The goal of the Mid-Life Upgrade project is to secure the service life of the vessels until 2030’s and to extend the vessels’ independent operation time. The project will also develop the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and the surface defense capabilities with new features

Source:  Patria
Associated URL: Click here to visit

"The aircraft performed as expected during these milestone tests. While completing alignment on the runway, waiting for clearance from air traffic control, we engaged the auto-pilot," said Airbus Test Pilot Captain Yann Beaufils. "We moved the throttle levers to the take-off setting and we monitored the aircraft. It started to move and accelerate automatically maintaining the runway center line, at the exact rotation speed as entered in the system. The nose of the aircraft began to lift up automatically to take the expected take-off pitch value and a few seconds later we were airborne."

Rather than relying on an Instrument Landing System (ILS), the existing ground equipment technology currently used by in-service passenger aircraft in airports around the world where the technology is present, this automatic take-off was enabled by image recognition technology installed directly on the aircraft.

Automatic take-off is an important milestone in Airbus’ Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off & Landing (ATTOL) project. Launched in June 2018, ATTOL is one of the technological flight demonstrators being tested by Airbus in order to understand the impact of autonomy on aircraft. The next steps in the project will see automatic vision-based taxi and landing sequences taking place by mid-2020.

Airbus’ mission is not to move ahead with autonomy as a target in itself, but instead to explore autonomous technologies alongside other innovations in areas such as materials, electrification and connectivity. By doing so, Airbus is able to analyze the potential of these technologies in addressing the key industrial challenges of tomorrow, including improving air traffic management, addressing pilot shortages and enhancing future operations. At the same time Airbus is leveraging these opportunities to further improve aircraft safety.

Airbus notes that autonomous technologies are paramount to supporting pilots, enabling them to focus less on aircraft operation and more on strategic decision-making and mission management.

Source:  Airbus

Initial construction of the first ship began with a steel-cutting ceremony in June 2018, but a full construction contract to finish the ship is expected in spring 2020.

The new class is using an off-the-shelf ship design from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada. The long-delayed effort will replace Canada's former supply ships, HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur (the new class will reuse the names of the old auxiliaries). The replacement effort was originally launched in 2004, but the initial attempt was canceled in 2008 because of high costs. The original Preserver and Protecteur were removed from service ahead of schedule in 2014, leaving a capability gap that has been filled through agreements to utilize foreign logistics ships and the conversion of a container ship into an interim supply ship.

JSS delivery dates have been pushed back multiple times. At one point, the first ship was expected to arrive by 2020, but delivery will not take place until 2023. The second ship is not expected to arrive until 2025.

In October 2019, Navamar was awarded a CAD11.7 million contract for five ship-to-shore connector craft that will eventually be used by the JSS fleet.

Source:  DND
Associated URL: Click here to visit
Author: S. McDougall, Defense Analyst