Thread: Unarmed and Defenseless in Canada

Originally Posted by Prairie Canuck

I thought they were leaning to a mix of C-17s and A-400s ?

Posted 11/28/05 13:23 Print-friendly version
Critics: Canada ‘Fixed’ Contest for C-130J
By DAVID PUGLIESE, VICTORIA, British Columbia

Canada will purchase 16 new tactical transport aircraft, but Defence Minister Bill Graham is already fending off accusations that the multibillion-dollar program is rigged in favor of Lockheed Martin’s C-130J.

Graham announced on Nov. 22 that the government hopes to quickly acquire the aircraft for 4 billion to 5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.3 billion to $4.2 billion), a price tag that includes 20 years of industry-provided maintenance and support.

“The procurement process for this will be competitive, fair and transparent,” Graham said in a televised news conference from Ottawa.

The expected candidates for the program are the C-130J, EADS’ A400M and Boeing’s C-17.

But military analysts, aerospace industry officials and opposition politicians argue that the requirements set out by the Canadian government eliminate the latter two.

They say the Boeing entrant will by ruled out by the announced price target, while the Airbus plane won’t be able to meet the requirement to have its airworthiness certification when the purchase contract is signed in about a year. The A400M won’t be flying until at least 2007, aerospace industry officials said.

“It’s going to be a pretty short competition because the C-130J will be the only aircraft able to compete,” said one official.

Companies Ready

Graham acknowledged the certification requirement is different than from some previous Canadian military aircraft procurements, but he denied the government has pre-selected the C-130J.

Defense analysts remained unconvinced.

“It looks like it’s a done deal for the C-130J,” said David Rudd, president of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.

Defense analyst Richard Gimblett said the competition is a “charade” since the A400M would not be ready in time to meet the Canadian military’s requirements and buying 16 C-17s would likely exceed the procurement budget. In addition, those aircraft fall more into the category of strategic airlift as opposed to tactical airlift, said Gimblett, who is associated with Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Graham said the criteria for the winning aircraft will be whether it fits the needs of the Canadian Forces.

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the Defence Staff, said 16 aircraft are required because the Canadian Forces must be able to conduct at least one mission overseas and one domestically at the same time.

After Graham’s announcement, EADS Canada issued the following statement: “EADS welcomes today’s government announcement with regard to the procurement of military transport aircraft capability and looks forward to the possibility of providing the armed forces with effective, cost-efficient, state-of-the-art solutions through its A400M.”

Officials with Boeing Canada declined to comment.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics spokesman Peter Simmons said the C-130J can more than meet Canada’s tactical as well as some of its longer-range airlift needs.

“We are, as we have been for a period of time now, ready and able to respond to any requirement that Canada would issue as far as recapitalization of its airlift fleet,” Simmons, communications manager for Lockheed Martin air mobility programs, said from Dubai.

Simmons said that if Canada placed an order for C-130Js by next October, the first aircraft could be delivered in 2008.

Graham did not give specifics about the procurement timetable, but said he hopes the aircraft could be delivered in less than 36 months after a contract is signed. He said the government plans to move quickly.

The Canadian government also will hire a “fairness monitor” to oversee the acquisition process, Graham said.

Program Called ‘Fixed’

Conservative Party defense critic Gordon O’Connor and Bloc Quebecois defense critic Claude Bachand accused the Liberal government of designing the program to eliminate the A400M and C-17 from competition.

“[Graham] has fixed the requirements so there is only one possible outcome,” O’Connor said. “Why is this sole-source contract for the Lockheed C-130J aircraft being spun as a competition when it is not?”

Graham said the opposition parties are standing in the way of re-equipping the Canadian Forces.

Hillier labeled the procurement a priority because of the increasing age of Canada’s current CC-130 Hercules fleet. “Our Hercules fleet right now is rapidly going downhill,” he said.

Of the 31 Hercules that Canada operates, 18 are between 36 and 40 years old. The Air Force has cut back on its flying hours for its Hercules fleet to help ease the stress on its aircraft.

Hillier said in a little more than three years, portions of the Hercules fleet will be unsupportable, a situation that would jeopardize domestic and overseas operations. •

E-mail: dpugliese@defensenews.com.