Fixed-wing SAR aircraft balls-up

A month ago:

Conservatives and CF procurement: Political/industrial policy, not defence policy
...
This is how the Conservative government plans to make defence procurement less, er, cumbersome. Lobbyists and votes rule. Hurl:

Tories to revamp military buying procedures
Move comes after critics complain Canadian firms are not benefiting

The Conservative government is changing direction on how it buys military equipment after facing a barrage of criticism that such multibillion-dollar purchases have not delivered enough jobs and work to domestic companies.

Public Works Minister Christian Paradis said Thursday that the government will ask the defence and aerospace industry to participate more in the process [emphasis added] in the hope of avoiding public squabbles like the one that has dogged the $3-billion program to buy new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft. [Where was MND MacKay? I guess he lost in Cabinet the battle to procur the C-27J as the new fixed-wing SAR aircraft.]

The $3-billion purchase has bogged down, with some companies complaining the Defence Department designed the program to favour one particular firm.

"We want to make sure industry is part of the solution given the investments that are coming in military procurement," said Paradis. "It's a good news story and it was important for us to send the message."..

Now from the blog of the Ottawa Citizen's David Pugliese:

FWSAR INDUSTRY DAY LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED SAY AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE FIRM EXECS

For more than a few of those who attended the Fixed Wing SAR industry day in Ottawa on Tuesday, the low point came when Brig.-Gen. Greg Matte was asked about what type of sensors the new aircraft would carry.

The question, I believe from Cascade Aerospace, seemed to be a reasonable one. How do you find someone in the Atlantic Ocean during a storm, in the dark was on the mind of more than a few industry reps?

But the crowd of 140 aerospace executives, standing room only crammed like sardines into a conference room, didn’t get much of an answer.

As you probably read in my Ottawa Citizen article in today’s paper, the industry day was a mess, according to those who attended. Go here to read the full article:

http://davidpugliesemilitaryphotos.blogspot.com/2009/07/canadian-forces-fixed-wing-search-and.html

A Public Works rep had trouble answering questions, according to those in the room. No one could say who would be responsible of in-service support for the planes (industry or DND?). Even the number of aircraft, once set at 15-17, no longer applies it seems.

Some aerospace reps I talked to called the industry day a waste of time. One referred to it as a “cluster…….”

Some were amused by the 10 technicians running around trying unsuccessfully to fix the microphones that malfunctioned and the audio-visual system, which projected blanks. “It looked like we were at a rock concert there was so many of these guys but of course nothing worked,” said one aerospace executive.

The most happy campers I touched base with were the folks from Viking Air of British Columbia. They saw the day as positive since they feel the field is now open to their new production Buffalo aircraft (yet to be built) [more here and here].

One positive aspect, agreed most, was the chance to talk to SAR Techs and get feedback from those people.