Advertisement 1

Update on defence industry news and contracts

Article content

Here is a roundup of recent defence industry news that I compiled for Esprit de Corps magazine:

The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada named the operations team led by Benoit Beaudoin at Pratt & Whitney Canada as the winner of the 2017 James C. Floyd Award for Aerospace Achievement. The award is in recognition of the important contributions to Canadian aerospace success, both domestically and in the global marketplace.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Jim Quick, president of the AIAC, said the creation of the Mirabel Aerospace Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Centres are significant achievements and have revolutionized manufacturing innovation and productivity, not only for Pratt & Whitney Canada, but for their Canadian aerospace suppliers and partners.

Article content

“Mr. Beaudoin and his team have led the development of next-generation advanced manufacturing facilities and processes, making Canadian aerospace more competitive and creating new opportunities for Canadian aerospace employees,” Quick said in a statement.

Beaudoin, Vice President, Operations, Pratt & Whitney Canada, said innovation is at the heart of Pratt & Whitney Canada. “What we accomplished at the Mirabel Aerospace Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Centres was truly a collaborative effort, bearing the fingerprints of many members of the aerospace industry; all of whom embraced the challenge of creating a blueprint for the future of Canadian aerospace manufacturing,” he explained.

Established in 2009 in honour of the chief engineer on the Avro Arrow project, the AIAC’s James C. Floyd Award for aerospace achievement is an annual award that honours exceptional contributions to the Canadian aerospace sector.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

L3 WESCAM introduced its new mission rehearsal and simulation training solutions product line at the Dubai Airshow, November 12–16. The company provided hands-on customer demonstrations of a fully networked solution, including air, ground, maritime and command stations, at the L3 Technologies exhibit. This highly scalable line of training products will enable MX-Series operators and crew members to train independently or as part of a virtual joint-force team using the latest gaming technology at an estimated 70 percent cost savings over traditional training courses.

Seaspan Corporation has announced that Bing Chen will be joining the Company as its Chief Executive Officer and will be appointed to the Board of Directors in January, 2018. Gerry Wang retired as CEO and Director of Seaspan on November. Peter Curtis, executive vice president and chief operating officer, is also serving as Seaspan’s interim chief executive officer until Chen’s arrival, after which he will continue in his current role.

Over his twenty-five-year career Chen has held executive positions in China, Europe and the United States.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

The Royal Canadian Navy will use OSI Maritime’s ECPINS Warship 6.2 on all ships and submarines.

ECPINS is a Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System, with military capabilities well beyond NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564, according to OSI, a firm headquartered in Burnaby, BC.

Lockheed Martin and Navantia have signed a renewed Memorandum of Agreement to collaborate to explore mutually beneficial new business opportunities in the areas of surface ships and naval combat systems.

The two firms have collaborated for 20 years over the provision of the Aegis Combat System for the Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigates. Between 2000 and 2010, Lockheed Martin and Navantia delivered four F-100 frigates to the Spanish Navy, and in 2013 a fifth and final was commissioned.

In 2000, the Royal Norwegian Navy selected Navantia to develop and build five Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates, the last one of which launched in 2009. After the Norwegian frigates, the Australian Hobart class was designed, based on the F-100 with an updated Aegis Combat System configuration, the first of which was delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in September.

Currently, 11 frigates developed by Navantia and Lockheed Martin sail around the globe.

Article content
Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers