at bidding the C-130J for the FWSAR program, but industry sources said Lockheed is now reconsidering.
Asked whether Lockheed Martin Canada would submit a bid, company spokeswoman Cindy Tessier stated in an email that, "out of respect for the procurement process, Lockheed Martin does not comment on competitive tenders that are underway."
The new planes will replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 40-year-old Buffalo aircraft and older model C-130s currently assigned to search-and-rescue duties.
The FWSAR project is divided into a contract for the acquisition of the aircraft and another contract for 20 years of in-service support.
FWSAR originally envisioned acquiring 17 aircraft. But that has now changed and will be capability-based, said government officials. The aerospace firms are to submit in their bids the number of aircraft they believe necessary for Canada to handle the needed search-and-rescue capability, they added.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Canadian Defence Review - What Needs to be Reviewed
During the Speech from the Throne last Friday, Justin Trudeau's Liberal Majority Government had little to say on Defence - the few short sentences mentioned little to no specifics.
Here is the text relating to the CAF from the Throne Speech:
"...To contribute to greater peace throughout the world, the Government will renew Canada's commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations, and will continue to work with its allies in the fight against terrorism.
To keep Canadians safe and be ready to respond when needed, the Government will launch an open and transparent process to review existing defence capabilities, and will invest in building a leaner, more agile, better-equipped military."
Here is the text relating to the CAF from the Throne Speech:
"...To contribute to greater peace throughout the world, the Government will renew Canada's commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations, and will continue to work with its allies in the fight against terrorism.
To keep Canadians safe and be ready to respond when needed, the Government will launch an open and transparent process to review existing defence capabilities, and will invest in building a leaner, more agile, better-equipped military."
What does that all mean?
We know that during the 2015 Federal Election the Liberals promised to withdraw from the Aireal Bombing Campaign against ISIS; scrap the F-35 Purchase; ensure the Navy got the Vessels it needs; and return to more Peacekeeping missions. Only one of these things was mentioned in the Throne Speech. As Rona Ambrose, the Leader of the Official Opposition pointed out following the reading, the Speech doesn't even mention ISIS.
Let's take a look a a few things within the CAF that need a review;
1. The Budget
Under the previous Liberal Government of Jean Chretien - the CAF called the 1990s the "Decade of Darkness." This is not all that far off from what is was. The Chretien Government cut defence spending 25% from $12 billion in 1993 to $9.4B in 1998; cut troop levels from 74,000 to below 60,000; while at the same time deploying CAF members on almost every UN Peacekeeping mission that came up.
Some of these Missions were highly required; and were laden with heavy burdens for the CAF. One of these missions was the 2000-03 deployment to Ethiopia and Eritrea. Under OP ECLIPSE and OP ADDITION, CAF equipment was hit by a great tole of wear and tare.
During the same time, Canada deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 - which led to a stretching of CAF personnel, when retention within the CAF became a huge problem. All while the CAF was facing a nearly $15 billion equipment shortfall.
This all helped the 2006 Conservative victory with their "Stand Up for Canada" campaign, followed by their Canada First Defence Strategy (CFDS) in 2008. The Conservatives made jokes about the Liberal Parties management of the CAF; heavily called them out on deploying the CAF to arid (desert-like) climates in temperate (forest) camouflage. The Conservatives also vowed to move beyond the operational "Tokenism" of peacekeeping, and allow Canada to make a substantial contribution to international security.
Was the Conservative's decade all that much better? If we take a closer look; the period from 2006-2009 can almost be called "Golden Years" for the CAF. In 2006 the Conservatives quickly announced $17 Billion worth of procurement projects. The CAF would be shopping for:
- 3 Joint Support Ships;
- 6-8 Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships;
- 4 C-17 Strategic Lift Aircraft; and
- 17 C-130 Tactical Transport Aircarft
These were just to start the revitalization of the CAF. The Government at the time also announced an increase to $14.5 Billion.
Then came the CFDS - which outlined a 20-year funding formula that would increase defence spending 2% from 2008 until 2028. In real terms, the Budget would increase from $18 Billion (2008) to $30 Billion (*2028 Projection) - an increase of $490 Billion over two decades; of which nearly $50 billion would be for equipment acquisitions. The Government would increase the regular force back to over 70,000 and increase the reserves to 30,000.
Added to the list of procurements for the CAF were:
- 65 "Next-Generation" Fighter Jets to replace the CF-18s;
- 100 Leopard-II Tanks;
- 17 Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft to replace the Buffalo aircraft;
- 15 Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Warships to revitalize the Royal Canadian Navy;
- 10 to 12 Maritime Patrol Aircaft; and
- A fleet (100+) close combat armored vehicles.
Up until 2010-2011 the Conservative Government largely followed the CFDS - the budget had increased nearly 24%. The CAF had received:
- 3 C-17 Aircraft;
- Dozens of new C-130's;
- Numerous new or leased tanks;
- Numerous M-777 howitzers; and
- purchased Chinook Strategic Lift Helicopters
While these successes seem all well and good - the other procurement plans; particularly the replacement of the entire Naval fleet was on hold. This was partly because of cost overruns in the planning, and development stage of the National Ship Building Plan (NSBP) - it was largely the fault of Afghanistan that everything else was put on hold.
With the Afghan War (2001-2014) the army rightly became the priority; meaning a vast majority of procurement funds were being diverted into its needs. $1.3 Billion was used for the Leopard II tanks; the Parliamentary Budget put the total coast of Afghanistan at $18 Billion through 2011.
At the closing of the stimulous spending in the 2012 Budget, 1/5 of all savings were to come from Defence; and by 2014, 1/4 of all savings came out of Defence. This effectively made CFDS unusable.
From its height in 2011, Defence spending was at $22 Billion, but by 2013, that had dropped to $19 Billion; and when adjusted for inflation it was approimatly the same as it was in 2005 before the Conservatives took power. As a percentage of GDP, it stood at 1.1% (the same level as it was during the "Decade of Darkness")
With these cuts, most projects are underfunded - and on the rails of collapse. The CSC Ships are at least $15 Billion short - and the Navy is estimating it will only get 8 Vessels instead of the needed 15. As a stopgap measure, the CAF is spending $4.2 Billion on upgrades to the Halifax-class frigates to keep them operational until the CSC Fleet is ready (between 2025-2035); another $1.2 Billion to upgrade its current light armored vehicles; and $100 million on a second round of upgrades to the 77 CF-18's still flying; and will spend $500 million to lease a retrofitted boxship that will be made into an interim auxiliary oil replenishment ship (iAOR).
So a major review of the overall Defence budget is required. The Liberal Government has said it will withdraw from the JSF F-35 program which was going to cost nearly $16 Billion for 65 Fighters (including life cycle management costs) and find a cheaper alternative, while moving the saved funds into the CSC Fleet program. The FWSAR aircraft contract has not yet been awarded, and neither has the Maritime Patrol Aircraft contracts. The Liberals will need to be willing to put enough money into Defence to restore the CAF to pre-Afghan War equipment readiness levels. The CAF gained a great deal of experience in Afghanistan, but its equipment got worn out and needs to be replaced.
A Defence review must show that Defence needs more Money; as the Parliamentary Budget Officer believes that just on Procurement, the CAF is short between $33-$42 Billion (November 2015 figures).
"This gap must be addressed if the government hopes to recapitalize the CAF, maintain the current force structure, and ensure defence sustainability. This paper will explore some of the short- and long-term challenges currently facing the CAF, from capability gaps to recapitalization, and assess some of the Liberal promises to fix these problems. It concludes with some thoughts on the need to recalibrate defence resource allocations." (McDonough)
With the Afghan War (2001-2014) the army rightly became the priority; meaning a vast majority of procurement funds were being diverted into its needs. $1.3 Billion was used for the Leopard II tanks; the Parliamentary Budget put the total coast of Afghanistan at $18 Billion through 2011.
At the closing of the stimulous spending in the 2012 Budget, 1/5 of all savings were to come from Defence; and by 2014, 1/4 of all savings came out of Defence. This effectively made CFDS unusable.
From its height in 2011, Defence spending was at $22 Billion, but by 2013, that had dropped to $19 Billion; and when adjusted for inflation it was approimatly the same as it was in 2005 before the Conservatives took power. As a percentage of GDP, it stood at 1.1% (the same level as it was during the "Decade of Darkness")
With these cuts, most projects are underfunded - and on the rails of collapse. The CSC Ships are at least $15 Billion short - and the Navy is estimating it will only get 8 Vessels instead of the needed 15. As a stopgap measure, the CAF is spending $4.2 Billion on upgrades to the Halifax-class frigates to keep them operational until the CSC Fleet is ready (between 2025-2035); another $1.2 Billion to upgrade its current light armored vehicles; and $100 million on a second round of upgrades to the 77 CF-18's still flying; and will spend $500 million to lease a retrofitted boxship that will be made into an interim auxiliary oil replenishment ship (iAOR).
So a major review of the overall Defence budget is required. The Liberal Government has said it will withdraw from the JSF F-35 program which was going to cost nearly $16 Billion for 65 Fighters (including life cycle management costs) and find a cheaper alternative, while moving the saved funds into the CSC Fleet program. The FWSAR aircraft contract has not yet been awarded, and neither has the Maritime Patrol Aircraft contracts. The Liberals will need to be willing to put enough money into Defence to restore the CAF to pre-Afghan War equipment readiness levels. The CAF gained a great deal of experience in Afghanistan, but its equipment got worn out and needs to be replaced.
A Defence review must show that Defence needs more Money; as the Parliamentary Budget Officer believes that just on Procurement, the CAF is short between $33-$42 Billion (November 2015 figures).
"This gap must be addressed if the government hopes to recapitalize the CAF, maintain the current force structure, and ensure defence sustainability. This paper will explore some of the short- and long-term challenges currently facing the CAF, from capability gaps to recapitalization, and assess some of the Liberal promises to fix these problems. It concludes with some thoughts on the need to recalibrate defence resource allocations." (McDonough)
 |
| From Maclean's Magazine Defence Issue during the 2015 Election. |
2. Procurement
Procurement has largely been a joke in the CAF for many years, plagued by an over complex bureaucracy - projects have been started, and cancelled multiple time costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The Procurement process needs to be simplified while ensuring the correct and needed equipment is purchased in a timely manner at an appropriate cost.
Here is a list of current projects and their overruns:
Procurement has largely been a joke in the CAF for many years, plagued by an over complex bureaucracy - projects have been started, and cancelled multiple time costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The Procurement process needs to be simplified while ensuring the correct and needed equipment is purchased in a timely manner at an appropriate cost.
Here is a list of current projects and their overruns:
- Arctic Off Shore Patrol Ships - Cost: $3.1 Billion for 6 to 8 Ships, the first delivery was expected in 2013 - it is now not expected until 2021; with the final ship in 2025. In all likely hood, only 6 will be built.
- Maritime Patrol Aircraft - Cost: $7 Bullion for 10 to 12 Aircraft. Delivery was supposed to take place in 2020 - but current fiscal restraints has the contract date not until 2025, with delivery taking place between 2026 and 2035. Instead the RCAF is spending $2 Billion to upgrade its 14 CP-140 Aurora's.
- Canadian Surface Combatant Fleet - Cost: $29 Billion (Estimated to be at least $14 Billion short). Original first delivery date was between 2016 and 2017; especially for the Joint Support Ships (AORs) but all dates now between 2021 and 2035. (This includes the JSS Contracts)
- CF-18 Replacement Program - Cost $17 Billion (Estimate based on F-35 Purchase). Fleet was supposed to be replaced by 2017. CF-18s currently undergoing 2nd Life extension plan to keep the fleet flying until at least 2020, with delivery of new aircraft not expected until between 2025 and 2035.
- Close Combat Vehicles - Cost: $2.1 Billion - Project Cancelled in 2013 due to Financial Restraints.
- FWSAR Aircraft - Cost: $1.4 Billion - Original Delivery Date was 2014-2015. There has been no contract awarded, it is expected in early 2016, with delivery between 2021 and 2025.
- UAV Program - Cost: $1.5 Billion - Original Delivery Date was 2011 - now not expected until between 2021 and 2025.
- LAV III Life Extension Program - Cost: $1.2 Billion - Expected completion 2018.
- Maritime Helicopter Program - Cost: $5.7 Billion - Replacement of the Sea King Helicopters. Program was started in 2004, with delivery in 2008. Was later cancelled and restarted. Now deliveries started in 2015 but full operational status not expected until 2018, and final delivery in 2020.
- Medium Support Vehicles (1,500 Military Pattern Trucks) - Cost: $1.2 Billion. The Program has been cancelled twice since 2006. Original delivery was set between 2008 and 2010. Contract was due in 2015 and delivery between 2017 and 2018.
- Medium Heavy Lift Helicopters - Cost: $4.9 Billion. 15 of 16 Planned were purchased; but 5 years later than originally scheduled. Last was delivered in 2014.
- Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle - Cost: $708 Million for 500 vehicles. Contract was awarded in 2012 with deliveries expected in 2014. Problems with the design of the vehicle has post postponed deliveries until at least 2016.
A Defence review must show that Defence to simplify the procurement process, and increase the amount of currency available for these projects. As delays run longer, it is inevitable these programs will cost even more.
3. Peacekeeping and Staffing Levels
If the Liberal Government plans to return Canada to it's global Peacekeeping Role, both Procurement and the Budget need to be fixed first. The more missions you deploy on, the greater amount of the Defence budget is spent on Deployment costs (higher wages, shipping, and equipment). Equipment breaks in theater, and it is often cheaper to scrap the equipment in theater than ship it home to repair it. The more missions, the more equipment you need to have to deploy in the first place.
So before you can deploy on a greater number of UN mandated missions, you need to resupply and re-arm the CAF; which means more Money. You also need to work on increasing staffing levels, which inevitably, you guessed it - costs more money. The more deployment CAF personnel go on, the higher number of retirements from the CAF - so retention then becomes an issue.
These are the three things that I believe need a review in the Canadian Defence World. What do you think?
Sources:
Collins, Jeffrey F. "Reviving and Revising the Canada First Defence Strategy." (November 2014) http://www.c2cjournal.ca/2014/11/reviving-and-revising-the-canada-first-defence-strategy/#
Maclean's Magazine: "Election Issues 2015: A Maclean's Primer on Defence Spending" (August, 2 2015) http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/defence-primer/
McDonough, David. "Procurement Challenges for the New Liberal Government." CDA Institute Vimy Paper November 2015. http://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/Analysis/McDonough_Analysis_November_2015.pdf
Perry, David. "The Growing Gap Between Defence End and Means." CDA Institute Vimy Paper June 2014. https://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/PerryBudgetJune2014.pdf
If the Liberal Government plans to return Canada to it's global Peacekeeping Role, both Procurement and the Budget need to be fixed first. The more missions you deploy on, the greater amount of the Defence budget is spent on Deployment costs (higher wages, shipping, and equipment). Equipment breaks in theater, and it is often cheaper to scrap the equipment in theater than ship it home to repair it. The more missions, the more equipment you need to have to deploy in the first place.
So before you can deploy on a greater number of UN mandated missions, you need to resupply and re-arm the CAF; which means more Money. You also need to work on increasing staffing levels, which inevitably, you guessed it - costs more money. The more deployment CAF personnel go on, the higher number of retirements from the CAF - so retention then becomes an issue.
These are the three things that I believe need a review in the Canadian Defence World. What do you think?
Sources:
Collins, Jeffrey F. "Reviving and Revising the Canada First Defence Strategy." (November 2014) http://www.c2cjournal.ca/2014/11/reviving-and-revising-the-canada-first-defence-strategy/#
Maclean's Magazine: "Election Issues 2015: A Maclean's Primer on Defence Spending" (August, 2 2015) http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/defence-primer/
McDonough, David. "Procurement Challenges for the New Liberal Government." CDA Institute Vimy Paper November 2015. http://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/Analysis/McDonough_Analysis_November_2015.pdf
Perry, David. "The Growing Gap Between Defence End and Means." CDA Institute Vimy Paper June 2014. https://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/PerryBudgetJune2014.pdf
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