Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/439940
www.vanguardcanada.com dECEMBER 2014/JanUaRy 2015 9 I INSIDE IndUSTRy The report, part of a commitment by National Defence to provide an- nual updates on the acquisition and full lifecycle cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, projected that the cost to acquire, operate, sustain and dispose of a fl eet of 65 of the Lockheed Martin F-35s over 30 years has increased by .03 percent from $45,691 billion to $45,832 billion over the past 12 months; deliveries would now start in 2020. More troubling, though, may be the dwindling acquisition contingency fund, which currently sits at $76 million. "While the overall contingency provisions fall within the range recom- mended in the KPMG Framework, the provision for acquisition contingen- cy is considered low for a project of this scope and size," the report said. "If the full acquisition contingency was required, the remaining shortfall could be met by buying fewer aircraft." Moving forward, the government may need to consider increasing the $9 billion acquisition envelop to meet the need as described in the Canada First Defence Strategy, it said. A second report on Canadian industrial participation in the F-35 pro- gram was probably more encouraging. It said the number of companies under contract to either Lockheed Martin or engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney now sits at 33. The work, which includes airframe, propulsion, tooling, software and mission systems, is valued at US$637 million, an increase of US$50 million from 2013. A fi nal decision on Canada's next generation fi ghter jet is likely on hold until after the next federal election, but a report tabled in Parliament in early December raised questions about production timelines and the government's contingency fund if a decision is delayed much longer. next-gen fi ghter facing collapsing contingency fund THE mARKETPLACE: for over 60 years, Rousseau metal has been making products that have earned a reputation for quality and reliability. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve to meet the needs of our customers. Rousseau's new L50 lock is our latest solution for security manage- ment on Rousseau cabinets. It has been designed for use on all "R" and "L" cabinets, as well as "R" multi-drawer cabinets. The existing locks can simply be replaced by the L50. Combining simplicity and versatility, the L50 lock allows you to save valuable time because of its ease of use. With the keyless L50, losing keys and lock changes are no longer an issue. The electronic lock is perfectly suited to business environments because it allows you to choose the security management system that works best for you. There are various options to choose from, somewhat akin to traditional keys (master codes, di erent codes, identical codes). For example, managers can create up to 20 di erent codes for each user or, conversely, choose to use a di erent code per cabinet. Whichever system you choose, the L50 will surpass expectations. For more information on the new L50, visit our website at www.rousseaumetal.com Launch of Rousseau's New L50 Electronic Lock tenance" once every fi ve years. "What this means in practical terms is that the tasking rate the RCAF has maintained over the past several years will not be sustainable." General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the additional airlifter would give the RCAF greater fl exibility to respond to crisis and continue to conduct "large numbers of simultaneous operations even on short notice." Although Boeing plans to close the production line in mid-2015, it had produced 10 extra aircraft and was seeking buyers. Australia recently made a formal request with the U.S. government for up to four and oth- er countries have been identifi ed as possible customers. Scott Day of Boeing Defense, Space & Security confi rmed the Cana- dian C-17 would come from that "white tail" fl eet. "Boeing values its re- lationship with the Canadian government and will continue to provide support and maintenance of the entire fl eet for years to come," he said.