Discovery Air Defence will supply Long-Term Contracted Airborne Training Services Contract to Canadian Armed Forces.

 

 

MONTRÉAL –  Words : 1255 – Reading Time : 5 minutes – Last Thursday afternoon at its head offices located along TransCanada Highway in Dorval, Discovery Air Defence Services or DA Defence, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air, has been awarded through a competition the long-term Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract by the Government of Canada. At this occasion, the Canadian government has been represented by Anju Dhillon, Member of Parliament for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle and Frank Baylis, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard and Discovery Air by its president, Paul Bouchard and its Group President – Operations Manager, Didier Toussaint.

This contract is of duration of 10 years with one two-year option and a second 17-month option. DA Defence will deliver CATS services to the Canadian Armed Forces from permanent operating bases located in four different Canadian provinces using a fleet of modernized Alpha Jet and Learjet aircraft.

As underlined madam Anju Dhillon, ‘In June, the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, released Canada’s new defence policy, which sets out a new vision for the Canadian Armed Forces and its contribution to a Canada that is strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world’.

The initial contract of a value of 480 million Canadian dollars includes aircraft, qualified crews, facilities, maintenance services and other support services supplied at CFB Bagotville in Québec, CFB Cold Lake in Alberta, Halifax in Nova Scotia and Victoria in British Columbia in Canada as well as MAYBE in the United States and Mexico.

The initial 10-year term includes options to extend the term to March 2031 that could bring the total contract value to as high as 1.4 billion Canadian dollars.

As recalled by Anju Dhillon, ‘Le contrat a été attribué à la suite d’un processus d’appel d’offres mené avec ouverture et transparence’ and concluded in reminding that ‘We expect this contract to create and maintain approximately 600 high value jobs for middle-class Canadians’.

Paul Bouchard, President of DA Defence underlined that ‘It is an honour to be selected as Canada’s long term partner for the provision of CATS by offering a true made-in-Canada solution’.  He added that ‘Our outstanding team of highly experienced CF-18 pilots and fighter weapons instructors combined with our team of dedicated maintenance, engineering and support personnel will continue to deliver the world’s most comprehensive airborne training to prepare the Canadian military for ever-changing challenges and threats to Canada and its allies beyond 2030’.

For its part, Didier Toussaint, Group President and Operations Manager of DA Defence, said that ‘Over the course of the past 12 years, we have exceeded all customer expectations to become Canada’s trusted provider of airborne training’. According to him ‘Our proven track record of safety, experience and innovation will continue to serve the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces well into the future. I am also very proud that this long-term CATS award will support ongoing economic and technological benefits in the Montreal aerospace supercluster and boost Canada’s Key Industrial Capabilities in aerospace on the world stage’

Discovery Air Defence was founded in 2000 by three former Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet fighter jet pilots: Paul Bouchard, Dave Jennings and Didier Toussaint. Starting out as an aviation consulting company, DA Defence has since transformed into a world leader in the provision of advanced combat support flying services.

Given their extensive backgrounds in tactical fighter aviation, the three founding partners bid on, and subsequently won, the Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract to deliver fast air support to DND in 2005. Within a record 6 months of winning the CATS contract, DA Defence was flying their first missions in the Alpha Jet in support of the Canadian military. This early success was followed closely by the winning of a second contract in 2006 to provide Special Mission support with the Westwind aircraft.  DA Defence has rapidly built an outstanding team of pilots, maintainers and support personnel that are focused on meeting the needs of the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces.

In 2015, a fair and open competition was held by the Canadian government for this long-term CATS and DA Defense had to compete again.

Since 2005, DA Defence has been playing the role of the bad guy in “Top Gun” style airborne training exercises for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Based in Dorval, Québec, DA Defence with eight main operating bases across three continents, has amassed an unparalleled safety record of 67,000 accident-free flight hours, flying the world’s largest privately-owned operational fleet of 26 aggressor and 4 combat support aircraft. It employs over 240 people worldwide. DA Defence, along with their wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Top Aces Corp., is the exclusive contracted airborne training service provider to the Canadian, German, and Australian armed forces and are offering the world’s largest privately-held operating fleet of fighter aircraft.

DA Defence’s featured a modern fighter and special mission aircraft equipped with representative 4th generation threat capabilities:

Dassault Dornier Alpha Jet:

Discovery Air Defence operates a fleet of sixteen modified twin engine trainer jet Dassault Dornier Alpha Jet in the airborne training services role. All Alpha Jet aircraft have been upgraded with state-of-the-art Martin Baker ejection seats and Dassault Canopy Escape systems. The Alpha Jets have also been equipped with a modernized IFR and Tactical Navigation avionics suite to provide maximum safety for the aircrew and maximum operational flexibility to the customer. The aircraft is capable of flying combat training sorties from the surface to high altitude at near supersonic speeds.

Typical Alpha Jet Missions:

Day and night Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) training;
Adversary Support and Anti-Shipping Attack Training for Naval Forces;
‘Red Air’ Adversary Support for Fighter Forces, including large-scale coalition air exercises;
Air-to-Air Gunnery Target Tow; both circular and combat dart missions for Fighter Forces;
Electronic Warfare Training for Naval and Fighter `Forces.

McDonnell Douglas A-4N Skyhawk

Discovery Air Defence operates a fleet of ten modified light single engine jet attack aircraft Douglas A-4N and TA-4J Skyhawk in the airborne training services role. All A-4 aircraft have ESCAPAC 1G-3 ejection seat systems. The A-4s are also equipped with a modernized IFR and Tactical Navigation avionics suite to provide maximum safety for the aircrew and maximum operational flexibility for the customer. The aircraft is capable of flying combat training sorties from the surface to high altitude at high transonic and low supersonic speeds.

Typical A4-N Missions:

Day and night Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) training; Weapons Delivery;
Adversary Support and Anti-Shipping Attack Training for Naval Forces
‘Red Air’ Adversary Support for Fighter Forces, including large-scale coalition air exercises;
Air-to-Air Gunnery Target Tow; both circular and combat dart missions for Fighter Forces;
Electronic Warfare Training for Naval and Fighter `Forces;
Missile Simulation;
Radar Profile Simulations;
UAV Ops;
Night / NVG Ops;
RDT&E: Air Carriage/Captive Carry; EW Simulation; Radar/Sensor Development; Systems Test; Target Launch; Photo/Safety Chase; Air-to-Air Refueling (Day/Night/NVG); Test Pilot School Qualification Evaluations

IAI Westwind 1124

Discovery Air Defence operates four twin jet Israel-buil business jets IAI Westwind 1124 aircraft, all special mission configured, to provide high-quality real-time training. The Westwinds have been modified with under-winged hard points, pylons and an internal winch to support Target Tow and Electronic Warfare missions. DA Defence’sfleet of Westwinds stands ready to meet the demand for quality special mission combat support.

Typical Westwind Missions:

 

Air Defense and Individual Training Currency (ADEX);
Ground Control Intercept Training (GCI Training);
Fighter Exercises;
Special Air Defense Exercises (SPADEX);
Task Group Exercise (TGEX);
NORAD Exercises;
Naval ship Work Ups (WUPS);
Surface-to-Air Gunnery;
Target Tow with Sea Skimming targets.

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