Textron takes TAPV
Vehicle section process receives praise
The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy may be garnering praise for its well managed process to date, but the army’s Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle program deserves a piece of the limelight.
In early June, the government awarded Textron Systems Canada two contracts for the TAPV, an acquisition contract of $603.3 million for 500 vehicles, with an option for up to 100 more, and a five-year in-service support contract of $105.4 million, also with additional one-year renewal options. The army is expected to take possession of the first vehicle in July 2014; the last delivery is scheduled for March 2016.
Obviously, not all contenders were pleased with the outcome, but they were complementary of the process and the secrecy surrounding the final decision.
“We were very impressed,” said Neil Rutter, general manager of Textron Systems Canada, adding that an executive with Textron Marine & Land Systems said he had “never seen such a clear RFP anywhere in the world.”
Program managers knew what they wanted and they were “tight lipped” about which way the wind was blowing. Rutter said that while the process provided indicators of how Textron’s 4×4 TAPV was performing, and he suspected the competition was very close on price and capability, he did not know the result until the afternoon before the government’s announcement. “The secrecy was unbelievable.”
Speaking just days before the contract was awarded, Jeff Krumrei, regional manager for Oshkosh Defense, said he too was impressed with the secrecy and the process. “They kept their dates, they kept their discipline. The testing that was done in Aberdeen went very well. From a competitor perspective, we appreciated the clarity and the method with which they stuck to their guns. It was demanding, but it was good.”
Though the Textron TAPV team, which includes Kongsberg Protech Systems Canada, Rheinmetall Canada and EODC, has a supply base for the vehicle, Rutter said the company would be looking to “broaden” it, both to meet IRB commitments and because of its export potential from Canada to other markets.
Osprey still hovering over FWSAR
With each passing year without an RFP, the options for Canada’s fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) solution continue to grow. Once dismissed as far too expensive, the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey has become a possible contender.
Bob Carrese, executive director of business development for the V-22 program, says that while the Osprey is not billed as a SAR aircraft, it has been steadily gaining notoriety in that role in combat operations in Iraq and, most recently, Libya.
“We think this is a good candidate for fixed-wing search and rescue,” he said. “We meet all of the essential elements, just as a fixed-wing airplane. But we also bring the option for a SAR team to actually make the rescue.”
He pointed out that while SAR technicians can drop to aid a victim, a fixed-wing option can often only hover while a helicopter then makes the rescue. “If you look at the search and rescue mission in its totality, we believe we can provide a better, more efficient service to Canadians by reducing the number of assets required, in most cases reducing the total cost of the mission and the total risk of the mission. In a lot of cases, you can actually stop and make the rescue and get the patient to hospital in a fraction of the time you do now, and you wouldn’t have to use additional assets to do that.”
With changes to the Statement of Requirements that would allow bidders to propose some of the SAR aircraft basing, Carrese said the V-22 could cover Canada’s vast geography. “This aircraft will go 1000 nautical miles unrefueled. It has aerial refueling capability, and it can stop anywhere where there is a fuel cash,” often in areas inaccessible to fixed-wing aircraft.
With the Osprey now into its fourth year of multi-year production, and 160 aircraft now fielded and flying, Carrese said the program has the “opportunity to make the aircraft available to new customers.”
Rockwell Collins to network US navy
A networking system developed in Ottawa will be ubiquitous across the U.S. navy.
Rockwell Collins’ Sub-Net Relay (SNR) was selected by Science Application International Corporation for the entire U.S. navy fleet as part of the PEOC4I Battle Force Tactical Networking program.
SNR was developed for the Royal Canadian Navy in 2009 and has subsequently been accepted by Australia, New Zealand, Finland and France. Lee Obst, the company’s managing director for Canada, said the U.S. decision to equip all its ships and submarines would give it “a lot of credibility” as a NATO interoperability standard for other allied naval forces.
“The U.S. navy has been playing with it for several years,” he said. “They came to the decision that [SNR] is going to be their operating standard to communicate and exchange data with all their ships … we expect this to be a big help for us going after other friendly nations.”
SNR allows the creation of mobile ad hoc, Internet-Protocol networks for tactical data exchanges, including two-way video conference and collaborative planning, using existing communications systems onboard naval vessels.
The technology was first developed by Dr. Gerard Nourry, Rockwell’s regional sales manager and the founder of Ottawa tech firm IP Unwired, which was later acquired by Rockwell Collins.
IN BRIEF
Lockheed Martin and Abbotsford’s Cascade Aerospace signed an MOU to “jointly pursue mutually beneficial business opportunities,” including promotion of the C-130J Super Hercules for the Canadian fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) program. The agreement is the first such MOU that Lockheed Martin has signed with a Canadian aerospace firm.
L-3 MAS (Military Aviation Services) received a one-year contract for the maintenance of the CF fleet of five CC-150 Polaris (Airbus) aircraft after the previous contractor, Aveos Fleet Performance, shut down on April 30.
Aurora ROV Systems of Nova Scotia will provide the RCN with six underwater remote operated vehicles (ROV) following a contract award worth $1.66 million. Two versions of the ROV were used in Operation Nunalivut 2012 to explore the bottom of the Northwest Passage.
Rheinmetall will deliver the Leopard Gunnery Skills Trainer and driving simulators under the Canadian Leopard 2 A4 Simulators and Trainers program. The simulators will be delivered to bases in Gagetown, Edmonton, Valcartier and Petawawa.
Montreal-based CAE has renewed its in-service support contract for the CF-18 fleet for one year, and will provide avionics software upgrades, integrated logistics support and data management services.
Richmond-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates signed a contract to provide training support to the British Army that will include tasking of unmanned surveillance aircraft and the use of the information collected.
NGRAIN’s Virtual Task Trainer solutions were selected by DND to enhance maintenance training and operations for Expedient Route Operating Capability (EROC) vehicles and Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) devices. In May, the U.K. MoD selected a NGRAIN VTR solution for a vehicle program.
L-3 WESCAM of Burlington was awarded a three-year contract worth up to $10 million for the repair and overhaul of surveillance sensors on the CF’s fleet of CH-146 Griffon helicopters. The electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging sensors were installed under the Interoperable Griffon Reconnaissance Escort Surveillance System (INGRESS) project.
A Montreal developed system used by pro athletes to prepare for elite competition has been adopted U.S. Special Operations Command. NeuroTracker, designed by CogniSens, helps prepare the brain for fast-paced, confusing situations using eight different gameplay units involving a screen filled with moving orbs.