Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/476674
www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 9 i inSide indUstRY osprey still a possible bidding bird for FWsAr T O L E A R N M O R E V I S I T : S C OT T S A F E T Y.C O M Copyright © 2011 Scott Safety. All Rights Reserved. T O L E A R N M O R E V I S I T : LET'S WORK. S co t t S a fe t y a re wo r l d l e a d e r s i n t h e d e s i g n a n d d eve l o p m e n t o f Re s p i ra to r y P ro te c t i o n Eq u i p m e n t ( R P E ) . We h ave a d e t a i l e d u n d e r st a n d i n g o f t h e p hys i o l o g i c a l a n d p syc h o l o g i c a l b u rd e n R P E c a n p l a ce o n u s e r s . Th a t i s w hy we te st i n t h e f i e l d . We a p p l y w h a t we l e a r n t h e re – a s we l l a s e m e rg i n g re s e a rc h a n d te c h n o l o g i e s to eve r y d e s i g n to e n s u re s u p e r i o r c a p a b i l i t y, f u n c t i o n a l i t y a n d co m fo r t . I r re s p e c t i ve o f w h e t h e r yo u r re q u i re m e n t i s fo r C B R N p ro te c t i o n , B re a t h i n g A p p a ra t u s fo r E O D, U SA R , D a m a g e Co n t ro l , L aw E n fo rce m e n t , F i re F i g h t i n g o r fo r s p e c i a l i st a p p l i c a t i o n s S co t t c a n m e e t yo u r re q u i re m e n t s - Co m fo r t a b l y OUR FOUNDATION IS OUR TECHNOLOGIES, OUR MISSION IS EXPANDING YOUR CAPABILITIES. and then exporting that capability to other countries," he said, noting the recent suc- cess of C-130J aircraft simulators. "There are many nations we bump into who might be in- terested in setting up their own local training academies, in which case this provides CAE with a very strong resume to help those na- tions set up those capabilities." The RCAF is currently in options analysis for a Future Pilot Training program. Though it had hoped to have that in place when the NFTC services contract expires in 2021, in- dustry consultations and internal analysis in 2014 have shown that won't be possible, leaving a "gap" that will have to be fi lled by an interim solution. "The air force has expressed a desire to bring both [the NFTC and CFTS] programs together so that they can have a more inte- grated, more effi cient training system, rather than two different streams," Greenley ex- plained. "The CFTS program fi nishes in 2027. So the 'gap' is, what do you do between 2021 to 2027? They have a number of different op- tions. We would like to be involved if there is any opportunity. We just don't know how to engage in that yet because the government hasn't decided a path forward." With the RCAF facing a pilot shortage, Greenley laughs at the suggestion his job might now entail "poaching" pilots on behalf of Canada from NFTC participants. But he says such shortages speak to a broader is- sue and the importance of the acquisition. "The world wide challenge of pilot genera- tion is a big issue. With shortages of pilots in the commercial and business airline sectors, they tend to poach pilots from the military as one of their key recruiting areas, which then stresses the military pilot system, which stresses the need to have more pro- ductive and effi cient training schools. As we go through the next decade, there is a lot of opportunity for us to step up and get more engaged in the pilot generation process in general for our military customers. In doing that, we are also contributing to the pilot shortage on the civil side." Don't rule out the V-22 from Canada's fi xed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) project. Recent re- ports have suggested that if the government does issue a request for proposals (RFP) this spring as some now expect, a number of potential bidders who had been vying for visibility over the past 11 years will opt out, including Bell Boeing and its V-22 Osprey. Because the program has taken over a decade to reach the RFP stage, a recent article in the Ot- tawa Citizen's well read Defence Watch online blog said the number of bidders could be down to three: Alenia Aermacchi and its C-27J Spartan; Airbus Defence and Space and its C295; and Lockheed Martin and the C-130J. Others unlikely to continue with the program, it said, were Bombardier, Viking Air and Bell Boe- ing. (No mention of the late arriving Embraer and its KC-390.) Though more than competitive on price and capability, Bombardier has always been prob- lematic because its Q400 series/Dash 8 planes do not have a rear ramp. Viking Air had offered to produce a new version of the current workhorse DHC-5 Buffalo, but former Defence Minister Peter MacKay expressed reluctance to take on a new experimental aircraft, perhaps given the govern- ment's experience with the maritime helicopter replacement program.