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Canada’s last destroyer is temporarily sidelined after a series of engine problems and other technical issues on the 43-year-old vessel caused senior navy leaders to worry the ship might not be able to continue operating. HMCS Athabaskan, the flagship of the country’s Atlantic fleet, is undergoing a series of repairs in Halifax, according to Royal Canadian Navy documents leaked to Postmedia. Earlier this year, the ship broke down in Florida because of engine problems. It later broke down in the Caribbean, again because of engine issues. HMCS Athabaskan sailors have contacted Postmedia to point out a litany of problems, including...

F-22 Raptors need helmet-mounted cueing system to take full advantage of AIM-9X Even after the US Air Force's fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighters starts receiving full Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder high off-boresight missle capability in 2017, the aircraft needs a helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS) to use the weapon to its full potential. That is even taking into account the AIM-9X Block I and Block II's helmetless high off-boresight (HHOBS) capability. "Without a helmet, that means the missile will need a very tight cue from somewhere," one F-22 pilot says. "[That's] something that is not always available in...

A new and improved HMCS Fredericton Published Wednesday December 8th, 2010 Modernization of Canada's 12 Halifax-class frigates is finally underway. And some would say none too soon. Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton transits the narrows en route to a refuelling stop in St. John's Newfoundland in April. HMCS Fredericton was returning home to Halifax after completing a six-month counter-piracy and counter-terrorism deployment. The ship will undergo a refit next year to bring her in line with modern warfare demands. It's been close to 20 years since the ships, referred to by the military as the "backbone of the navy,"...

VICTORIA -- One of the four submarines Canada purchased from Britain has been returned to active service after being docked in the wake of the at-sea disaster on board HMCS Chicoutami that claimed one submariner's life. HMCS Victoria, under the command of Lt.-Cmdr. Jamie Clarke, returned to sea on Tuesday. "HMCS Victoria met all the requirements for a safe return to sea,'' said Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean, commander of Canada's Navy. "Having implemented all the immediate recommendations from the Chicoutimi board of inquiry, I am satisfied that all our crew and submarine verification work has proven Victoria ready and safe for...

OTTAWA - Costly repairs to fire-ravaged HMCS Chicoutimi and Canada's other three submarines are draining money away from vital maintenance for the rest of the navy's vessels, says a report obtained by The Canadian Press. "I cannot overstate that the Chicoutimi incident, coupled with other necessary recovery-repair strategies, has impacted the navy to its very core,'' Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean says in an internal report on the state of the navy. The estimated $150-million bill to salvage the newly acquired submarine fleet will mean delayed work on the navy's aging fleet of frigates, destroyers and support vessels, says the report, released...