Vanguard Magazine

INTERVIEW Autonomous vehicles are an interesting space, and the RCN is building experi- ence with their use in operations. Then- Cmdre Christopher Robinson provided an excellent summary of the effort to date for this magazine in 2020. Since then, in December 2022, the Government of Canada awarded contracts for equipment and services to be delivered in support of the Remote Minehunting and Disposal Systems (RMDS) project, including an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) capability. The RMDS project is currently in Implementation phase. From my perspective as DGMEPM, the current effort around Uncrewed Vehicles (UxVs) is focused on the Royal Canadian Navy Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (RCN ISTAR) project. RCN ISTAR is a Defi- nition Phase project which seeks to de- liver an improved UAV capability to the RCN, with a specific concentration on integration to the Halifax-class. After an intensive period of industry engagement through the spring and summer of 2023, RCN ISTAR is now closing quite rap- idly on release of a finalized RFP. RCN ISTAR has finite resources to achieve its mandate and, as I noted previously, the Halifax-class has a very finite amount of space and SWAP margin available. These constraints are likely to figure prominent- ly in the selection of an eventual equip- ment solution for this requirement. Yet, RCN ISTAR is about more than just the acquisition of a UAV capability. This project and others like it will ultimately allow the RCN to develop the necessary organization and establishment, as well as the necessary experience, to support a meaningful, cross-platform UxV capabil- ity that may be taken to sea in any class of RCN vessel. The RCN also intends to bring forward a project to deliver a per- manent capability for an Uncrewed Air Vehicle (UAV) capability to the AOPVs – using off the shelf items that are already used heavily in the Arctic. This capability will allow the Harry DeWolf-class to ex- tend its sensor range for use in operations such as arctic ice field scouting, Recog- nized Maritime Picture (RMP) compila- tion, and during constabulary operations such as Operation CARIBBE for intel- ligence and surveillance duties. Overall, the intent is to continue efforts to devel- op capability and capacity in this exciting and rapidly evolving domain. Staff/Team Retention Q It is understood that within the na- val engineering community there is some dissatisfaction with the length of time from Head of Department (HOD) quali- fication and a HOD tour, in some cases estimated at 11 years from qualification to a HOD tour. It is also understood that this dissatisfaction is leading to early releases. Given that Canada's new fleet is and will be highly sophisticated and 20 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com contribute to national security and gener- ate economic opportunities for thousands of Canadians. With respect to the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) / Joint Support Ship (JSS) In-Service Support Contract (AJISS), I would offer that so far it is prov- ing to be a good model for sustainment of the Harry Dewolf-class. The idea be- hind AJISS was to leverage the strengths of both government (including the RCN's Fleet Maintenance Facilities) and industry together in partnership, and I think over- all we are on the right path. Next steps for AJISS will be to establish a West Coast presence and capability ahead of the arrival of HMCS Max Bernays, planned for May 2024, and to prepare for the acceptance into service and transition into support for JSS. In the longer term, we will need measure and adjust performance under the contract and to prepare for the first con- tracted Docking Work Periods for both classes. Autonomous vehicles: Q With the ongoing drive for more and more autonomous vehicles, particularly Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), how is that impacting the traditional class related support infrastructure in DG- MEPM? What challenges do you see with their integration into legacy ship-classes and the subsequent impact on configura- tion management? HMCS Harry DeWolf. Photo: DND

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