In this issue, Vanguard takes a closer look at the Canadian Surface Combatant program. Estimated by some to be worth in excess of $40 billion, the CSC is indeed one of the largest programs of the military in recent years and certainly the most sought after program in Canada’s defence industry. However, cost estimates can be a problem, according to the Hon. Judy Foote, minister of public service and procurement.
At the recent Cansec 2016 conference, the minister announced to an audience of defence industry execs that she has had it with cost estimates and the confusion they cause. Our story Government moves to get a grip on CSC program, reports on what the minister’s new game plan would entail. How can the Liberals navigate the challenges the challenges they face with the CSC? The government it seems has two options. Read Vanguard editor, Nestor Arellano’s The Last Word column to find out what they are.
If you’re looking for a quick update on the CSC contenders, I suggest you fast forward to our Dashboard. The full-spread section contains fast-facts on some of the leading primes competing for the warship design as well as their respective combat systems integrators. There’s no shortage of analyst views about what fighter aircraft should replace Canada’s CF-18. However, it’s not very often that you get to read a pilot’s perspective on the issue. I highly recommend reading our Pilot vs. Pilot articles. Billie Flynn, former commander of the 441 Task Squadron and now test pilot for Lockheed Martin, highlights the best features of F-35 and makes a case for why the Air Force needs to go stealth. Ricardo Traven, also a former RCAF pilot who is now chief test pilot for Boeing counters punches with the argument that the F/A 18 Super Hornet is the superior fighter aircraft and that two engines a better than one.
And finally, we have our latest Game Changers. In this issue, we profile Dr. Alice Aiken, co-founder and scientific director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, Roman Gr. Maev of the Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research, and Jonathan “Lee” Obst, president and managing director of Rockwell Collins Canada. We continue to receive a lot of queries about our Game Changers series and so if you have any questions about it or would like to nominate a Game Changer, please don’t hesitate to contact me at editorvanguard@netgov.ca.
To see our latest issue, click on the image below.
