What's Canada Buying? July 24, 2012

• What’s Canada Selling (Maybe)?  Now the Conservatives are blaming the Liberals for buying Challenger jets that have been talked about so much in the mainstream media: “The cost-cutting Conservatives are not ruling out selling off some government aircraft — including the controversial fleet of Challenger jets. Documents obtained by the CBC’s Power & Politics under access to information show the executive aircraft were used only seven times by cabinet ministers in the one-year period between May 2011 and April 2012 …. Julie Vaux, a spokesman for the prime minister, said the use by cabinet ministers is down dramatically since the Conservatives took office, and that ministers are instructed to travel on government business at a “reasonable cost to taxpayers.” “This is part of our culture as a government, and it has allowed us to reduce ministers’ use of Challenger aircraft by over 80 per cent compared to the previous Liberal government,” she said. “The former Liberal government cut $20 billion from Canada’s defence budget, but the Liberal ministers bought brand-new Challenger jets for themselves.” ….” Cool – since the Minister appears to have a veto on when the military can fly on these planes, take them out of the hands of the CF and let the PM’s office pay for them.
• Remember Canada’s conversion of Leopard tanks to armoured engineering vehicles? The +$100M deal that wasn’t officially announced by the Ministry of Defence, but slipped out via MERX (even though they’re OK announcing $6K worth of roofing work in Montreal)? The Premier of New Brunswick sorta-kinda back-door announced it last week: “FFG Canada, an international joint-venture company, will create 26 new jobs in Bathurst. Premier David Alward joined FFG Canada president Barry Kyle at the announcement in Bathurst (18 Jul 12) …. FFG Canada is a new international joint-venture company between Industrial Rubber Company Ltd., and German defence firm FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH (FFG), with the company headquarters in Bathurst. The company will begin its operations with the $135-million contract awarded to the German defence firm to supply 13 WISENT 2 Armoured Engineer Vehicles (AEV) to the Department of Defence through the conversion of Leopard 2 main battle tanks into armoured engineer vehicles ….”
• Wanted:  someone to provide DND with “STANAG 4586 Compliant Aircraft Control Software Suite” for “the Family of Unmanned Air Vehicles (FUAV) sub-project of the Land Force Intelligence Surveillance, Target Acquistion, and Reconnaissance (LFISTAR)” – more on the recommended company (CDL Systems Ltd.) here
• More UAV stuff, this time for the JUSTAS project:  “The Canadian Forces (CF) has a need to field and support interoperable, network-enabled Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to provide Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), Target Acquisition, and all-weather precision strike capabilities in support of CF operations worldwide. The objective of this Request for Information (RFI) is to share with Industry CF UAS requirement and seek feedback from Industry on potential options to meet CF needs and associated capability, schedule and cost. This is the first step of an Industry Engagement process where the JUSTAS project will be seeking initial input on availability of technology, ability for industry to deliver and cost estimates for the initial acquisition of the required UAS capability ….” – more in the MERX package here (Google Docs)
• Remember this one:  “Underwater Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) Survey of SS City of Vienna“?  More from The Canadian Press:  “The federal government is looking to finish a survey of an underwater shipwreck littered with tonnes of munitions just outside of Halifax.  Defence Construction Canada, a Crown corporation that serves the Defence Department, has issued a tender for a contractor to complete the survey in an area south of the city that’s popular with recreational divers.  The project, which is estimated to cost $310,050, is listed in a notice recently posted on a website that advertises government contracts.  The SS City of Vienna narrowly missed the entrance to the Halifax harbour on July 2, 1918, and was wrecked on rocky shoals near Sambro Island. The ship’s crew made it off safely with some of the cargo, but during a gale two months later the boat sank into deeper water ….”
• “Navistar Defence Canada, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar Defense, LLC …. announced that it delivered on a USD $14 million contract from the Government of Canada to supply the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with International® MXT™ Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). The new vehicles will provide increased protection and rescue capabilities for RCMP officers and members of the public during high-risk situations. The contract to support the RCMP is the company’s first MXT vehicle sale to the police and security sector ….” - more on the International MXT APC here (company site), with spec sheet here (Google Docs)
  

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