Dec 3 2012
The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Halton, along with the Honourable Michael Chong, Member of Parliament for Wellington-Halton Hills, today announced a contract award, on behalf of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence, and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (La Francophonie), to improve life-saving chemical detector training for our men and women in uniform.
Patlon Aircraft & Industries Limited of Halton Hills, Ontario, has been awarded this $6.6 million contract to supply a simulator system that will be used to train Canadian Armed Forces personnel in the use of new portable devices that detect chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals during military operations.
"This announcement demonstrates our continuing commitment to providing our Canadian Armed Forces personnel with the equipment they need not only to do their jobs, but also to protect themselves in the often dangerous and challenging environments of modern warfare," said Minister Raitt.
"Our Government is committed to renewing and strengthening the equipment we provide our men and women in uniform, while at the same time creating jobs across the country" said Minister Valcourt. "To that end, this contract will not only help to ensure that our troops have the most cutting-edge training technology to prepare them for operations, it will also bolster economic benefits to Canada for the years to come."
Patlon has partnered with Argon Electronics of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, to supply Argon simulators for the Canadian Armed Forces's new handheld, personal and fixed-site chemical detectors. Patlon will also supply Argon's wireless virtual training system, called PlumeSIM, that electronically simulates the release of chemical agents under a wide variety of environmental conditions. Patlon will provide initial training and in-service support over the entire life of the products.
"Our Government remains focused on the economy and on protecting and creating jobs," said Mr. Michael Chong. "This contract will support approximately 10 jobs right here in our community for highly skilled Canadians who will support and maintain the equipment over many years."
To fulfill their mandate under the Canada First Defence Strategy to protect Canada and participate in international operations, the Canadian Armed Forces must be capable of operating in the presence of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threat. For more than a decade, the Canadian Armed Forces have been increasing their chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear defence capability by replacing aging and obsolete equipment with new technologies.
The chemical detector simulators project is one component of a much larger procurement program that is seeing the Canadian Armed Forces acquire sophisticated chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear sensors and detectors, protective equipment, reconnaissance systems, decontamination systems and new medical countermeasures that would enhance the Canadian Armed Forces's ability to survive and operate in a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear -contaminated environment. The $85 million Chemical Agent Sensors Project is supplying the Canadian Armed Forces with modern, portable sensor systems that detect chemical warfare agents and a wide range of toxic industrial chemicals.
The Argon simulation system will allow the Canadian Armed Forces to train in the use of these new detectors without having to use any type of chemical aerosols during training, an approach that is both cost-effective and environmentally-friendly. It also allows instructors to monitor training performance electronically.
The simulation system will be used principally at the Canadian Armed Forces Fire and Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Academy at Canadian Forces Base Borden, in southern Ontario, and by chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear defence instructors at Canadian Armed Forces units across Canada.
First deliveries of the simulation system will begin in the spring of 2013, with full operational capability expected in the coming years.