Armée canadienne/Canadian Armed Forces

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F-35 vs Typhoon vs SH

f-5 canadien

MacKay affirms F-35 fighter purchase to military audience

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Defence Minister Peter MacKay has affirmed Canada's plan to buy a fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets.

He made the pledge before an audience of hundreds, including many defence industry executives, at a major military conference in Ottawa on Friday.

MacKay also said the Harper government won't pay a penny more than budgeted for the fleet of 65 stealth fighter jets.

"We have been clear that we will operate within that budget," he said in a speech to the Conference of Defence Associations annual meeting. "And we will give our air men and women the best available aircraft, which I believe is the fifth-generation, F-35 Lightning II."

The comment elicited a smattering of applause.

Controversy surrounds the F-35 procurement as the plane's manufacturer, the U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin, and the Pentagon move to restructure the program for a third time.

The Harper government insists it will pay $75 million US for each aircraft, but critics say the true cost could be more than double that. The price tag has been the subject of furious debate in Parliament, with the government sticking to its original cost estimate.

Canada is part of a joint effort to buy the planes along with Britain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey and Australia.

"We will make sure the Royal Canadian Air Force has the aircraft necessary to do the dangerous and important work that we ask of them," MacKay said.

With a federal budget on the horizon, the government is planning deep spending cuts to bring down the deficit. But MacKay affirmed the government's long-term plan to spend billions on new equipment for the Forces. He touted the recent commitment to a national shipbuilding strategy that will bring decades of work to shipyards in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

And he said the military is looking to improve its fixed-wing, search-and-rescue capability and will be looking into the use of unmanned aerial drones.

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Canada : les réservistes en renfort pour la Défense du Nord



Vouloir défendre la souveraineté canadienne dans l'Arctique est une chose, encore faut-il s'y préparer. Des réservistes du 35e Groupe-brigade du Canada (GBC) amorcent demain un entraînement d'une semaine dans le Grand Nord québécois. Destination : Salluit. Mission : combattre... le froid extrême.
Les Forces armées multiplient les exercices en territoires nordiques depuis que le gouvernement Harper a présenté en 2008 sa stratégie de défense Le Canada d'abord. Un document qui souligne l'importance d'occuper le territoire du sud au nord.


La création partout au pays de groupes compagnies d'intervention dans l'arctique (GCIA) découle de cette stratégie. Au Québec, l'unité spécialisée compte 144 membres qui participent jusqu'au 9 mars à l'exercice Guerrier nordique à Salluit, le second village le plus au nord du Nunavik. Pour la moitié d'entre eux, ce sera une première présence dans le Nord.

"On cherche à développer une capacité à intervenir dans des conditions extrêmes. On pousse plus loin d'un cran le niveau d'entraînement qu'on a eu jusqu'ici", explique le lieutenant-colonel Richard Bélanger, commandant de la brigade.

À 1700 km au nord de la capitale, où le mercure oscille entre -20°C et -30°C en cette période de l'année, tout devient un enjeu, rappelle-t-il. "Les communications sont un exemple. Les batteries résistent mal au froid. Il faut donc prévoir plusieurs systèmes : UHF, conventionnel, cellulaire".

Au cours de la semaine, les réservistes participeront à divers entraînements opérationnels, et, du coup, apprendront à "survivre" aux conditions environnantes. "Le GCIA doit être autonome jusqu'à 21 jours avec un minimum de support logistique", insiste le lieutenant-colonel.

Cette force terrestre composée de citoyens-soldats doit pouvoir venir en renfort aux membres de la force régulière en cas de déploiement dans le Nord, d'où la haute priorité accordée à cet exercice.

cyberpresse.ca

Eh ben ...

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Le NCSM Victoria réussit des essais de tirs de torpille au large de l'Ile de Vancouver







OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - 16 mars 2012) - Le sous-marin canadien de Sa Majesté Victoria a réussi avec succès cette semaine une série d'essais en mer de son système d'armes, dont des tirs multiples de torpilles lourdes MK48 au Centre d'expérimentation et d'essais maritimes des Forces canadiennes à Nanoose Bay (C.-B.).

« Quand la flotte de sous-marins atteindra un état stable, elle sera prête à intervenir efficacement dans la défense des intérêts canadiens aux endroits et au moment requis », a mentionné le capitaine de vaisseau Luc Cassivi, directeur de la force sous-marine canadienne. « Ces essais constituent une étape importante du programme des sous-marins de classe Victoria étant donné que le Victoria est le premier sous-marin de la flotte à lancer une torpille lourde MK48 d'entraînement. »

Ces tirs de torpilles font partie de la vérification technique et opérationnelle du système d'armes et d'autres essais sont prévus au printemps 2012. Avec ces torpilles d'entraînement, la charge militaire de la torpille peut être remplacée par une pièce d'équipement électronique qui permet la collecte de données lors des essais.

Le Victoria a également participé à un exercice de groupe opérationnel naval au large de l'île de Vancouver et s'est surtout concentré à mener des exercices coordonnés de guerre anti-sous-marine. Des essais d'équipement et l'entraînement de l'équipage se poursuivront en mars de sorte que le sous-marin puisse être déclaré entièrement opérationnel cet été.

La flotte de sous-marins atteindra un état stable en 2013. À cette date, le Canada disposera en tout temps de trois sous-marins sur quatre pour prendre part à des opérations. Dans le cadre du cycle opérationnel continu, le quatrième sous-marin sera transféré vers l'industrie où il subira d'importants travaux de maintenance. Les sous-marins constituent un élément essentiel d'une marine moderne dotée d'un ensemble équilibré de capacités visant la défense du Canada et de ses intérêts à la surface de l'eau et sous les mers.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/le-ncsm-victoria-reussit-des-essais-de-tirs-de-torpille-au-large-de-lile-de-vancouver-1632766.htm

une video par ici

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/netpub/server.np?find&catalog=news&template=news-nouvelles_detail_fra.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=1469&site=combatcamera

Y'a t-il des experts ici SVP pour m'expliquer quelle serait l'utilite militaire des F-35 pour le Canada?

The Canadian Press

Citation :

F-35: Auditor General's Report Critical Of National Defence And Public Works, Say Sources

OTTAWA - Canada's auditor general has both National Defence and Public Works in his sights when it comes to the troubled F-35 stealth fighter program, say senior government sources.

A draft copy of the scathing review, circulating in Ottawa for weeks, suggests the air force didn't do its pricing homework and government officials failed to follow procurement rules, say those who've read it.

It's not clear whether the language will be toned down in the final report, Michael Ferguson's first as auditor general, when it's released April 3.

But federal officials familiar with the document note no final decision on purchasing the multi-role fighter has been made, and may take a year or two.

"It's bad, (but) how can the auditor general be auditing a purchase that hasn't taken place?" said one senior official, who asked not to be identified.

"The process to select, you can look at. They are pre-supposing a decision to acquire has taken place and it hasn't."

Julian Fantino, the minister in charge of defence procurement, gave a similar message to the House of Commons defence committee last week, and went further by saying that Ottawa reserves the right to bail on the multibillion-dollar program.


Senior officials say the auditor general's harsh review is behind the Harper government's change in posture over the last few weeks, where a hard-line message of commitment has softened into skepticism about the international program, which is billions of dollars off target and years behind schedule.

The Conservative government's plan has been to buy 65 of the radar-evading jets.

The sources said the Harper government was warned last year not to be so absolute in its public support, especially in the aftermath of Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page's criticism of the air force's cost estimates.

Politicians were apparently counselled to say they'll "have a look at it" and a formal contract signing was still "three years away from now."

But the advice was ignored, coming on the eve of an election where the Liberals attempted to make the F-35 purchase one of their campaign planks.

Instead, the Conservatives dug in and insisted their July 2010 commitment to the Lockheed-Martin fighter as a replacement for the CF-18s was final.

They held to that position even in the face of mounting worries about further delays and possible cost increases as the U.S. government pushed off some of its initial aircraft orders to future years.

Within the military, there is apparently growing frustration that it is going "wear" the criticisms of the auditor's report.

One senior official noted the air force didn't have to make a decision on replacing the 1980s vintage CF-18s for a few years and that the 2010 announcement was all about positioning business and the aerospace sector for F-35 contracts.

Liberal defence critic John McKay said he finds the potential criticism of Public Works to be most troubling.

"They are, in effect, the watchdog of the procurement process," McKay said Tuesday.

"Just because you haven't signed a contract doesn't mean that you're not in a procurement process. So, I don't know if that is a valid reason."

The Conservatives, he said, have no one to blame but themselves for the political back-peddling.

"The poor taxpayer has every right to question what the heck is going on here," he said.

"The government's strident (tone) and scorn for opposition from any source, whether it's MPs or whether it's from the (Parliamentary Budget Officer) or whatever, essentially precludes any kind of reasoned dialogue."

Much of the debate around the program centred on the cost.

The Conservatives have insisted the entire purchase and support costs will be between $14 billion and $16 billion, making the jets the largest defence purchase in Canadian history. But the budget officer and critics have challenged that, delivering estimates of up to $29.5 billion.

s´inscrire dans ce prog futur,installer son industrie dans le process,mettre la main sur la technologie low observable("stealth"),faire face au voisin russe en ce qui concerne les convoitises autotur du pole nord etc..

Yakuza a écrit:

s´inscrire dans ce prog futur,installer son industrie dans le process,mettre la main sur la technologie low observable("stealth"),faire face au voisin russe en ce qui concerne les convoitises autotur du pole nord etc..

Voici le probeleme cher Yakuza: ce gouvernement en particulier, est des plus anti-canadien. Que l'on parle d'industrie, de R&D, de souverainte alimentaire, de souverainte securitaire. Certes ils agitent le "spctre rusee" au nord mais ferment la seule station d'observation (sauve par des donations de citoyens en dizines de milliers de $)! ils n'ont aucune vision nationale ni pour proteger l'eau, ni les ressources, ni les industries. Leur ideologie est neo-conservative, CAD un amalgame entre no-governement lorsqu'il s'agit de choses vitales comme l'education, l'ecologie (protectionnisme de certaines secteurs donc), le business (sont en train de discloquer les lois qui protegent les geants de telcoms canadiens qui n'auront aucune chance contre les capitaux US, Russes et autres....)

d'un autre cote on nous sort des lois full-governemnt pour des futilittes paranoiaques contre fumer le mari, la faire fermer aux chercheurs qu itravaille pour l'admninistration publique (payes par les taxpayers!), imposer le f-35 sans consulation et sans envisager les alternatives!

Je me demande sur quelles technologies ils vont mettre la main sachant qu'ils poreferent acheter leur *bus blindes* aux US audetriment du meme produit canadien!

comment vont-ils faire face au voisin russe? militairement le canada ne fera jamais le poid saud si on dienveint un -gigantestque - Etat US.

Il reste donc la delimitation des fond sous marins, mais ca ca necessite de garder les stations sceintifiques au nord et d'y expedier encore plus de chercheurs!

Pour moi l'acquisition de f-35 reste absurde par rapport au cout, a la quantitee au fait que les US tendent a prendre beaucoup plus qu'a donner...

Citation :

L-3 MAS Receives Subcontract For Canadian Forces CH-147F Chinook



L-3 MAS recently announced that it has received a contract from The Boeing Company to provide technical publication services for Canada’s new Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopter (MHLH), the CH-147F Chinook.

More from the press release from L-3 MAS:

L-3 MAS will provide language translation for aircrew technical publications products, as well as data conversion, language translation and development of S1000D Issue 4.0.1-Compliant Interactive Electronic Technical Publications for CH-147F maintainers.

“We are honored to be chosen by Boeing to support the Canadian Chinook In-Service Support Program,” said Jacques Comtois, vice president and general manager of L-3 MAS. “This success is a testament to our continued investment in the latest technologies and standards, flawless execution, and long-term partnerships. We look forward to continuing our long, mutually beneficial relationship with The Boeing Company.”

L-3 MAS has invested in the development of a number of unique, industry-leading technical publications products, including its IETM/IETP viewer, CGM and Intelligent Wiring Diagram viewer, and XML/CGM authoring tools. These products, when combined with L-3 MAS’ commitment to service, have become the de facto standard for the Royal Canadian Air Force and are currently being used on five different aircraft fleets.

“Boeing is pleased to be working with companies across Canada, including L-3 MAS, to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support the Canadian Forces’ CH-147F fleet,” said Jim O’Neill, vice president and general manager of Boeing Integrated Logistics. “We will support the operational readiness of these Chinooks while managing overall life-cycle cost and providing long-term opportunities for the Canadian aerospace industry and workforce.”

This subcontract is in line with Canada’s Industrial & Regional Benefits (IRB) policy and is an integral part of Boeing’s IRB program for the MHLH In-Service Support Program, which will bring benefits of approximately U.S. $2 billion to Canada over a 20-year period. Through its IRB programs, Boeing continues a history of more than 90 years of creating long-term, high-value opportunities with Canadian industry.

www.boeing.ca

CBC

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MPs battle over F-35 fighter jet costs
Interim Liberal leader says prime minister responsible

A months-long battle over the true cost of the F-35 fighter jet grew fiery Wednesday, fuelled by an auditor general's report the opposition said is so damning that somebody must step down.

Opposition MPs devoted most of question period to Auditor General Michael Ferguson's Tuesday report, which said the process to choose Canada's next generation of fighter jets, run by Department of National Defence officials, was inefficient and not managed well.

"Key decisions were made without required approvals or supporting documentation," he said in a report to Parliament.

Harper says he and the cabinet ministers in charge of the process accept their responsibilities.

"The government is taking responsibility to act on [Ferguson's] recommendations," Harper said in response to questions by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae.

"The government has not acquired these aircraft, the government has not signed a contract, the government has frozen the funds for acquisition," Harper said.

The report also shows that DND estimated the total cost of the F-35 program at $25 billion over 20 years when the decision was made internally to go forward with it in 2010. But in 2011, when DND responded to a report by Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, officials said the cost would only be $14.7 billion.

Harper said the government is putting in place more supervision over the process. He has taken responsibility away from defence officials and given it to Public Works.

In corporate world, CEO would be fired

But Rae says Harper, who has centralized control of government operations in his office, can't get away with saying a mistake worth that much money had nothing to do with the man in charge.

"Any company that made a mistake of this kind, that misled its shareholders, that misled the public, that put out a misleading prospectus, that published false figures and false documents to the tune of billions of dollars, any company that did those things would fire the CEO and replace the board of directors," Rae said.

Rae says when Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose announced in 2010 that the government would buy 65 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, Liberal researchers looked at all available information about the planes. They read reports from the Congressional Budget Office in the U.S., defence analysts and European governments.

"The numbers did not add up. The numbers were not real numbers. We knew it, we said it," Rae said.

"What was Mr. Harper's answer then? He called us liars. He said we were unpatriotic."

"He cannot now pretend that he was just the piano player in the brothel who didn't have a clue as to what was really going on upstairs."

MacKay, who took no questions Tuesday after the auditor general's report was released, said the government is "injecting more accountability" into the purchase.

"We will continue now, with the guidance of Public Works, to move forward with a proper acquisition process to replace the aging CF-18 [jets]."

Billions left out of estimates

NDP military procurement critic Matthew Kellway says he wants the ministers in charge of the files to admit that they're responsible for what happened.

"They still have a lot of explaining to do for the auditor general’s report and we will keep asking them for explanations for, for example, the $10 billion that suddenly was left out of the department's estimates for the F-35," he said.

"All I can say is that it’s hard to [say], in light of all the information in the media, all the information coming out of various accountability offices in the United States, that they weren’t aware. But I think we’re left with basically a binary alternative here. Either they were aware and they deliberately misled Canadians or they weren’t aware and we have a negligence and competence issue with this government."

Chris Alexander, parliamentary secretary to MacKay, maintained the parliamentary budget office's assessments were wrong, despite the auditor general's report Tuesday showing the calculations were correct.

Alexander said the government hasn't spent the money on the jets yet and put the blame at the feet of the reporters asking him questions.

"In the media, there has been a consistent effort to mislead people, to imply that money has been spent," Alexander said. "It hasn't yet."

Canada.com

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Auditor general: A timeline of the F-35. 231 words.

1997: The Department of National Defence (DND) signs the Joint Strike Fighter Program's first-phase memorandum of understanding, making Canada part of the F-35 development program.

2001: The federal government signs on to the second phase of the program. Treasury Board approves $171 million for the second phase. A Canadian representative is assigned to the F-35 program office.

2006: DND completes a preliminary analysis of five aircraft that could replace the aging CF-18 fleet. The federal government agrees to the third phase of the F-35 project and Treasury Board officials approve $192 million in spending.

2008: DND identifies 14 "high-level mandatory capabilities" the aircraft meant to replace the current CF-18 fleet must meet, and completes an analysis of three contender replacements. DND asks the federal government for permission to buy the F-35.

2010: The federal government announces plans to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets. In a letter to Public Works and Government Services Canada, which oversees government procurement, DND justifies buying the jets without inviting competition.

2011: The Parliamentary Budget Officer releases a report that says the government is under-estimating the cost of the F-35.

2012: DND asks Treasury Board for the power to approve expenditures on the F-35.

2019: Expected delivery date of the first F-35s in Canada.

2020: Estimated end of the current CF-18 fleet.

Source: Auditor General's spring report

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

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Defence Department cuts 1,000-plus civilian workers

More than 1,000 civilian workers at the Department of National Defence will be told Wednesday that their jobs no longer exist. The cuts will hit Quebec and Ontario the most but reductions will be felt across Canada.

At this point the jobs of 1,119 employees at DND have been identified but more are expected later.

The jobs being eliminated range from clerks and secretaries to food services and kitchen staff. Other jobs being cut include radiation safety personnel, weapons technicians, ammunition technicians, English language teachers, heavy truck mechanics, laboratory assistants, drivers and dental hygienists.

Civilians working for the Canadian army are being hit hardest, with 585 of those jobs being eliminated. Other significant reductions are being made at Defence Research and Establishment Canada, the research branch which works on new technology to protect troops in the field, as well as other positions in science and research fields. That group has identified 234 jobs to be cut.

In Ottawa and Gatineau, 143 positions will be eliminated. Of those, 38 will be cut from DND’s public affairs branch. Others will be administrative clerks and health care professionals.

The positions being cut are held by members of the Union of National Defence Employees, DND’s largest union. Other unions have yet to report their cuts.

vers 2015 le gouv federal aura reduit les administrations publiques de 30 000 personnes.

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C'est le CalgaryHerald qui l'annonce, la Royal Canadian Air Force manque de pilotes, et lorgne du coté de la Royal air force (britannique celle là) pour combler son manque. La RAF doit en effet se séparer de 5000 personnels d'ici à 5 ans dont 170 pilotes.

http://portail-aviation.blogspot.fr/2012/04/canada-la-rcaf-court-de-pilotes.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canadian+Force+looks+import+pilots/6388982/story.html

a ajoouter a l´australie et afsud
qu´est ce qu´ils ont ces commonwealth?

C'est une bonne affaire que de trouver des pilotes de combat ou des personnels spécialisés déjà formés sans avoir eu à dépenser un seul cent pour leur formation.

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The Canadian navy submarine HMCS Windsor is lowered into the water from a dry dock after undergoing a five year refit at CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 11, 2012. The Windsor is one of four former Royal Navy Upholder class submarines that Canada had purchased.

The F-35: Not just costly but obsolete

MacLean's

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To aviation nerds, the Joint Strike Fighter is looking more and more like an ugly mutt

In the bitter parliamentary dispute over the costs of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which Canada has spent hundreds of millions helping to develop but may still not buy, there is an awful lot of “What did they know and when did they know it?” Predictably, as the Harper government’s position on the sole-source contracting has become less and less defensible, the debate is shifting to the bottom line: is the F-35 a good aircraft or not? It has become apparent that National Defence bureaucrats and Conservative ministers bet heavily on American military-industrial competence, and the voters may still forgive almost anything if Canada ends up with a cool Canadian-badged airplane that dominates the enemy in the battle theatre.

But this is the scary thing for the F-35’s defenders: to aviation nerds, the Joint Strike Fighter is looking more and more like an ugly mutt. Consider one important example of how our commitment to the JSF as a NATO partner has gone awry: the cutting-edge helmet-mounted display that was meant to help make up for the speed and manoeuvrability limitations of a single-engined stealth fighter. In the early days of JSF promotion, the user interface was touted as being at least as important to the project as the aerodynamic qualities of the airframe itself. Pilots would be sent into a fight with “360-degree situational awareness,” day or moonless night, giving them long seconds to defend themselves while opponents in more traditional aircraft were still figuring out which way was up.

Fast-forward to May 2010, when, according to the new auditor general’s report on F-35 procurement, the Public Works department began to question the need for a sole-source contract for new fighters. According to public-service rules, Public Works warned National Defence, there had to be an open competition for the contract unless it could be shown in advance that the F-35 was the only plane that met defence requirements. No problem, said National Defence; in literally one day it cooked up a list of those requirements, including one item that basically specified the F-35’s visionary 360-degree helmet display. The stated rationale for buying the F-35 thus depends quite heavily on this one piece of technology, even if one takes the word of F-35 proponents that it is a legitimate operational necessity.


And yet the F-35 is losing even this rigged game. In March, Aviation Week reported that Lockheed Martin, the F-35 prime contractor, put out a request for proposals on a completely new helmet-mounted display system that would “make use of commercial, off-the-shelf night-vision goggles.” Lockheed had announced in November that Vision Systems International, which built the existing system being tested in F-35 training, was being given a contract to fix a problem with “jitter affecting the display symbology” on the helmet displays. Now Lockheed wants an independent scratch-built backup—one that may in turn require a redesign of the F-35 cockpit and external sensors.

This is not the kind of thing one likes to see happening 19 years after the creation of the Joint Strike Fighter program and 11 years after Lockheed Martin beat out Boeing for the U.S. contract. The F-35 looks a lot like the second coming of the B-2 bomber; a high-tech military megaproject on which billions are gambled, and that ends up being a half-obsolete curio by the time all the kinks are worked out. The B-2 was designed for an era of strategic bombing in wars between superpowers; when the Cold War ended and an era of asymmetric warfare began, it was left with little justification, and the fleet has flown few sorties, considering its expense.

The development of unmanned, remote-controlled aerial drones is rapidly eroding the rationale for the F-35 in a similar way. More broadly, the existing American system of military procurement is beginning to look hopelessly slow and cumbersome in a period of fast, decentralized technological progress. Our military leaders and bureaucrats, influenced by hungry contractors and by notions of continental amity, married into that system early. They are, quite naturally, still offering the last spasms of a defence of that decision. But, as the Conservatives are quick to point out, we haven’t bought any planes yet. We are still free to treat sunk costs as sunk costs, and to impose proper public-sector purchasing practices on a military-industrial field that has too long considered itself exempt from them.

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F-35: le prix varie selon le calcul, dit Harper

Le premier ministre Stephen Harper a affirmé hier que le coût des avions de chasse F-35 que son gouvernement prévoit acheter était connu depuis longtemps, mais que le montant total de la facture dépendait de ce que l'on comptait.

Répondant à des questions lors d'une conférence de presse après la clôture du Sommet des Amériques, M. Harper a soutenu qu'il avait toujours été clair concernant le prix des 65 appareils, qui s'élève selon lui à 9 milliards $. Il a aussi nié avoir induit les Canadiens en erreur sur cette question à la fin de la campagne électorale du printemps dernier.

D'après le premier ministre, il n'y a pas qu'un chiffre qui soit bon dans ce dossier et le coût varie selon les éléments qui sont pris en compte dans le calcul.

Au début d'avril, le vérificateur général Michael Ferguson avait provoqué un tollé sur la Colline parlementaire en publiant un rapport dans lequel il laissait entendre que les conservateurs et le ministère de la Défense avaient caché le prix réel des F-35.

M. Ferguson avait notamment reproché au ministère de la Défense de ne pas avoir inclus les frais de fonctionnement des avions, estimés à 10 milliards $ pour leur durée de vie utile, dans son argumentaire visant à convaincre le public du bien-fondé de cette acquisition.

Ce n'est pas la première fois que le ministère exclut de ses calculs les chiffres liés aux salaires des pilotes, au carburant et à l'entretien, une pratique que les prédécesseurs de l'actuel vérificateur général ont souvent dénoncée.

Le gouvernement Harper et les représentants du ministère de la Défense soutiennent depuis longtemps que le coût global de l'achat est de 14,7 milliards $. Michael Ferguson croit plutôt que le prix du programme sur 20 ans se situera autour de 25 milliards $, incluant l'entretien.

Plus important encore: le vérificateur général affirme que le conseil des ministres était probablement au courant de cette information lors des dernières élections fédérales, qui ont été en partie déclenchées parce que les conservateurs refusaient de fournir à la Chambre des communes des chiffres liés à l'acquisition des F-35.

L'opposition a accusé les conservateurs d'avoir menti aux contribuables. Le Nouveau Parti démocratique et le Parti libéral ont demandé que la Chambre ouvre une enquête spéciale au sujet du rapport de M. Ferguson et de l'achat projeté, qui relève d'un programme lancé par les États-Unis ayant été frappé par de nombreux retards et dépassements de coûts.

http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/347527/f-35-le-prix-varie-selon-le-calcul-dit-harper

The Globe and Mail

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General looking to satellites to aid communications in Canadian Arctic

Even if sovereignty over the Arctic has been repeatedly cast as a national priority, a top general says military forces have trouble simply communicating in the region sometimes.

Brigadier-General Rick Pitre, director of space operations at the Department of National Defence, told an international space conference Wednesday about a lack of infrastructure that makes it difficult to operate there.
Up North, that satellite coverage is sparse.

While the poles remain the least-covered regions in the world, things are getting better because there are generally more satellites in orbit.

“Space-enabled services (satellites) are increasing certainly, over in that area, and they are beginning to connect the Arctic with the South,” Brig.-Gen. Pitre said.

“Communications at extreme latitudes are no less a challenge for the military,” Brig.-Gen. Pitre told the conference of space professionals. “We need a balanced and certainly an affordable option, if we are going to crack this particular nut,” he said.

In the last election campaign, the federal Conservative platform laid out a 14-point plan for increasing Canada's presence in the Arctic and bolstering sovereignty claims to the region. The plan ranged from increasing adult skills training to spending $720 million to build a polar icebreaking ship.

Communication remains a challenge, though.

It's impossible to have a satellite permanently stationed over the North Pole because the only place so-called geostationary satellites can be parked is above the equator, where they follow the rotation of the Earth and appear motionless.

Canadian space officials are eyeing a possible alternative, suitable for the Arctic.

Brig.-Gen. Pitre described as “a promising option” the Polar Communications and Weather Mission being developed by the Canadian Space Agency.

It would place two satellites over the poles, and let them take turns orbiting between the North and South poles – that way, the Arctic would receive more consistent coverage.

Brig.-Gen. Pitre made his comments at a conference organized by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute.

During his speech, he also stressed that Canada is a “three-ocean nation with the longest coastline in the world” and it needs wide surveillance in order to exercise its sovereignty.

The Canadian general now has his eye on the Radarsat Constellation Mission – a three-satellite program which, according to the CSA's website, is expected to be launched in 2014 and 2015.

The government says the program will enhance maritime and land security, and drastically improve coverage of the Arctic.

“This will be a game-changer in the strategic awareness of Canada's ocean approaches and those worldwide,” Brig.-Gen. Pitre said.

During a question-and-answer session, he also said there are no plans to develop a launch capability in Canada for satellites. He has been involved in discussions since 2003 about the possibility of Canada launching its own rockets.

“At this point in time we're not actively talking about (it),” Brig.-Gen. Pitre said.

“It boils down to understanding what the overall cost is and whether this is an affordable option down the road.”

Brig.-Gen. Pitre hasn't ruled out the possibility of Canada launching its own rockets in the future, saying it could still happen if the costs of launching satellites go up in the coming years.

The Canadian Press

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/pcw/overview.asp

Polar Communication and Weather mission (PCW) - Canadian Space Agency

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Coverage zone

Meteorological:
50o north latitude (in red)

Communications:
72o north latitude (in blue).

3.2M$ contre 1MM$ déboursé pour la réparation de toute la flotte ... !!

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Le Canada avait obtenu un remboursement partiel des sous-marins achetés en Grande-Bretagne



Le Canada a obtenu une compensation partielle pour les sous-marins d’occasion achetés à la Grande-Bretagne, sous-marins qui, depuis cet achat, ont nécessité plus d’un milliard $ en réparations et modernisations, selon une information publiée mercredi dans la presse.


En 1998, le Canada a payé près de 378 millions $ au Royaume-Uni pour acheter les 4 sous-marins, dans le cadre d’un contrat de location avec option d’achat, avec d’autres clauses pour des couts comme la formation, indique un porte-parole du gouvernement canadien.

Mais 4 ans plus tard, le Canada a demandé des compensations, selon une lettre du gouvernement britannique.

« Je peux confirmer que, en 2002 et en 2004, le gouvernement canadien a demandé des compensations en raison de l’inquiétude sur l’état des sous-marins et leurs capacités à respecter les standards canadiens, » écrit le ministre britannique adjoint de la défense de l’époque, Peter Luff.

« Le ministère de la défense n’a payé aucune compensation. Cependant, une modification au contrat a été acceptée, selon laquelle le prix du dernier sous-marin était réduit de 2 millions £ (environ 3,2 millions $), comme signe de bonne foi et sans reconnaissance de responsabilité. »

Un porte-parole du ministère canadien des travaux publics, Sébastien Bois, a confirmé que le prix du contrat avait été réduit, ajoutant que les 2 millions £ « correspondaient à des facteurs prévus dans le contrat. »

M. Bois a ajouté qu’aucune autre compensation n’était demandé par le gouvernement canadien.

Nanaimo Daily News

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Lockheed Martin Completes Delivery Of 17 CC-130J Super Hercules Aircraft To Canada

MARIETTA, Ga., May 8, 2012 – The Royal Canadian Air Force formally accepted the 17th Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] CC-130J Super Hercules in ceremonies here today, completing the order placed in December 2007. The aircraft will be flown to Canadian Forces Base Trenton later this week.

The original contract called for all 17 aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2012. The first CC-130J was accepted in June 2010 and today’s acceptance demonstrates the success of the program and the completion of deliveries ahead of schedule.

"The delivery of the final CC-130J Hercules to the RCAF represents a significant milestone in the history of the RCAF," said Lt. Col. Colin Keiver, Commanding Officer, 436 (T) Squadron. "The aircraft has already proven its worth around the world in places like Afghanistan and Libya, as well as here at home in Canada. Our partners at Lockheed Martin have delivered us an aircraft that more than lives up to the motto of 436 Squadron, Onus Portamus or "We Carry the Load.'"

"The C 130 Hercules has acquired many nicknames and affectionate titles over the years, but it is in Canada that the aircraft has earned a name that I think summarizes the true meaning of this aircraft – Workhorse," said George Shultz, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, C-130 Programs. "Today recognizes another great chapter in Canadian airlift history and in the continuation and expansion of the long and strong relationships with our industrial partners in Canada."

To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than $350 million in Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) to Canadian industry as a result of the Government of Canada's procurement of the CC-130J aircraft and In-Service Support.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

lockheedmartin

Citation :

Libya mission's final costs reach $347M

Mission's incremental cost nearly $100M, double MacKay's update in October
By Tom Parry, CBC News Posted: May 11, 2012 1:07 PM ET Last Updated: May 11, 2012 2:49 PM ET Read 409 comments409

Citation :

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is defending the government's accounting of the costs of Canada's military mission in Libya, following the release of new figures by the Department of National Defence that lay out the final cost of the deployment.

The department puts the incremental costs of the mission — costs the military says would not have been incurred if Canadian Forces had not been deployed — at just under $100 million.

And the total cost of the operation — a figure that includes everything from jet fuel to pilot salaries, including the salaries of military personnel — comes in at $347 million.

Last October, MacKay told CBC Radio's The House the Libyan mission had cost taxpayers less than $50 million.

"As of Oct. 13, the figures that I've received have us well below that, somewhere under $50 million," MacKay said.

"And that's the all-up costs of the equipment that we have in the theatre, the transportation to get there, those that have been carrying out this critical mission."

Canada sent six CF-18 fighter jets and a navy frigate to Libya in 2011 to take part in international operations to enforce a United Nations no-fly zone against the forces of Moammar Gadhafi.

Government defends numbers

MacKay faced tough questions in question period Friday over the discrepancy in costs.

"What is it this time?" demanded NDP Deputy Leader David Christopherson, "That they still can't keep their numbers straight or that they're misleading Canadians?"

Mackay insisted his numbers were accurate.

"What I said was that, as of Oct. 13, the figures that I received from the department were under $50 million," MacKay said in response.

The minister continued, "Of course, the mission went on. There were extensions ... there was, in fact, then the cost of bringing equipment and personnel home. This is incremental costing."

At an event in Edmonston, N.B., on Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted the total figure of $347 million includes the ongoing costs of operating the Canadian military, and he defended the earlier estimates.

"We always give the most up-to-date figures and it's important also to know ... that these figures include normal operations of the Canadian military, of those assets over that period," Harper said.

"All of these numbers, all of the costs of the Libya mission, were accomplished within the budget set by the government for the Department of National Defence, so this is not new money."

MacKay knew estimated cost: Vance

The director of the military's strategic joint staff was called on to explain duelling figures at a hastily-assembled news conference at National Defence headquarters on Friday afternoon.

Maj.-Gen. Jon Vance said MacKay did not mislead the public and pointed out senior military leaders referenced the figures publicly during Senate committee hearings.

But he concedes the minister would have known the estimated cost at the time and did not speculate on why MacKay chose to go with the lower figures exclusively.

Opposition parties slammed the Harper government for the confusion and compared it to the controversy surrounding the F-35 stealth fighter purchase, in which the auditor general accused National Defence of deliberately low-balling the multibillion-dollar estimate.

"Peter’s got problems with his math yet again and this government’s got problems with trying to figure out how to cost things," said NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar. "I suppose he just thinks that if he can lowball it, people won’t be concerned about the costs. But, you know, in the end, the costs add up and it caught up to Mr. MacKay."

with files from The Canadian Press

CBC

EXERCISE SPARTAN 2012

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La Défense réduite d'un quart...mais on garde les F-35



Le gouvernement Harper a discrètement annoncé une refonte majeure du ministère de la Défense, un geste qui ramènera largement l'armée à sa structure de mission de combat prévalant avant la guerre en Afghanistan, éliminant possiblement des milliers d'emplois.
La restructuration des structures de commandement comprend la fusion des quartiers généraux gérant les opérations domestiques, internationales et de soutien.
Selon le ministre de la Défense Peter MacKay, cette révision est basée sur certaines leçons apprises lors des opérations en Afghanistan, en Libye et lors des Jeux olympiques. M. MacKay a par ailleurs précisé que le nouveau quartier général, connu sous le nom de Commandement des opérations interarmées du Canada (COIC), sera responsable de la gestion de l'ensemble des missions militaires au pays comme à l'étranger, et ce à un meilleur coût pour les contribuables.
La consolidation mènera à une réduction de 25% du nombre d'employés des différents centres de commandement, un licenciement décrit comme une nécessité dans un rapport réalisé l'an dernier par l'ancien commandant des Forces canadiennes, le lieutenant-général à la retraite Andrew Leslie.
Le nombre précis de pertes d'emplois ou de départs à la retraite n'est pas clair.
Le rapport de M. Leslie décrit l'armée comme possédant une administration hypertrophiée et faisant appel au privé pour les missions de soutien.
L'annonce de la restructuration a été faite par le ministère, déjà critiqué pour son manque de transparence, dans le cadre d'un communiqué émis tardivement vendredi après-midi.
Selon l'officier en charge de l'armée, le général Walt Natynczyk, les changements seront effectués pendant plusieurs mois.
"La mise en place du COIC permettra d'obtenir une organisation plus petite et plus efficace qui continuera à offrir la même excellente en matière d'appui opérationnel à toutes nos troupes, au Canada comme à l'étranger. Un seul centre de commande et de contrôle nous aidera de plus à disposer des capacités nécessaires pour faire face aux conflits actuels et mieux planifier en vue des futurs défis en matière de sécurité mondiale", a-t-il déclaré par voie de communiqué.
La structure de commandement qui sera déconstruite et remplacée a été conçue au départ par l'ancien chef des forces armées, le général à la retraite Rick Hillier, pour répondre aux besoins militaires de l'ère post-11 septembre. Elle a été mise en place par M. Natynczyk qui, après quatre ans à la tête des Forces canadiennes, serait sur le point de prendre sa retraite.
Dans le cadre de l'annonce de vendredi, la Défense a également annoncé une restructuration dans la marine, créant des départements séparés pour gérer la flotte de sous-marins problématiques et d'autres agences pour aider à faciliter l'introduction de nouveaux navires au sein de la flotte.
Les forces navales fusionnent également leurs cinq écoles de formation en une seule.

LAPRESSE.CA

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Retard pour les nouveaux hélicoptères Chinook faute de pilotes qualifiés



L'Aviation royale canadienne devra attendre deux ans de plus pour mettre en service ses nouveaux hélicoptères Chinook en raison d'une pénurie de pilotes qualifiés, selon des documents faisant partie du dernier budget fédéral.
La section du budget où figure cette information fait également état de retards importants pour plusieurs autres achats majeurs effectués par le ministère de la Défense, dont le processus d'acquisition est déjà critiqué en raison du controversé programme des F-35.
Les Chinook ont été commandés en 2006 dans le cadre d'un contrat accordé à Boeing sans appel d'offres. Le premier hélicoptère doit être livré le mois prochain, mais il s'agira d'un prototype. Le manque de pilotes devrait reporter la mise en service complète des appareils jusqu'en juin 2017.
Ces hélicoptères étaient considérés comme indispensables pour la mission de combat du Canada en Afghanistan, qui est maintenant terminée. Mais les retards concernant l'achat des 15 appareils ont forcé les conservateurs à dépenser près de 300 millions de dollars pour acquérir six vieux Chinook de l'armée américaine.
Le remplacement de la flotte canadienne d'avions de recherche et de sauvetage est une autre acquisition qui accuse beaucoup de retard. Selon les documents du budget, les nouveaux appareils ne seront pas livrés avant 2017. Or, les forces aériennes ont souvent répété que les Buffalo C-115, maintenant âgés de près de 50 ans, devaient être remisés d'ici 2015.
Les documents révèlent aussi que le projet des conservateurs de construire des navires pour patrouiller dans l'Arctique a également été reporté plusieurs fois. Le premier bateau arrivera en 2018, soit trois ans après la date de livraison initiale, et n'entrera pas pleinement en fonction avant 2023.
Le porte-parole du Nouveau Parti démocratique (NPD) en matière de défense, Jack Harris, a déclaré que tous ces délais représentaient bien la philosophie du gouvernement de Stephen Harper sur le plan militaire.
M. Harris a soutenu que les conservateurs souhaitaient plus projeter une image de durs à cuire sur la scène internationale avec des missions comme celles en Afghanistan et en Libye qu'à s'occuper de la sécurité des Canadiens.

RADIO-CANADA.CA