GlobalEye gamble: Ottawa chose surveillance plane without knowing it met military needs
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it → choose → needs
'There's gonna be trade-offs everywhere,' says government's point person on defence procurement
Ottawa had no guarantees that Saab's GlobalEye surveillance plane could meet military requirements when it began negotiations to acquire six of the Swedish manufacturer's early warning and control aircraft last spring, CBC News has learned.
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News → be → aircraft
Sources added that the most recent assessment of the GlobalEye came to the conclusion that the aircraft meets only a portion of the military's requirements and that modifications will be needed to achieve operational readiness.
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modifications → add → readiness
Prime Minister Mark Carney surprised almost everyone in attendance at the country's premiere arms exposition last May in Ottawa, called CANSEC, when he announced plans to acquire the aircraft.
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he → surprise → aircraft
He added the deal included a production line in the country for domestic and export markets.
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deal → add → markets
Among those surprised was the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who was in the room, say several defence industry sources.
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sources → surprise → room
Stephen Fuhr was mocked for opposing the purchase of F-35s.
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Fuhr → mock → F-35s
Air force's 1st new refuelling jet won't be delivered until late 2027
CBC News is not identifying the contractors because they don't want to endanger their relationship with the federal government.
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they → refuel → government
Four of them spoke confidentially.
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Four → speak → them
At the time of the announcement, the air force had yet to inform potential bidders of its exact technical and operational needs for a new fleet of airborne surveillance aircraft.
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force → have → aircraft
In an interview, Ottawa's point person on military procurement said that the government must also weigh factors such as cost, jobs and geopolitics in major military purchases.
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government → say → purchases
Of course they are," said Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement.
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Fuhr → say → procurement
"It's not the only thing that needs to be considered here.
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that → need → ?
"We need to leverage this money to stimulate our own economy.
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We → need → economy
We need to become more independent.
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We → need → ?
We need to think about supply chains and relationships."
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We → need → chains
Carney's announcement on the GlobalEye forced the Royal Canadian Air Force to scramble to try and match what the aircraft can do with what it needed in terms of a surveillance plane over the Arctic, said several confidential sources.
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sources → force → Arctic
It was only in late June — more than three weeks after the announcement — that Canadian military officials met with Saab to go over the specific kinds of features the plane needs.
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plane → meet → features
There was one follow-up session in August where the GlobalEye's shortcomings were confirmed.
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shortcomings → be → August
Carney has made it a priority to increase the speed of military procurement, but critics say the desire to leverage the economy — through the Canadian jobs the GlobalEye could bring — is trampling on defence needs of the country.
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GlobalEye → make → country
For example, the military is concerned that the plane, under its current design and configuration, doesn't have 360-degree radar coverage.
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plane → concern → coverage
Saab has proposed modifications, putting additional radar sets in the nose and tail.
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Saab → propose → nose
There are also concerns about the number of crew stations and connectivity equipment to plug the plane into the NORAD network, which would limit the GlobalEye's ability to offer a "control" function during operations that involve a series of military assets.
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that → be → assets
The military is also seeking a radar plane that can be refuelled in flight to cover the vast expanses of the Arctic, a feature that is not currently included on the GlobalEye.
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that → seek → GlobalEye
Saab says it's responsive to 'customer demands'
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it → say → demands
In an interview earlier this year, Saab deputy CEO Anders Carp said the company is well aware of the Canadian military's expectations and that the company is ready to meet them.
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company → say → them
Overall, the GlobalEye's sensors offer 360-degree coverage, but the main radar on top of the fuselage offers coverage in the 300-degree range, he said.
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he → offer → range
"We do have a program in place where we can place in a forward-looking and an aft-looking radar, should that be something that the customer demands," said Carp.
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Carp → have → that
"And the same will go for air-to-air refuelling."
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same → go → refuelling
Also in an interview with CBC News last spring, Saab test pilot Jussi Halmetoja spoke about the flexibility of the company's engineering process.
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Halmetoja → speak → process
"We have a spiralling development process on how to improve our systems across the board at Saab, and depending on customer requirements, of course," Halmetoja said.
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Halmetoja → have → course
Fuhr added that sometimes, the government needs to opt for the "85 per cent solution," saying there is "nothing out there" that checks all possible boxes.
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that → add → boxes
"There's gonna be trade-offs everywhere," he said.
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he → be → ?
"So it's a function of balancing all those things to meet the moment."
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it → balance → moment
Last spring, CBC News reported how Canada will have to ask the Trump administration to share a key piece of technology that allows fighter jets and early warning systems to communicate while maintaining stealth.
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jets → report → stealth
Experts doubt the United States will allow a high-tech data link used exclusively on F-35 fighters to be installed on either the early warning aircraft or the Gripen-E — if Canada chooses to buy that warplane.
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Canada → doubt → warplane
None of Saab's U.S. competitors — L3 Harris and Boeing — were shown the air force's requirements, according to the confidential sources.
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None → show → sources
L3 Harris, headquartered in Melbourne, Fla., acknowledged in a recent interview with CBC News that it had not been privy to the Canadian surveillance plane requirements before the announcement.
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it → headquarter → announcement
Canada ready to further distance itself from U.S. on military procurement
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Boeing, whose leadership is located in Arlington, Va., declined to say whether it has received an advance look, but a spokesperson added the company continues to stand ready to support the Canadian government.
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company → distance → government
The requirements form the basis of what the military needs to have in the aircraft — or any other piece of kit it is buying.
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it → form → kit
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
