Public Services and Procurement Canada has released another “request for information” to the defence industry for the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project.
Industry has been down this route before, with various Canadian Forces attempts at JUSTAS going on for a decade or so now.
An earlier version of JUSTAS was supposed to have the unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drones, UAVs, UAS, etc) operating as early as 2010. That was pushed back to early 2012. In 2012 a letter of interest on JUSTAS was released to industry but that went no where.
Over the years the Canadian Forces tried other means to buy a fleet of longer-range UAVs. In 2007 the CF tried to push a sole source purchase of Predators but the Conservative government decided against that proposal.
During the Libyan war in 2011, senior Canadian defence leaders pitched to the government the idea of spending up to $600 million for armed drones to take part in that conflict. That proposal was also declined.
For the Afghan war, the CF had purchased the Sperwer, which had its issues, and later leased the Heron UAV fleet from MDA for missions in Kandahar.
This latest request for information to industry talks about options for the acquisition of an interim JUSTAS capability as well as a full JUSTAS capability. But it also emphasizes this is just a request for information and there is no guarantee of a contract.
A contract would be awarded – if the government decided to proceed on this course – in the 2018/2019 timeframe.
If that comes about – a big if – then that latest schedule is a little bit ahead of past milestones. According to an RCAF spokesman; long range RCAF plans envisioned a JUSTAS contract awarded between 2019 and 2020.
Showing posts with label Unmanned Surveillance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unmanned Surveillance. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Predator C 'Avenger' for the RCAF? A Possibility
As the RCAF restarts its search for unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles, General Atomics, a US based company that builds the Predator drones is very interested in bidding on the project.
The RCAF and Canadian Government expect a contract to be awarded by 2019 for the program they have named JUSTAS (Joint Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Acquisition System).
General Atomics had previously announced that it would offer Canada the Predator 'B' propeller driven drone - however it will not meet all the program requirements for the JUSTAS bid - so now it says it will also offer the Predator C 'Avenger' which is jet powered.
General Atomics says the Avenger is powerful enough to fly through the jet stream where required, and will have a high level of operability in the Arctic regions of Canada, while the Predator 'B' can be used in other jurisdictions, both the 'B' and 'C' are NATO compatible, so Canada would be able to use them interchangeably on international operations.
The RCAF and Canadian Government expect a contract to be awarded by 2019 for the program they have named JUSTAS (Joint Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Acquisition System).
General Atomics had previously announced that it would offer Canada the Predator 'B' propeller driven drone - however it will not meet all the program requirements for the JUSTAS bid - so now it says it will also offer the Predator C 'Avenger' which is jet powered.
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| General Atomics Predator C 'Avenger' - Proposed as part of the RCAF's JUSTAS program |
General Atomics says the Avenger is powerful enough to fly through the jet stream where required, and will have a high level of operability in the Arctic regions of Canada, while the Predator 'B' can be used in other jurisdictions, both the 'B' and 'C' are NATO compatible, so Canada would be able to use them interchangeably on international operations.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
RCAF Drone's To Be Purchased or Further Delay?
The RCAF has been looking to purchase Drones (UAVs) since it outlined its various options to Air Force Staff in 2005.
The issue is, the following year in 2006, Canada's operations in Afghanistan picked up, and Canada opted to lease UAVs for immediate use from numerous aerospace industries, with the option to purchase them at a later date. The full financials were not provided to the RCAF for these options according to an internal audit.
The RCAFs Joint Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Acquisition System (JUSTAS) was supposed to be operational in 2010. That date was later pushed back to 2012, and just recently been pushed to 2017.
However, recent reports from the RCAF to industry experts, the Air Force does not expect UAV operational systems in place until 2023.
The latest outline shows a contract awarded for the drones possible between 2019 and 2020, with delivery taking place between 2021 and 2025. That is if the RCAF procurement stays with its plan this time, it will only be a decade and a half behind schedule. Who knows what operations we will be involved in in 2025, and what capability we will require.
The issue is, the following year in 2006, Canada's operations in Afghanistan picked up, and Canada opted to lease UAVs for immediate use from numerous aerospace industries, with the option to purchase them at a later date. The full financials were not provided to the RCAF for these options according to an internal audit.
The RCAFs Joint Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Acquisition System (JUSTAS) was supposed to be operational in 2010. That date was later pushed back to 2012, and just recently been pushed to 2017.
However, recent reports from the RCAF to industry experts, the Air Force does not expect UAV operational systems in place until 2023.
The latest outline shows a contract awarded for the drones possible between 2019 and 2020, with delivery taking place between 2021 and 2025. That is if the RCAF procurement stays with its plan this time, it will only be a decade and a half behind schedule. Who knows what operations we will be involved in in 2025, and what capability we will require.
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