Based in Montreal, M1 Composites Technology provides a wide range of services for advanced composite and sheet metal aircraft structures, for all branches of the Canadian Armed Forces and our NATO allies. As M1 President, Lorenzo Marandola, told CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, in the latest episode of the CDR Radio Podcast, the company is on an astounding growth curve.
For more info visit: www.m1composites.com
As we know, the qualified suppliers for the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program have submitted their proposals and we are expecting a contract award in 2024. CDR had the opportunity to speak with SkyAlyne’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program Manager, Stéphane Hébert, and Head of Operations, Peter Fedak, on the CDR Radio Podcast to learn more about their bid for the FAcT contract, and why SkyAlyne believes it is the best choice for the job.
For more info on SkyAlyne, visit: https://skyalyne.ca/
CDR recently spoke with CADSI President and CEO, Christyn Cianfarani, to get the inside scoop on CANSEC 2023. After two years lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries’ (CADSI) annual CANSEC trade show roared back to life in 2022. This year’s edition, which will be held at Ottawa’s EY Centre May 31-June 1, looks to be even better! Our discussion covered the impact of Chinese balloons, questions about arming Ukraine and NATO’s ability to re-arm itself, the recent focus on NORAD during Biden’s visit to Canada and concerns about the Canadian Armed Forces’ readiness among other things.
For more information about CANSEC visit: https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/CANSEC/
CDR recently sat down with Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, for an exclusive interview on the CDR Radio Podcast. Canada’s continuing response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on our military readiness, the need for the CAF to replace military equipment donated to Ukraine with new procurements, and the CAF’s challenges in recruiting and retaining troops, were some of the many topics raised in our year-end interview.
This episode is sponsored by CAE. CAE represents 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight, mission, and personalized training programs powered by innovation and technology. CAE digitalizes the physical world, deploying simulation training and critical operations support solutions. As the only principal Canadian-owned defence contractor, CAE currently trains all military pilots for the Canadian Armed Forces. And in 2020, became the first Canadian aviation company to be carbon neutral. Visit CAE’s website www.cae.com/defense-security
For over 35 years, Calgary’s Arcfield Canada has been providing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with in-service and integrated logistics support. It has also been supporting the RCAF’s CF-18 fleet since 2010. Yet, as of October 2022, Arcfield is just one year old. The reason: Arcfield Canada is the rebranded name of Peraton’s systems engineering, integration and support services business, which the company sold in 2021. Since then, Arcfield Canada has been very busy. In April 2022, the company was awarded a $50 million two-year contract extension by the Department of National Defence (DND) for the CF-18 Avionics Optimized Weapon System Support program. This extension came after Arcfield received a two-year task order valued at $28 million. Jacques Comtois, Arcfield Canada’s Director of Canadian Operations, discussed these and other topics on the CDR Radio Podcast.
CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, recently spoke to Erin O’Toole, former Conservative Party leader, on the CDR Radio podcast. O’Toole served in the CAF for 12 years, rising to the rank of Captain in the RCAF. In a wide-ranging, candid, and engaging discussion, they covered hot topics such as the war in Ukraine, Russian cyber attacks, and NORAD modernization and much more.
COVE’s CEO, Melanie Nadeau, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. They spoke about some of the exciting projects underway at COVE, and the career opportunities that COVE is providing for retiring Canadian Armed Forces members.
Cybersecurity experts Al Dillon and Marc Watters recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. What state is Canada’s cyber security actually in? What actual threats is this country and our NATO allies facing from Russia and other hostile players? What is done to confront those threats, and what still needs to be done? These two cyber experts provided CDR with an insiders’ look at the cyber security challenges facing Canada.
As part of CDR’s on-going series of interviews with military commanders, we asked Senior Staff Writer, Joetey Attariwala, to sit down with Rear-Admiral Brian Santarpia, Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and JTF-Atlantic.
This episode of CDR Radio is sponsored by Davie Shipbuilding, proudly delivering world-class specialized ships to the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Visit their website: www.davie.ca
KF Aerospace’s Chief Operating Officer, Gregg Evjen, and its Vice President of Defence Programs, Ralph Wegner, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. They spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on the company, its role in Boeing’s bid for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft procurement, what KF Aerospace has learned from managing the CFTS program, and what the SkyAlyne partnership has to offer the FAcT program.
Learn more by visiting: https://www.kfaero.ca/
CADSI President and CEO, Christyn Cianfarani, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, to preview CANSEC 2022 on the CDR Radio podcast. Their discussion covered CANSEC 2022’s extensive COVID-19 protective measures, the impact of increased federal defence spending, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the future of CADSI and Canada’s defence & security industry.
For more information about CANSEC visit: https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/CANSEC/
For CDR’s ongoing series of podcasts, we asked Senior Staff Writer, Joetey Attariwala, to interview Mr. Kevin Mooney, President of Irving Shipbuilding. Their discussion covered a wide range of topics including the recently delivered AOPS, new capabilities for CSC, building schedules & more.
CDR recently sent Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, to interview Canada’s newly appointed Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, for the CDR Radio Podcast. Reforming the CAF’s culture in the wake of sexual misconduct scandals, responding to Russian aggression against Ukraine, managing major procurements like FFCP and CSC, and exploring potential successors to Canada’s Victoria-class submarines, were some of the many topics covered in this in-depth interview.
This episode was recorded on January 14, 2022.
For CDR’s annual report on Canada’s Army we interviewed the acting Commander of the Canadian Army, MGen Michel-Henri St-Louis. A portion of this conversation can be heard here on the CDR Radio Podcast with the full interview available in the upcoming issue of CDR.
CDR’s Aviation Editor, Joetey Attariwala, recently interviewed executives from SkyAlyne, a joint venture organization formed by two Canadian aerospace companies — CAE and KF Aerospace. Together, through SkyAlyne, these two Canadian companies hope to continue their important work by winning the contract for Canada’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program.
Abir Kazan is the capture manager for SkyAlyne. She serves as the company’s primary point of contact with the Government of Canada, and she guides a team of experts through the process of creating a solution for FAcT that will best prepare future members of the RCAF for the challenges of the 21st century. Kazan has more than 20 years of experience in navigating complex defence proposals and contracts for CAE.
Bill Ryan is the Deputy General Manager for SkyAlyne. He spent more than 28 years as a member of the RCAF, notably as a CF-18 fighter pilot where he served in the first Gulf War in Iraq, and later as a member of the Snowbirds. Ryan was previously KF Aerospace’s Site Manager for the RCAF training program at Portage la Prairie.
Learn more by visiting: https://skyalyne.ca/
