Exercise Cougar South is currently underway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) New Orleans, Louisiana. The major exercise runs from mid-March through April 24. Several Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) tactical fighter squadrons and support units are participating. Training will cover the full spectrum of tactical employment of the CF-18 Hornet and involves personnel from 3 Wing, Bagotville, Quebec; 4 Wing, Cold Lake, Alberta; 8 Wing, Trenton, Ontario; and 17 Wing, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Scenario-based missions include air combat tactics; close air support training; air-to-air refuel ..read more

The Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research (DAIR) Green Fund recently awarded Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) a grant of up to $75,000 in funding for its clean energy drone delivery solution. DDC was selected as one of eight funding winners following a 2022 application process. The DAIR Green Fund, part of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), provides financial support for collaborative projects that demonstrate an impact on the future of aerospace via sustainable and green aviation technologies and solutions. “To meet our go ..read more

Earlier this month, Montreal, Canada based CMC Electronics announced a multi-year contract with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. CMC will supply its military Flight Management System (FMS) on several Sikorsky helicopter models. These will include the UH-60M, HH-60M, HH-60W, S-70i and the S-70M. Helicopters equipped with CMC’s FMS equipment under this contract will be delivered to both the US Army and the US Air Force. Additionally, numerous FMS equipped helicopters will be delivered to international Black Hawk customers. These helicopters will see a wide range use missions from search and ..read more

The Government of Canada recognizes that the international security environment is changing.  As such, they are committed to working to equip the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel with the tools needed to protect Canada. This includes increasing defence investments by more than 70 percent between 2018 and 2026 as outlined in Canada’s defence policy. Canada is also making additional targeted investments in continental defence and other priority areas. Defence Minister Anita Anand recently updated industry partners, stakeholders, and defence experts on the work to protect Canadians at t ..read more

It is with great sadness that we remember VAdm Peter Cairns. Peter was one of the co-founders of the Shipbuilding Technology Forum which we call the ShipTech Forum. The 10th Annual ShipTech Forum was recently held on February 28, 2023 in Ottawa, Ontario. Peter had a long and dedicated career prior to his involvement in the the ShipTech Forum. Vice-Admiral Peter Cairns grew up in Orillia, Ontario and joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) as a cadet in 1956 under “The Venture Plan” for training junior officers, where he subsequently served in HMC Ships Venture, Skeena, Stadacona, Sioux, Chaudiere ..read more

In a big to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence systems against ongoing Russian attacks, the Canadian government has announced it will produce and donate a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to the country. This further underscores Canada’s longstanding military support for Ukraine. Every NASAMS Fire Distribution Center operator display features TerraLens, a Canadian software from Kongsberg Geospatial, headquartered in Ottawa. The SDK map engine, named TerraLens, has been incorporated into hundreds of mission-critical systems and platforms in defence applications around the ..read more

Planning and preparing for future threats is the responsibility of Canada’s security and defence community. In speeches to Waterloo-based think tank Centre for International Governance Innovation in 2021, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor, the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Chief of the Communications Security Establishment described a multi-polar threat characterized by rivals jockeying for position. Global disorder, China’s rise, and an aggressively assertive Russia are already creating a more complex and competitive national security enviro ..read more

14-16 November 2022 – Victoria, British Columbia The ninth iteration of the Maritime Security Challenges (MSC) conference, presented by the Navy League of Canada in conjunction with the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), was held in Victoria, British Columbia from November 14th to 16th. The two-day conference brought together 180 delegates from over twenty nations for discussions on the theme of ‘Pacific Seapower: Strategic Competition in the Indo-Pacific’. This year’s MSC panels covered a wide range of maritime security topics, such as ..read more

With files from Terri Pavelic A decade ago, the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) promulgated the Commander’s Guidance and Direction to the Royal Canadian Navy – Executive Plan (2013 – 2017).  The document gave voice to a vision that, amongst other things, would launch a series of changes to restructure the navy at the institutional level.  For decades, with minor exceptions, the naval formations on the two coasts largely mirrored each other with officers and sailors in MARPAC and MARLANT separately and concurrently performing many of the same force generation functions.&nbs ..read more

The Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, recently announced that Canada has deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft to support Canada’s efforts to disrupt the activities of gangs in Haiti. The effort further demonstrates Canada’s commitment to the Haitian people. Violence and dire security issues exist within the country and continue to escalate. Canada is attempting to address the situation by answering the request of the Haitian National Police for assistance. “Canada ..read more