Nov 3 2012
The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (La Francophonie) and Member of Parliament for Madawaska-Restigouche, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing in important sonar technology for the Royal Canadian Navy's Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels.
"The Route Survey System is a valuable tool for our Navy crews in their coastal surveillance and patrols, giving them information that helps them to protect the sovereignty and security of our Canadian coasts, harbours, and shipping lanes," said Minister Valcourt. "Through this investment for our sailors, we are also investing in important Canadian technology and the creation of high-quality jobs in the technology sector."
MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd. is awarded this $13.4 million contract over the next two years for the repair and upgrade of four deployable sensor systems. During that time, they will repair, upgrade or replace the various elements of the Route Survey System that it originally delivered for the Royal Canadian Navy's Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels in 1999.
The main element of the Route Survey System is a towed sensor, which is deployed from a ship to provide a sonar image map of the sea floor. The system also enables crews to maintain a database of such maps. This data is then used, in conjunction with other sensor systems, to detect and identify any suspect objects on the sea floor. The Route Survey System mapping is then used by Royal Canadian Navy diving teams undertaking harbour inspections, ordnance disposal and sea mine clearance.
This contract will result in skilled work in both Halifax, Nova Scotia and Richmond, British Columbia. All new and sustained full-time positions resulting from this contract are expected to be retained following the two-year work period of the contract.
Source: http://www.forces.gc.ca