Canada Crafting High-End UAV Requirements

Sperwer UAV

By the time 2005 drew to a close, Canada was pursuing UAV deployments on 3 fronts. The RQ-11 Raven’s early performance in Afghanistan led to purchases of soldier-portable mini-UAVs, which would be joined by older Sperwer tactical UAVs already in inventory. Canada’s Air Force was also crafting a multimillion-dollar plan to purchase the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS), for fielding around 2010.

Canada’s defense procurement system rivals India’s for inefficiency, so it isn’t completely surprising that nearly a decade of effort has produced essentially nothing.

Chinese Private Hacker Indicted for Defense Program Hacking

• The “Espionage as a Service” [Jeffrey Carr] hacking case involving Su Bin and his Lode-Tech firm has expanded, with a US grand jury indictment [Contra Costa Times]. Programs affected include the C-17, F-22, and F-35. Su is currently being held in Canada, where he has been denied bail [CBC News]. Canada happens to have a wider array of problems with Chinese espionage, cyber and otherwise [Toronto Sun].

• China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding launched the 1st of 3 C82A corvettes ordered by Algeria. Delivered is expected in May next year.