CAE Investing in Simulation R&D, With Government Help

CAE Sim(click to view full) Global simulation firm CAE, located in the Saint-Laurent district of Montreal, Canada, has announced a C$ 714 million (about $450 million equivalent), 5-year “Project Falcon” to enhance its modeling and simulation technologies, develop new ones, and diversify into other visualization markets including analysis and operations. Aerospace is a major industry in Canada, but the size of Canada’s population and market ensures that over 80% of the industry’s business comes from exports. Hence the province of Quebec’s recent moves to assist Pratt & Whitney Canada with engine development, and the federal Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI) for strategic industrial research and R&D in the aerospace, defence, space and security industries. For CAE’s Project Falcon, SADI will provide a 6-year, C$ 250 million (about $200 million equivalent) repayable loan. Project Falcon will focus on applying investments into 6 main technology thrusts, including: * Development of an augmented ‘visionics’ system that would let a pilot to take off and land safely even when visibility outside the cockpit is restricted. In the USA, DARPA’s Peoject Sandblaster is also aiming at that goal; Raytheon and Honeywell are developing the system for helicopters, building on Honeywell’s existing systems for corporate […]