Vanguard Magazine

8 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com S SIT REP On October 4th, 90 members from the Canadian Armed Forces as part of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery United Kingdom Public Duties Contingent (RCA UK PDC), commenced their month-long Public Duties in London and Windsor with Changing of the Guard ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace. "This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for our soldiers and they are embracing every moment of it," said Major Michael Crosier, Guard Commander, RCA UK PDC. "While training and preparations leading up to this were at times long, when Canadian soldiers marched onto the fore- court of Buckingham Palace, they truly felt the full magnitude of their duties. This is not something that is by any means a common task for Canadian Armed Forces members and it is an honour and a privilege to be here as a member of the Queen's Guard." Members of the CAF assume Queen's Guard duties in England From October 4 to 22, the members of the RCA UK PDC will be part of the Queen's Guard at the four Royal residences in the London District – Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. During the month for the mount and dismount ceremonies, the Queen's Guard will be accompanied by the 36-person Royal Canadian Artillery Band, based in Edmonton. The Queen's Guard are soldiers and officers charged in support of the civil authorities with guarding the Sov- ereign and the official royal residences in the UK. "This is the first time that The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery has had the privilege of undertaking Public Duties in the United Kingdom. It is quite the honour, especially with this month being the 150th anniversary of the forming of the Regiment's A and B Batteries," said Master Warrant Officer Jason Power, Sergeant Major, The Royal Regiment of Canadian Ar- tillery UK Public Duties Contingent. Queen Elizabeth II holds the Royal Appointment of Captain General for The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and in this capacity serves as the ceremonial head of the Regiment. The RCA UK PDC was invited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to form the Queen's Guard to honour and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the formation of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA) A and B Batteries. The founding of A Battery (in Kingston, Ont.) and B Battery (in Quebec City) of 1 RCHA in 1871 led the way for Canada's professional Army. It allowed Canada to bear responsibility for its defence and laid the groundwork for political autonomy. This opportunity to conduct Public Duties perpetuates the tradition of Commonwealth soldiers working closely with the British Armed Forces while demonstrating the professional capabilities of The Royal Regiment of Cana- dian Artillery and the Canadian Armed Forces in an international setting. CarteNav receives DO-178C Qualification for Integrated Flight Planning with Flight Management Systems CarteNav has successfully received Transport Canada DO-178C level D qualification of FMS integration capabilities. This includes automated flight planning and enhanced navigation data transfers within the AIMS- ISR mission software. According to a news release, this qualification marks the end of a 3-year development powered by a wholly Canadian team of CarteNav software developers with aircraft integration conducted by St. John's based airborne mission solution provider, PAL Aerospace, engineering and testing by PAL Engineering in Vaughan, with advisory support by Montreal based Certification Center Canada (3C). This newly qualified capability advances the critical link between ISR operators in the back with the flight crew in the front – providing the exceptional situational awareness and efficiency that AIMS-ISR operators have come to expect. "Our team always strives for rock-solid reliability and operator situ- ational awareness. DO-178C certification for integrating critical naviga- tional functions of an ISR platform is, therefore, an important milestone for our evolving C4ISR solutions that the team and I are very proud of," said Carl Daniels, COO of CarteNav. "Achieving DO-178C certification makes AIMS-ISR one of only a few tactical mission management systems to meet the highest standard of commercial 2 airworthiness certifica- tion. I'm excited to see our customers put this technology to work in op- erations in which every second counts." The new flight planning capabilities enable mission operators to cre- ate flight plans within AIMS-ISR contextualized with sensor and mission data. Operators can then push those flight plans to the cockpit FMS for acceptance by the flight crew. This integration is compatible with mul- tiple FMS installations, with AIMS-ISR supporting cross-fill functions for safe and efficient flight deck management. These integrated flight plan- ning capabilities are available during all ISR phases of flight – improving operator situational awareness & efficiency. "PAL Aerospace operates ISR operations globally often simultaneously with numerous government agencies. Seamless communication of vital mission waypoints and surveillance patterns between tactical mission commanders or sensor operators and the cockpit are critical to efficient and safe flight operations, especially in crowded airspace." said Ben Boehm Senior Vice President of Aerospace Operations for PAL Aerospace. Photo: 3rd Canadian Division / 3e Division du Canada and The Royal Family (Facebook). Image: CarteNav.

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