L-3’s SPAR subsidiary has been awarded an $18 million contract by the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Royal Air Force to perform outer wing replacements on three C-130K aircraft. In recent months L-3's MAS operation has taken over responsibility for L-3 SPAR operations in Edmonton which wer primarily focused on providing service work for the C-130 military transport aircraft. Following L-3 SPAR's loss of the Canadian service contract for the C-130 its operation has been reduced significantly.

The 2008 Canadian CBRNe, Defence & Security Exhibition and Conference will be held September 23 – 25 at Medicine Hat, Alberta. The three-day event will bring together a group of world-renowned speakers on topics ranging from ‘Polonium - The New Poison’, ‘Beijing – How Safe Are the Games?’, ‘Airport, Rail and Port Security Today, Tomorrow and Everyday’ to ‘Detection – The New Science for Safety’.

CAE and Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund announced that CAE has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire Bell Aliant’s Defence, Security and Aerospace (DSA) business unit, currently operated by the xwave division of Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership.
The purchase price paid on closing will be C$15.1 million with an additional C$11.0 million to be paid contingent upon the occurrence of certain events for a potential total purchase price of C$26.1 million.

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) has been awarded a contract by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) for a long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance solution to support the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan under the Noctua Program. The surveillance solution will be operational in Afghanistan before February 2009 for a period of two years, with an option for an additional third year. The contract also includes training for the DND air vehicle and payload operators. The initial contract is valued at $95 million CAD with the third year option valued at an additional $35 million CAD.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has been awarded a delivery order by U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to produce 773 RG-31 Mk5E Category I vehicles for its Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program. The order has a total potential value of $552 million. General Dynamics Land Systems, the Canadian company’s parent corporation, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

Sources within DND have told CDR that the Heron UAV, proposed by a partnership of IAI of Israel and MDA of Vancouver, has been selected for the Noctua Program. While the selection has apparently been made it has not, to date, been formally announced by the program office.

L-3 WESCAM has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $25 million by the Canadian Department of National Defence to provide High Definition Imaging systems in support of the Interoperable Griffon Reconnaissance Escort Surveillance System (INGRESS) Project. System deliveries will begin in late 2008 and will be completed in the 2009 timeframe. Engineering, Installation and Airworthiness Certification support for the Canadian Forces Griffon Helicopter (CH-146) fleet will be completed by the CH-146 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (BHTCL).

The Boards of Directors for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International – Canada (AUVSI-Canada) and the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (CCUVS) have agreed to provide Canadian industry with a partnership of services that will facilitate the growth of the Canadian unmanned systems sector.

This partnership brings together two leading national non-profit organizations in the UVS sector and provides a full range of services with the common objective of fostering the growth, development and competitiveness of the Canadian unmanned systems sector.

The Government of Canada has awarded a contract valued at $374 million (US $367 million) to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada for a full range of lifecycle support services for the Canadian Forces fleet of Wheeled Light Armoured Vehicles. General Dynamics Land Systems, the Canadian company’s parent corporation, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA), announced that on June 10, 2008, it undertook the first Search and Rescue Mission involving both an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and manned aircraft in Canadian history. The Suffield, Alberta demonstration included participants from MDA, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), and Calgary Northeast Conservative MP Art Hanger, who volunteered his time to play the role of a plane crash survivor. The exercise was filmed by the Discovery Channel.