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Team SkyGuardian Canada
General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems, Incorporated (GA-ASI)
announced on May 29, 2018,
that it had teamed with Canadian
industry to establish Team
SkyGuardian Canada.
The team, consisting of GA-ASI, CAE
Canada, McDonald Dettwiler and
Associates (MDA) and L3 Wescam, is
proposing the MQ-9B SkyGuardian
medium-altitude long-endurance
unmanned air system (MALE UAS),
for the country’s remotely piloted
aircraft system (RPAS) requirement.
Previously known as the Joint
Unmanned Surveillance and Target
Acquisition System project, the RPAS
programme aims to acquire an armed
UAS capability for the Canadian
Armed Forces, to be operated by the
Royal Canadian Air Force.
According to an Royal Canadian Air
Force (RCAF) online news article in
November, 2017: “[The] remotelypiloted aircraft will be equipped with
a variety of payloads and sensors
to detect items of interest in all-
weather operations, including into
Canada’s Arctic, and will be able to
assist in a range of missions from
persistent surveillance to supporting
search and rescue, to combat
operations... Although the name
has changed, the RPAS project’s aim
remains to provide an integrated
persistent long-range, intelligence,
surveillance, target acquisition
and reconnaissance capability.
The project will operate as part
of a system-of-systems network
and will be capable of providing
near-real-time information to
tactical, operational and strategic
commanders to support both
domestic and deployed operations,
and, when required, provide
a precision strike capability to
support operations. The project willcomplement existing capabilities
within the RCAF, such as the CP-
140 Aurora long-range patrol
aircraft. The RPAS project is not a
platform replacement.”
No decision on the number of
MALE UAS platforms required
has been made to date, but the
RPAS project aims to leverage
Canada’s experience of operating
earlier-generation UAS, including
the Israel Aircraft Industries CU-
170 Heron that was previously
deployed in support of Canadian
military operations.
GA-ASI said the Team SkyGuardian
Canada proposal will include
indigenous capabilities, systems and
services and enhance existing future
fighter, intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance, and space
assets through interoperability.
Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI, said:
“General Atomics AeronauticalSystems recognises the importance
of partnering with established
Canadian companies and building
on the important contributions that
Canadian Industry is playing in the
global success of GA-ASI. We have a
longstanding relationship with CAE
and L3 Wescam and look forward to
growing our relationship with MDA
as part of this new team in Canada... We have assembled a team with
proven capabilities and a history of
industry innovation and support.
Our objective is to expand the
capabilities of Team SkyGuardian
Canada by seeking additional
Canadian team mates – particularly
small and medium-sized business –
as the RPAS project progresses.”
The Team SkyGuardian initiative is
similar to a team formed by GA-ASI
and Australian industries, known as
Team Reaper Australia, to bid for the
Australian Defence Force’s Project
Air 7003 MALE UAS competition.
Team Reaper Australia is proposing
the certifiable MQ-9 platform for the
Australian requirement, but it is not
yet known whether Canberra will
run an open competition between
the MQ-9 and the IAI Heron TP
MALE UAS or pursue a sole-source
selection strategy for Air 7003.
In late May 2018, an Australian
Defence Force spokesperson said:
“Capability planning for Air 7003
is ongoing and encompasses a
range of options for government
consideration. No decision
regarding the acquisition strategy
has been made.” Nigel Pittaway
Team SkyGuardian Canada is a similar initiative to the industry partnership GA-ASI has formed with Australian industry for the Australian Defence Force’s
Project Air 7003, announced at the 2017 Avalon Air Show. Nigel PittawayGeneral Atomics