Rheinmetall AG of Düsseldorf, Germany, has reached an agreement with Simrad Optronics ASA of Nøtterøy, Norway, under which the German company will make a voluntary cash offer for 100% of the shares of Simrad Optronics. Simrad Optronics ASA is listed on the Oslo stock exchange.

Oshkosh Corporation has announced that its Defense division has received a delivery order valued at more than $410 million from the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) for the production and delivery of 2,634 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) trucks and trailers for the U.S. Army. This award is for deliveries scheduled between March and December 2011. To date, Oshkosh Corporation has received orders valued at more than $690 million under the five-year FMTV requirements contract.

The Unmanned Systems Canada Annual Student Paper Competition will once again be featured at the 2010 Conference in Montreal, Quebec from November 2nd – 5th 2010 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The Competition is open to all Canadian undergraduate and graduate students at a recognized university or college who are registered in full time studies at the time of submission. Those students submitting the top 3 abstracts as decided by the Selection Committee will be invited to write full papers to be judged and presented at the 2010 Conference in Montreal (an all-expenses paid trip). 3 Finalists will be notified by July 30, 2010.

Abstract Deadline: June 30, 2010.  Complete details available at www.unmannedsystems.ca under the ‘Student Competition’ tab.

Canada's leading defence and military journal, Canadian Defence Review, has released its annual survey and ranking of defence companies in Canada. Raytheon Canada, with operations in Waterloo and Midland, Ontario as well as Calgary, Alberta, was ranked number one in the CDR survey for 2010.  For the complete list click on the Top 40 tab and select 2010 Top 40 Defence Companies.

CAE has announced that towards the end of its fiscal 2010 it was awarded several new military contracts in Europe and Canada to support the German Army and Royal Netherlands Air Force as well as Canada's Department of National Defence. The value of the contracts combined is approximately C$50 million.

Viking Air of Victoria, BC, and the Vietnam Navy have finalized a purchase agreement for six DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft. With this historic purchase the Vietnam Ministry of Defense has acquired its first ever western-built aircraft, and the formation of the Navy’s initial fixed-wing-aircraft Air Wing.

On May 3rd, Canada Post will unveil a set of two commemorative stamps at the Canadian War Museum. The stamps will be available to the public the following day.

Prototype samples, developed by the navy centennial team, are depicted below and were used in presentations to Canada Post.


The Canadian Navy centennial commemorative silver dollar, released by the Royal Canadian Mint in January, depicts the bold image of HMCS Sackville; one of 122 Flower Class Corvettes in operation by the end of World War II, when Canada boasted the third largest navy in the world.

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 marks the commemoration and celebration of the Canadian Naval Centennial (CNC). Throughout the centennial year, the Canadian Navy is celebrating 100 years of naval service in Canada.  Tuesday May 4, 2010, will see a host of events across the country:

Operations and supply chains within the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector remain less global than in other high-technology industries, according to recently conducted interviews with CEOs and senior executives by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). While the industry's customer base, sources of production, and research and development (R&D) activities are already international, the report reveals that there is still room for improvement when it comes to overall globalization.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence announced changes to the Canadian Navy uniform in commemoration of Canada’s Naval Centennial.

The navy will add a badge called a Sea Service Insignia (SSI), a visible and formal recognition for those who have spent significant amounts of time at sea. Also, the government will reinstate the “executive curl,” a loop on the braid of a naval officer’s rank insignia, on the top-most stripe of a tunic sleeve or epaulette. The executive curl was adopted by the Royal Canadian Navy when it was formed in 1910.

In what appears to be a round of belt tightening, L-3 Communications MAS, based in Mirabel, Quebec has laid off some senior executives. Stephen (Fig) Newton a former Canadian Air Force officer was a director of business development at the company where he specialized in the unmanned aircraft area, Richard (Dick) Mohns was a director of business development, and Stephane Germain was VP business development and strategy at the company.