Vanguard Magazine

8 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com s sIt REP Thales awarded AJISS contract for up to 35 years Lockheed Martin completes IRB commitments for CC-130J transferring knowledge of innovative ISS-ready so- lutions from Australia to Canada. Since 1989, Thales has been working with the Australian Government to manage, maintain and upgrade its naval assets at the Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney. The company has also provided ISS to navies in Singapore, New Zealand, USA, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. Thales has been awarded, potentially the larg- est In-Service Support (ISS) contract in Canadian history. This contract includes the refit, repair, maintenance and training of both the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and Joint Support Ships (JSS), commonly known as AJISS. The contract covers an initial service period of eight years for up to $800 Million CAD, with op- tions to extend services up to 35 years, for a total value of $5.2 Billion CAD. Over the past five decades, Thales has provided in-service support to every major Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) platform, including the Victoria-class submarines, Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels, Iroquois-class destroyers and Halifax-class frigates. To fulfill this contract, Thales will work closely with the RCN's support facilities and personnel. This contract will generate an economic benefit of more than $250 Million CAD in Research & De- velopment for Canada over its 35-year duration. This benefit will support the creativity of "both in- dustry and academia and sparking innovation in areas such as predictive maintenance, life-cycle management and logistics support analysis," ac- cording to a press release from Thales. Thales has extensive performance-based ISS ex- perience with the Royal Australian Navy and will be "As Canada's partner of choice for AJISS, Thales is committed to empowering Canadian industry to support this program for decades to come," said Mark Halinaty, Thales Country Director in Cana- da. Thales' ISS program solution will create jobs across Canada and will ensure that the ships are mission-ready, where and when they are needed, from coast to coast to coast." Artist's impression of the Harry Dewolf-Class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel. Photo Irving Shipbuilding Inc. A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130J Hercules arrives in Kuwait as part of Operation IMPACT on July 7, 2017. Photo: Op IMPACT, DND Lockheed Martin announced recently, the com- pletion of its Industrial Regional Benefits (IRB) commitments, valued at $1.4 billion for the Air- craft Capability Project – Tactical (ACP-T) program. This contract was awarded in December 2007, for 17 CC-130J Super Hercules to replace the CC-130E Hercules aircraft fleet. Completed one year ahead of plan, the global security and aerospace company met all its IRB requirements "for small and medium enterprises, aerospace and defence, and strategic aerospace and defence technology sectors and for specific regional projects in the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and Western regions," according to a press re- lease. As part of its fulfillment, Lockheed Martin en- gaged many Canadian companies and universi- ties by funding research and development for innovative technology products and services to "ignite a culture of innovation," according to Charles Bouchard, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Canada. "The completion of the project is an exceptional accomplishment and result of extensive col- laboration for both the Lockheed Martin and ISED teams," said Bouchard. Navdeep Bains, Minister for Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED), highlighted during his keynote address at CANSEC this year, five Canadian companies: GasTops, Contextere, Solace Power, Metamaterial Technologies and Mannario, who have benefited as recipients of Investment Framework (IF) projects directly re- lated to the CC-130J. "Knowing that the CC-130J is responsible for fostering cutting-edge technology within Cana- da's business and higher education communities through these economic grants is a fitting reflec- tion of Lockheed Martin's commitment to innova- tion," said George Shultz, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager, Air Mobility & Maritime Missions. Since 1960, the CC-130J Super Hercules have served the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in many missions in the Arctic, search and rescue and humanitarian efforts. As part of the ACP-T program, all 17 aircraft were delivered on time and on budget to the RCAF.

• Cover