Vanguard Magazine

L-3 Communications to change its name at year-end Canadian firms partner with Danish drone maker in UAV venture CDS says Canadian soldiers allowed to shoot first in fight against ISIS www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 11 s sIt REP Aircraft Cameras & Sensors So ware Regulatory/Training gapwireless.com/UAV Defence Systems L-3 Communications will no longer be the name of the leading prime contractor in aerospace sys- tems, security and detection systems and pilot training. Effective December 31, 2016, the com- pany will be known as L3 Technologies, Inc. "Over the last 20 years, L-3 has established a strong reputation for performance, entrepreneurial spirit and delivering value. We have grown our port- folio of market-leading technologies and expanded our global reach while maintaining the agility, en- gineering expertise and integrity that support our customers' success," Michael T. Strianese, L-3's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said. With its headquarters located in New York City, L-3 employs approximately 38,000 people glob- ally with reported sales in 2015 of $10.5 billion. Strianese went on to add, "As L3 Technologies, we will deliver the same level of service and ex- cellence that our customers have come to expect from us as we position the Company for continued growth and value creation for our shareholders." A partnership between two Canadian companies and a Stovring, Denmark-based maker of un- manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has reached its final integration phase. Newfoundland-based businesses Solace Power, a wireless power solutions provider, and Agile Sen- sors Technology, a firm that makes sensors and motor controllers, are working with Sky-Watch in the development of UAVs. The three companies are on track to demon- strate in Canada the automated wireless recharge quadcopter they developed. This is a major milestone in the partnership that was facilitated and funded by aerospace firm Boeing. The exhibition, which is expected to take place this month, will showcase the capabilities of the new UAV to monitor above-ground pipelines and similar industrial systems. Sky-Watch, with the support of Canadian-based research and development corporation C-CORE, will lead the team's technology demonstration of precision landing and wireless recharging by the end of 2016. A test flight of the fully-integrated prototype on an active pipeline in Canada is expected in 2017. Once complete, the UAV system can be integrated into industrial monitoring systems and will provide an economical and reliable solution for customers. At the height of the battle for then ISIS-controlled Mosul, Canada's top soldier defended the Liberal government's decision to allow Canadian troops in Iraq to fire first against terrorist forces in order to protect themselves as well as civilians and coali- tion fighters. "We are allowed to deal with a threat that is emerging that would overwhelm those we are working with, or ourselves if we didn't deal with it," Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of defence staff, told a parliamentary committee. "That is the defi- nition of defensive fire. We don't have to be shot at first. We can take the first shot if it is to save lives." The Liberals encountered renewed criticism that it was misleading the public about the real nature of the involvement of Canadian soldiers in the con- flict in Iraq, according to a report from the Canadian Press. In the early days of the battle to regain Mosul from ISIS, images surfaced of Canadian troops appearing to be assisting Kurdish forces fighting ISIS on the frontlines. Upon coming into power, the Liberals pulled out the six CF-18 fighter jets engaged in missions in Iraq and Syria by the Conservatives. Then the Lib- erals boosted the number of ground troops in the country from 69 to 200.

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