Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) completed a change of command ceremony at Cartier Square Drill Hall in Ottawa, where Brigadier-General Steve Hunter assumed command from Major-General Steve Boivin. Presided over by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), the ceremony brought Maj.-Gen. Boivin’s three-year tenure as Commander of Canada’s special operations forces organization to a close.
BluMetric Environmental Inc. has signed an amendment to an existing service agreement for Canada’s Department of National Defence Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPU). The amendment includes a $5.3 million increase to the scope of work, to be completed in calendar year 2024, which includes on-call field service, support, and maintenance of the water treatment systems.
VARD has named BluMetric Environmental Inc. (BluMetric) as a Preferred Supplier to Team Vigilance. BluMetric has supplied and serviced the water treatment systems for the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) for over 20 years. BluMetric’s Shipboard Reverse Osmosis Desalinator (SROD) systems have provided reliable potable water to the Halifax Class since 2011 and will be installed in the RCN’s new Joint Support Ship (JSS).
Bill C-70 proposes to update existing laws to better equip the government to detect, disrupt, and protect against foreign interference threats against all people in Canada, including members of diaspora, marginalized or otherwise vulnerable communities. This includes proposed changes to the Security of Information Act, the modernization of the 40-year-old Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, and the sabotage offence in the Criminal Code. It also proposes amendments to the Canada Evidence Act to establish a standardized and streamlined regime for handling sensitive information in administrative proceedings in the Federal Court of Canada.
The IDEaS program is looking for game-changing solutions to aid Ukraine during minefield breaching operations. Up to $1 million in developmental funding for early stage (TRL 1-6) technology will be available per project. Canadian industry, not-for-profits, and academia are welcome to apply. Provincial/territorial, or municipal government organizations may also apply.
As the delegation of 40 from the Davie Supplier Association, now known as Naval Québec, arrives in Finland for a week-long mission, it opens exciting partnership opportunities between the Finnish and Québec shipbuilding industries. This initiative holds the promise of collaborative ventures and shared advancements in maritime technology.
Sensor specialist HENSOLDT is supplying six more of its high-performance TRML-4D radars to Ukraine to strengthen the country’s air defence. As part of a comprehensive order package worth over 100 million euros, the six radars will be delivered later this year. This means that HENSOLDT now has a total of more than 50 air defence radars of this type under contract for a whole range of customers.
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) formally commissioned His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Max Bernays into service at a ceremony held at Burrard Drydock Pier in North Vancouver. A ship’s commissioning ceremony is both a long-standing naval tradition, and a special event for the ship’s company and Canadian Fleet Pacific. HMCS Max Bernays, the RCN’s third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel, has the honour of being the first ship of its class to be attached to Canada’s Pacific Fleet in Esquimalt, British Columbia. During this milestone occasion, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, attended in her role as Commodore-in-Chief, Canadian Fleet Pacific to present the commissioning pennant to the ship.
Canadians and sailors from coast to coast to coast commemorated the 79th anniversary of the end of action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the sacrifices of the thousands of Canadians who fought valiantly from 1939 to 1945 during the longest campaign of the Second World War. Each year on the first Sunday in May, sailors from Canadian Forces Bases Halifax in Nova Scotia and Esquimalt in British Columbia, and the 24 Naval Reserve Divisions across Canada commemorate the sailors, merchant sailors, and aviators who perished at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Through Our North, Strong and Free Canada will be investing in Northern Operational Support Hubs, Tactical Helicopters and Airborne Early Warning Aircraft. The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, met with the Honourable P.J. Akeeagok, Premier of Nunavut; the Honourable Ranj Pillai, Premier of Yukon; and the Honourable R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories.
Seaspan is amongst the first major owner/operators of containerships to fully integrate Starlink's low latency, high bandwidth service across its entire fleet. This achievement underscores Seaspan's commitment to technological innovation and its position as an industry leader in adopting leading technology solutions. Building on a collaborative partnership with SpaceX, Seaspan has been at the forefront of utilizing Starlink's low-earth orbit communications in the maritime industry, recognizing its potential to meet the unique and ever-growing demands of containership marine operations.
The first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II for the Polish Air Force is standing with weight on wheels for the first time, a significant milestone for the jet as it moves down the production line at Lockheed Martin’s mile-long assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Poland’s program of record calls for 32 F-35As. The first aircraft, designated AZ-01, will be delivered to the Polish Air Force later this year. The aircraft will initially be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, where Polish pilot training will take place.
VAD Technologies Inc. (UVAD) is announcing it has signed an agreement with Raytheon, an RTX business, under Canada’s ITB program for a multi-million dollar investment. The funding will support a multi-year program to commercialize and deliver Falcon, the world’s first affordable, threat representative, subscale supersonic Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) target.
Canada’s leading defence and military magazine, CANADIAN DEFENCE REVIEW, has released its annual Survey & Ranking of Canada’s Top 100 Defence Companies. For 2024 CDR has named DAVIE its Top Defence Company and it’s the first time for the company at the #1 spot in the 20 years the ranking has been published.
Simthetiq announced that it has successfully completed the upgrade of Copa Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 Simulator fleet with the X2 Visual System, powered by the aXion image generator. This project also includes the provision of airport visual databases from Simthetiq’s existing library as well as the provision of new custom databases to meet specific Copa Airlines needs.
At the meeting, Minister Blair announced that Canada is donating $3 million to Ukraine for the production of drones by Ukraine’s domestic defence industry. This marks the first time that Canada is contributing directly to the production of military drones in Ukraine, and this donation will be made in collaboration with the United Kingdom.
The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Boeing 26[NYSE: BA] announced a $17M CAD investment from the company to advance Indigenous aerospace training and education in Saskatchewan. The funds will support SIIT’s programs, services and operations focusing on the expansion of the Saskatoon Aviation Learning Centre (SALC) to increase training of aircraft maintenance engineers in the province. With the expansion of this training facility and program offerings, SIIT is working to address the shortage of skilled labour in aerospace with talented Indigenous professionals.
Homes For Heroes Foundation announced a $1.5 million donation from BMO – a long-time supporter of the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Veterans. Representatives from both organisations were on hand at The Royal Canadian Military Institute to make the announcement. “We are thrilled to begin a partnership with BMO in support of our charity’s mission to end the issue of Veteran homelessness. BMO is a global company with a proven commitment to our military community and today’s announcement will go a long way in helping us achieve our mission,” noted Brad Field, President and CEO of Homes For Heroes Foundation.
Seaspan is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Victoria Shipyard – a leading ship repair and modernization facility on Canada’s West Coast. Three decades ago, the business began with a 20-foot shipping container and a team of five senior managers who were tasked with re-building a thriving shipyard. Today, Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards employs 800 people, is a major economic driver for the region, and with its reputation for taking on complex repair, refit, and conversion work, is a trusted partner to government and commercial fleets in Canada and around the world.
Backed by an investment of approximately $136 million, the project will see the construction of a new, 9,200-m2 headquarters building for the 1st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group (1 CRPG) as well as elements of Joint Task Force (North), in Yellowknife. The new facility will include offices and classroom space for administrative and training purposes, an assembly space which will double as a drill hall, and space for vehicle maintenance and warehouse storage.
Global Spatial Technology Solutions announced that it has been awarded a contract for a Voyage Information System (VIS) by St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway (GLS) to enhance joint management of bi-national waterways. GSTS will provide predictions for VIS through OCIANA®, its proprietary, AI powered SaaS platform. OCIANA® is a cyber-secure and scalable system which has been developed in collaboration with, and is used by, ports, shipping lines, pilotage authorities, civil agencies and border security organisations.
Lockheed Martin Australia signed a landmark AUD$500 million contract with the Department of Defence to build Australia’s future Joint Air Battle Management System under project - AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1). This system will provide Defence with an advanced integrated air and missile defence capability, using next-gen technologies, to combat high-speed threats
NP Aerospace is continuing its support for Ukraine with the delivery of a further 2,000 sets of body armour and carrier vests via Norway and the UK Ministry of Defence. This takes the total number of ballistic plates sent to Ukraine from NP Aerospace to over 180,000 since the start of the war. In addition to NP Aerospace ballistic helmets and bomb disposal suits which are being used on the frontline.
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, and Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, met with the Tłı̨chǫ Government in Behchokǫ̀ to discuss the upcoming wildfire season and to note that through Budget 2024, the Government of Canada is stepping up to invest over $175 million to support wildfire response and recovery activities in Indigenous communities.
