Canadian Forces to Equip its Griffon Helicopters With Additional Night Flying Devices
OTTAWA The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Art Eggleton, announced today that Marconi Aerospace of Austin, Texas has been awarded a contract for hardware development and integration of a night vision imaging system the Night Vision Goggle Heads Up Display System for the CH-146 Griffon Helicopter. These new systems will allow pilots to maintain their visual scan outside the cockpit at all times by superimposing the flight information they need on the goggle display itself. "Due to the various types of missions our pilots are involved in, the Canadian Forces must provide them with the best equipment available," said Minister Eggleton. "Once installed, this state of the art system will considerably reduce the risks associated with flying at night." Marconi Aerospace (formerly known as Tracor) is the only North American-based producer of such equipment. The project is expected to run over the next three years, and Canadian partners like Canadian Marconi Company, ACRO Aerospace Inc., Bell Helicopter Textron and CAE Electronics Ltd. will carry out much of the work involved. This $22.6M contract was awarded after a competitive bidding process. Funding for this program was provided in a previous federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. This project is an example of how this government is prioritizing its spending so that it can better serve Canadians by making efficient use of their tax dollars.
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Canadian Forces to Equip its Griffon Helicopters With Additional Night Flying Devices
