BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

Airbus C295 Well...  That only took...   Forever. Twelve years  after announcing a need to purchase new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR), the Federal Government announced plans to procure 16 Airbus C-295 aircraft .  These C-295s will replace aging CC-115 Buffalo and CC-130 Hercules currently used. The FWSAR replacement has been an ongoing reminder of just how broken Canada's military procurement process can be.  After starting a competition in 2004, the program has been in a state of " on-again/off-again " with allegations of rigged requirements that were too favorable to the Alenia C-27J. Potential candidates for Canada's FWSAR included: Alenia C-27J Spartan Airbus C-295 Embraer KC-390 C-130J Hercules (new build) Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey Bombardier Q400 "DHC-5NG" (new build Buffalos with modern engines) The Q400 fails to meet the requirement for a rear loading ramp.  The Osprey was pitched but was likely too deemed too costly. ...

Bombardier C-Series:  Savior or a curse? Any Canadian reading the business news lately knows that Bombardier is in trouble . Layoffs, less-than-hoped demand for the C-Series , and requests for bailouts have made headlines for the Canadian aerospace company.  Some of the blame for this is directed at Bombardier's management practices.  Bombardier utilized a two-tiered investment structure, in which shares owned by its two founding families (Bombardier and Beaudoin) are worth far more than shares available to the general public.  Thanks to this, 13% of the shareholders enjoy a 54% of the voting power.  Combined with Bombardier's niche position in the marketplace, investors are likely to think twice . The question is:  Do we let Bombardier fail? Some may be tempted to let natural selection take its course.  "Darwinism" and all that.  Doing so would pretty much devastate Canada's aerospace industry, however.  Canada would still have pl...

CC-115 Buffalo If an individual ever had doubts about just how bewildering Canada's military procurement methods are, look no further than the efforts to replace its fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) fleet.   Announced in 2004 , the FWSAR replacement project has seen countless delays .  Even more frustrating is that none of these delays are caused by technical issues.  Instead, the FWSAR has been a victim of politics and bureaucracy gumming up what should have been a straight-forward project. The need is there to replace Canada's aging CC-115 Buffalo .  The 60s era airframe has not been built since 1986.  Parts are increasingly difficult to procure and maintenance is a challenge.   Cost is not an issue.  Compared to the $9 billion CF-18 replacement and the $38 billion National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy ( NSPS ), the $3.1 billion (service contract included) FWSAR project is unlikely to raise any objections.   Politi...