Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/274231
www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 23 Special RepoRt Recently, Thales Canada was awarded a five-year technology development contract from Defence Research and Development Canada to lead the development of a next generation Joint Intelligence and Informa- tion Science and Technology Capability, referred to as JI2STC. The work on JI2STC will be based at the new Thales Research and Technology Centre (TRT) in Quebec, where Thales Canada will lead 18 tech- nology partners in developing new intel- ligence gathering concepts, capabilities and systems to support future missions for Canadian and allied forces. The TRT is part of the global Thales group's annual CAD $4 billion investment in research and technologies, supported by a tremendous network of talented re- searchers and engineers, a number of those in Canada at the TRT – one of just five such centres Thales has developed worldwide. "We are proud of playing a role to help protect our great country and now our role in leading the development of the next generation of Canadian defence and se- curity technology," said Mark Halinaty, Thales Canada's CEO and the first Cana- dian appointed to the role, another sign of the group's respect for, and commit- ment to Canada. "Thales Canada was selected as the industry leader because we have the ability to harness knowledge and expertise in a number of scientific and technical domains internally and with partners, but also because we are committed to developing the industrial base with Canadian partners through in- novation and R&D investments." Thales Canada's evolution as a KIC leader has come through years of suc- cessful delivery of innovative solutions – both military and civilian – and comes in part from leveraging the capacity of the global group's 65,000 employees in 56 different locations around the world, all dedicated to playing a key role in assur- ing the security of citizens, infrastructure and nations. "Our ability to partner with many Canadian companies to leverage technology transfers from the Group and develop our own intellectual property has positioned us as one of the Canada's best system solution providers that meets today Canadian defense industrial policy through equipping the Canadian Armed Forces and then exporting those Canadian products abroad," said Halinaty. Whether conduct- ing R&D, or delivering on a major procure- ment, Thales Canada also prides itself on a successful track record of partnering with numerous Canadian companies to deliver these cutting-edge solutions and results. This innovative process has resulted in Thales Canada's successful delivery of a number of mission-critical C4ISR capabili- ties to the Canadian Armed Forces such as: • Delivering 3-D surveillance radars for the Halifax Class frigate Modernization proj- ect. The new NATO-standard radars are best-in-class for medium-to-long-range surveillance and targeting in extremely dense naval and coastal environments in all weather conditions. • Delivering 70 ship-borne, shore-based and portable C2 systems to the RCN and Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) under the Interdepartmental Maritime Integrated Command, Control and Communications (IMIC3) system project. This will let commanders on land and at sea across both fleets gather and share data from coastal surveillance in near-real time; • Providing the RCAF a Canadian Tactical Control Radar based on the Thales Ray- theon Systems GM 403 long-range air defense radar. This cutting-edge system offers detection from very high to very low altitudes, tracking everything from jet fighters to small Unmanned Air Ve- hicles or cruise missiles; • Being a premier solution provider for the Communications Management System (CMS) under the CP-140 Aurora Incre- mental Modernization Program. The CMS integrates all the various communi- cations sub-systems (radios, intercoms, switches, etc.) aboard the aircraft. • Providing new optronics capability for the Canadian Army's LAV III upgrade program to improve operational capabili- ties at night or in adverse weather and obscured battlefield conditions. Thales Canada developed this technology in Montreal and now exports it to NATO forces around the world. This work and much more has well-posi- tioned Thales Canada to capitalize on ma- jor future procurement, particularly under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS), the $35 billion program to re-equip the navy and coast guard. Thales Canada was selected as the Elec- tronic System Integrator (ESI) partner for Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver, which will build the seven non-combat ves- sels (Joint Supply Ships, Canadian Coast Guard Offshore Science Vessel and the po- lar icebreaker CCGS John G. Diefenbaker) under the NSPS. Thales Canada also has its sights set on another major component of the shipbuild- ing work – the Combat Systems Integra- tor (CSI) for the fleet of Canadian Surface Combatant vessels, Canada's next genera- tion of warships. Thales Canada brings a track record of system integration and C4ISR capability to more than 50 naval fleets around the world. Thales Canada be- lieves its IMAST 500 is the most advanced, scalable and capable multi-sensor, multi- radar system and that there is currently no system in the world to rival its proven capabilities. Fully NATO interoperable, the IMAST 500 is already deployed on the Royal Netherlands Navy's new offshore pa- trol ships, which are in the same class as Canada's pending new fleet. And should Canada choose to hold a competition to replace Canada's CF-18 jet fighters, Thales Canada, as part of RAFALE International, is ready to bring a whole new wave of advanced avionics and mission system know-how to Canada. Thales has no fewer than eight mission-critical systems on board the RAFALE jet fighter, one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat aircraft. From the advanced cockpit, AESA radar and the SPECTRA 360-degree elec- tronic warfare suite, to the communica- tions, datalinks and long-range surveillance and laser targeting systems, Thales is al- ready pre-cleared to transfer these technol- ogies and intellectual property to Canada and "KIC" it into high gear. "WE ARE PROUD OF PLAYING A ROLE TO HELP PROTECT OUR GREAT COUNTRY AND NOW OUR ROLE IN LEADING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NExT GENERATION OF CANADIAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY TECHNOLOGY." — Mark Halinaty