Army Canada Army Archive

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The Canadian government awarded Rheinmetall Canada a sustainment contract for the Persistent Surveillance System, or PSS. Starting in 2021, this contract runs for one year, with potential additional annual extensions.

In its capacity as prime contractor, Rheinmetall Canada Inc, headquartered in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, will provide repair and overhaul services for the eight PSS units currently in use by the Canadian Armed Forces.

The PSS consists of aerostat- and tower-based sensors that are connected to a ground station. They enable real-time sensor exploitation in the land C4ISR domain (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance).

Following initial procurement of the PSS by the Canadian government in 2009, Rheinmetall completed a first in-service support contract from 2015 to 2021.

“We see this new contract as a demonstration of the Canadian Armed Forces’ trust in Rheinmetall Canada’s ability to maintain and upgrade their Persistent Surveillance Systems”, stated Pietro Mazzei, vice-president of Electronic Solutions at Rheinmetall Canada. “This new contract also helps us keep good jobs in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu”, Mr. Mazzei added.

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Rheinmetall ist ein führendes internationales Systemhaus der Verteidigungsindustrie und zugleich Treiber zukunftsweisender Innovationen auf den zivilen Märkten.

rheinmetall-defence.com

 

[Nilgiri]

Canadian Army to receive 8,000 new pistols

The Canadian Forces is hoping to have the first of 8,000 pistols in the hands of army personnel by next year.

ottawacitizen.com

The Canadian Forces is hoping to have the first of 8,000 pistols in the hands of army personnel by next year.

Requirements for the new pistols are contained in a recently released draft bid package for the small arms industry. The military wants to release the full request for proposals to companies by the end of March, but that might be difficult to accomplish.

However, the Canadian Forces aims to have a contract in place by fall 2021, National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said. “We expect to see initial deliveries to the Canadian Army by summer 2022,” he added.

The new handguns will replace Second World War-era Browning Hi-Power pistols.

“As part of the program, we are procuring a minimum of 8,000 pistols with options for up to 16,500 to support Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Navy requirements,” Le Bouthillier said.

No details were provided on when the option for the additional 16,500 handguns would be acted upon.

“The potential value of a contract could be up to $18 million, if options are exercised,” Le Bouthillier said. “However, the actual value will only be known at contract award.”

A separate bid package on new handguns for military police will be released later this year.

The pistol program is considered by the Canadian Army as a priority as the number of working Browning Hi-Power handguns has significantly dwindled because of a lack of spare parts.

The new weapon is being called the C22 Modular Pistol. It will be in 9mm, but the Canadian Forces has also asked for kits to convert the handgun into .40 calibre.