Shipbuilders, on Canada’s west coast, have formed an alliance to provide a unified voice to all levels of government to promote BC’s shipbuilding industry. The group will operate under the name of the Pacific Coast Shipbuilders Association (PCSA).

L-3 Communication Systems-West was selected by the Canadian Forces for the delivery of its international version of the ROVER 5. As such, Rover 5i will serve as the Canadian Forces’ new Remote Video Terminal. 

“The ROVER 5i will allow the Canadian military to receive and view the very critical ISR video they require for current operations. This is a very important piece of kit that Canadian military personnel have been asking for,” said James Diefenderfer, L-3’s Canadian Business Manager.

Vancouver-based NGRIAN has opened a new North American office in Richmond Virginia. The new office will provide direct support to the company’s local and East Coast customers, which include the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security armed services. This new office come on the heels of the company's new Ottawa office opened late summer.

The U.S. Operation of OSI Geospatial Inc. has signed R&D contracts valued at approximately $1.8 million. Under the terms of these contracts, the company will provide advanced technology engineering services and support. The company expects to recognize the revenue from these projects within the next 12 months.

NGRAIN solutions have enabled the US Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, which trains soldiers how to repair and overhaul construction equipment that supports ground missions, to achieve a $14-million (USD) savings each year. The savings have made it possible for the school to extend the curriculum to include training on new vehicle technology.

“With NGRAIN-enabled courseware in our classrooms, we are able to shave 12 hours off the 40-hour brake system training block,” explained Cecil Caldwell, Chief, Maintenance Training Division, Fort Leonard Wood, US Army. “With an annual training load of approximately 1,200 students, this one-and-a half day reduction in training time translates to more than $14-million in savings per year. We now apply this savings to deliver training for new vehicle technology, including wet brakes maintenance and repair.”

Aéro Montréal, the Aerospace Cluster of Metropolitan Montréal, in collaboration with CRIAQ, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec, opened the 2nd edition of the Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montréal under the theme Aerospace Clusters: A World of Innovation.

The event, the result of the Québec aerospace industry’s determination to maintain its innovation capacity, is bringing together more than 400 representatives and researchers from the Canadian and international aerospace industry. 

Coming on the heels of a recent Conference Board of Canada report regarding the importance of Canada’s aerospace industry investing in research and development, Québec’s aerospace sector is taking advantage of the event to reaffirm its position as a leader in innovation and to recognize the need to intensify its efforts in the area of research and development (R&D).

Insitu Inc., a Boeing subsidiary, completed a successful flight demonstration of its first ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) aboard Canadian Naval vessel HMCS GLACE BAY (MM 701).

General Dynamics Canada and Marport C-Tech Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) setting the stage for the joint development and marketing of a suite of next generation underwater acoustic products to support underwater military Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Washington Marine Group has acquired substantially all of the Victoria-based assets of Canadian Maritime Engineering’s (CME) ship repair business at the Esquimalt Graving dock.

The CME assets include a large shop, shipyard machinery and equipment, which Victoria Shipyards (VSL) will utilize in the execution of the Frigate Life Extension program (FELEX) for the Canadian Navy. In addition to the CME assets, VSL will be purchasing a number of other mobile buildings in the coming months to provide the necessary facilities to support the FELEX team and to efficiently serve our customer.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has won a USD $2.2 billion contract with the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, in support of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) for 724 Light Armored Vehicles (LAV) for a Foreign Military Sale (FMS).