TraininG Live-Fire
The Canadian Armed Forces uses ammunition produced in Canada to ensure they have the ammo they need to maintain readiness. It is not a ‘just in time’ extravagance, but a ‘just in case’ operational imperative. Shouldn’t the targets they need to train their gunners be made in Canada as well?
BY JAMES CARELESS
That’s the question being posed by Spence Fraser, CEO and Founder of Landing Zones Canada in Medicine Hat. His company specializes in the design, development, production, and employment of advanced uncrewed aerial systems for the civil and defence sectors, and has signed important agreements with Airbus Defence and Space and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
To help the Canadian government come to the correct answer — that Canada should be using Canadian live-fire targets built by Canadian companies — Fraser has formed the Canadian Target Alliance (CTA). Along with his company, the CTA’s tier 1 membership includes Canadian UAVs, Laflamme Aéro, Superwake and UVAD Technologies. Each of these firms in turn have dozens of other Canadian SMEs providing them key components and services. “Our members are all Canadian owned small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who can benefit from selling their drones as targets to the CAF,” Fraser told CDR. “And if we don’t do something smart, $300 million for live-fire training is going to be paid to companies outside of Canada over the next decade”. That’s money that should be spent at home to keep CAF readiness levels high and concurrently keep Canadian industry at the forefront of worldwide training technology. “Our Allies do it… the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan and most others shop at home for their targets because they see the criticality of this indigenous capability to their armed forces’ readiness.”
Vincent Malley, Vice President of UVAD Technologies, shares the same views as Fraser. “Canadian innovators and SMEs have established strong foundations in both the domestic and global live-fire target industry,” Malley told CDR. “The Canadian Target Alliance unites like-minded SMEs, providing us with a collective voice. Our capabilities and technology have the potential to lead on the world stage. It is crucial for the federal government to recognize this and support the acquisition of homegrown technology for the CAF. Multi-award Canadian National Standing Offers, similar to US IDIQs, could provide the CAF with the ability to acquire the right live-fire target systems as needed. Procurement limitations should not restrict the CAF in their training capabilities.”
READ: UNCREWED SYSTEMS REPORT
DEEP ROOTS
According to Fraser, the Canadian target industry can trace its roots back to the early 1980s. It was kick-started into existence by the Royal Canadian Navy, which invested heavily in domestic live-fire targets in a bid to enhance training realism and test new military systems. “We must highlight that DRDC Suffield played a pivotal role in that R&D, and they are the true unsung heroes here. Their pioneering work led to the emergence of industry leaders today,” said Fraser.
Since that time, Canadian firms have been exporting sophisticated target systems worldwide, contributing to military training and testing for Allied forces. At the same time, the deployment of Heron UAVs to Afghanistan demonstrated the Canadian target industry’s capability to support urgent military requirements. “Canada has long established itself as a global leader in live-fire targets and weapon performance analysis. We are recognized for our technological expertise” he said, and “as an example of this incredible expertise, few Canadians know that the ground control software used in virtually every US Army drone for over 2 decades originated from R&D done at DRDC Suffield”.
As the old sailor’s saying goes, “it’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good.” In other words there are always opportunities to be found even in the worst situations. This is the case today with the worsening global security situation. Add to that Canada’s commitment to increase defence spending to meet NATO’s 2% GDP target — a spending threshold that will become all the more pressing now that Trump is returning to office — and there will be a heightened need for live-fire training systems, especially with major military procurement programs currently under way in Canada.
These programs include the Canadian Surface Combatant, which will require advanced targets for training against various naval threats; sophisticated aerial targets for RCAF F-35 combat training, NORAD Modernization, and the Canadian Army’s new air defence systems.
READ: NORAD MODERNIZATION – Closing the ‘kill chain’
All told, there is a lot of Canadian taxpayer money due to be spent on Canadian military procurement going forward, and a lot of opportunities for the companies that can get the contracts. “We’re talking of well over $200 billion worth of investment over the next 10-15 years,” said Fraser. “This is money that should be going to Canadian companies as much as possible, not only because money spent here means Canadian jobs, but because in our sector’s case, live-fire training here at home is so essential to generating and maintaining CAF combat capability.”
CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
Since the 1980s, the Canadian live-fire target industry has developed a substantial reputation
worldwide for the quality of its products and services. Over 20 Allied countries have bought target systems that originated at DRDC Suffield. Yet despite its capabilities, Canadian SMEs face hurdles in securing domestic contracts; the largest of which is Canada’s profoundly lengthy, bureaucratic, and drawn-out defence procurement process. Even with actual progress being made by the federal government to make it move faster, taking part in Canadian defence procurements is expensive and a highly risky venture for Canadian SMEs.
Ironically, it isn’t just Canadian live-fire target SMEs that suffer: it is Canadian taxpayers and the CAF. They end up spending more when Canada turns to out of country training and targets and there are fewer training opportunities. Taxpayers also suffer when money that could have been earned by local businesses is paid out overseas. That’s not all: Not fostering a Canadian live-fire target capability risks turning technological leadership over to foreign entities, to this country’s intellectual and financial detriment. That’s what happened when the Avro Arrow was canceled: The homegrown know-how that built that revolutionary aircraft ended up going south of the border, and stayed there. Meanwhile, one cannot discount the potential strategic vulnerabilities caused by Canada relying on foreign suppliers, as has been demonstrated in the past by U.S. ITAR restrictions and international supply chain delays caused by COVID-19.
It is for all these reasons that the Canadian Target Alliance has been formed. It hopes to convince the federal and provincial governments to recognize that building live-fire training targets is a Canadian Key Industrial Capability (KIC) as important to our readiness as virtual simulation training, and vital to Canada’s economic health. As such, the CTA is focused on improving Canadian procurement efficiency by advocating for national standing offers similar to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. The CTA is also advocating for the inclusion of its members’ products into Canada’s Munitions Supply Program, and treating targets as ‘essential’ items for military readiness.
“In a strategic sense, our efforts are geared towards enhancing the Canadian Armed Forces’ combat readiness now and into the future, while promoting domestic economic growth through the defence industry,” said Fraser. “This aligns with broader national security and economic strategies focusing on technological resiliency. The CTA also wants to ensure that Canada’s military training technologies keep pace with global threat evolution, while fostering long term industry growth and high value employment within our country.”
THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW
There are times in history when certain actions seem ideally suited to the circumstances that they take place in. Such appears to be the case with the creation of the Canadian Target Alliance. Whether one focuses on the many current opportunities for boosting Canadian economic expansion, economic and technological growth, and opportunities for increased exports, or weighs the many threats facing this country and how to best address them, empowering the Canadian live-fire target industry is the right choice at this point in time.
“If we’re serious about fielding a world class military that is combat ready when called upon, then we need a home-grown capability to train our sailors, soldiers and air personnel…so it behooves our government and industry to make sure that we continue to build this national capability for the future” Fraser said. “The way things are going globally, Canada needs this indigenous capability now. This is why the CTA exists, and what we are committed to promoting.”
James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief
