Airbus Defence announced on its social media platforms July 3 that the first A330 for the Royal Canadian Air Force arrived at its facilities at Getafe, Spain. (Canadian Forces photo)
By David Pugliese
Airbus Defence announced on its social media platforms July 3 that the first A330 for the Royal Canadian Air Force arrived at its facilities at Getafe, Spain. There the aircraft will undergo conversion into a Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft.
Airbus noted that the new fleet will consist of nine aircraft in total: five converted commercial A330-200s and four newly-built ones.
The first MRTT will be delivered in 2027. The A330 MRTTs will be equipped with both the hose and drogue and a boom as refueling options, cybersecurity solutions and countermeasures. All the aircraft are capable of being fitted with the Airbus Medical Evacuation kit solution, according to Airbus Defence.
While Airbus is doing the MRTT conversions at Getafe, the newly built aircraft will be assembled in Toulouse, France.
The aircraft will be able to refuel current Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jets as well as the Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft on order by Canada. The tankers will also be able to refuel various U.S. military aircraft, according to Airbus.
Canada’s contract with Airbus is valued at approximately $3.6 billion. The initiative is called the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) project by the RCAF. It will provide aircraft to replace the existing CC-150 Polaris fleet capability, including Air-to-Air Refueling (AAR), strategic airlift, aeromedical evacuations, and strategic Canadian government transport. The STTC platform will provide AAR for both domestic and expeditionary operations, while complementing the strategic airlift capabilities of the RCAF Air Mobility fleet, according to the Canadian government.
CC-330 Husky will be the designation of the aircraft being acquired. The acquisition consists of the planes, their associated equipment, training capability, integrated logistic support and sustainment.
The Canadian government has stated the investment is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) modernization plan.
In support of the STTC project, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced July 7 the start of construction for the infrastructure for the aircraft.
The government will spend $850 million on upgrades and additional infrastructure for the Main Operating Base (MOB) – East at CFB Trenton. The infrastructure upgrades will support the arrival and long-term operation of up to seven CC-330 Husky aircraft at CFB Trenton, while a second MOB under development in Edmonton will be able to support up to three, according to the Department of National Defence.
The first phase of construction, expected to continue into 2026, includes resurfacing the existing runway, aprons and taxiways. Preparations are also underway for the construction of a new two-bay hangar, training facility, fuel depot, and ramp extension.
All required construction for the project, including fueling and defueling infrastructure, training facilities, and cargo and passenger processing infrastructure is anticipated to be completed by 2033, according to the DND news release. The upgrades had been previously announced on March 8, 2024 by then Defence Minister Bill Blair.
In August 2024 I reported for the Ottawa Citizen that Ottawa was originally under consideration to be the new permanent home for the refueling planes. But the city lost out to the Trenton, Ont., base because that location offered room for expansion in the future as well as existing capabilities. The Royal Canadian Air Force was told in 2023 to consider both Ottawa and Canadian Forces Base Trenton for the new operating base for the CC-330 Husky refueling and transport planes, according to records obtained by the Ottawa Citizen. You can read that article here:
MDA Space Ltd. has received a contract extension from the federal government for its satellite information service that uses among various sensors, the RADARSAT 2 system. (DND image)
MDA Space Ltd. announced it received a contract extension with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to provide critical and continuous maritime satellite surveillance data and analytics services for dark vessel detection. This amended contract extends the original agreement announced in 2023 with DFO.
MDA Space uses Maritime Insights, a satellite information service that enables countries to monitor the activity in and around their maritime economic zones, to deliver maritime services to DFO’s Dark Vessel Detection program. Using multiple space-based sensors and leveraging AI-based intelligence for vessel detection, statistical voyage prediction, and analysis of fishing behaviours, Maritime Insights fuses synthetic aperture radar from MDA’s RADARSAT-2 with data from optical, radio frequency (RF), automatic identification systems (AIS) and vessel monitoring systems (VMS). That combination of systems is able to counter the sophisticated and deceptive techniques employed by those conducting illegal operations on the ocean surface.
As part of the contract renewal, DFO also amended its contract with MDA Space to enable future use of data and services from MDA CHORUS. That system is the company’s next generation Earth observation constellation scheduled to come online in mid-2026, according to MDA.
The federal government envisions that MDA’s CHORUS will further strengthen Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection platform, which allows real-time satellite monitoring from the Philippines to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. That platform is seen as key component of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canadian officials have pointed out.
Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space, pointed out that with the growing sophistication of illegal maritime activities, next-generation space-based technology like MDA CHORUS will become essential to ensuring continuity of this capability in priority coverage areas of high interest.
MDA Space Ltd. has also been awarded next phase contracts for the delivery and integration of two critical sensor systems for the River-class Destroyer (RCD) program. Those ships are to be built for the Royal Canadian Navy. The contracts, valued at $60 million, are for the delivery and integration of sensor systems for the first three ships that improve situational awareness and protect the ships against laser and optical guided threats, according to the company.
The MDA Space sensors are being designed and developed in Richmond, B.C., Halifax, N.S. and Brampton, Ontario.
Gastops Ltd. has announced a joint agreement under Canada's Industrial and Technology Benefits (ITB) policy for a multi-million-dollar investment from RTX. The funding will support a research and development program to advance the next generation of oil debris monitoring (ODM) system technology and future technologies for oil and fuel monitoring for Pratt & Whitney military engines. Pratt & Whitney is a RTX business.
The ITB investment from RTX's Raytheon and engineering collaboration with Pratt & Whitney are critical components to the success of this cutting-edge technology, according to Shaun Horning, President and CEO of Gastops, which is based in Ottawa.
