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Contracted Aerial Electronic Warfare Training Platforms – March 2005 Interim Contracted Airborne Training Services: Filling the Gaps for CATS – Department of National Defence / CF  News Release Interim Contracted Airborne Training Services BG-05.006  -  March 8, 2005 Background Realistic and effective training is critical to maintaining the preparedness of a military force. Commanders constantly strive to ensure their [troops] receive the training they need in order to perform  [...].  By using airborne training services to simulate hostile aircraft, tow targets, test radar and communications performance amongst others, the Canadian Forces is able to provide realistic training  [...]  in a controlled environment. Historically, airborne training services were provided by  Air Force  Combat  Support Squadrons using CC-144 ['CE-144'] Challenger and CT-133 ['CE-133' or 'ET-133'] Silver Star aircraft. In 1999, the economic decision was made to contract out core operation- ally required airborne training services, The Challengers were reassigned other roles in 2000, and in 2002, the Silver Star was removed from this role. The Contracted Airborne Training Services Project The Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) project [office] has been working very hard over the past six years to put in place a long-term contract to provide the necessary training. After a detailed evaluation of three bids from two Canadian comp- anies resulted in no compliant bidders, the Department of National Defence decided to implement a three-tiered strategy to achieve the objectives of the CATS project. The short-term strategy involved using existing programs and agreements such as the Canada-US Test and Evaluation Program (CANUSTEP) to provide the [aerial] training. The medium-term strategy, or Interim Contracted Airborne Training Services (ICATS), uses national individual standing offers* to fulfill the training requirements. On Febru- ary 23rd, 2005, the Government of Canada awarded three national standing offers to Top Aces Consulting Inc., of Pointe Claire, Quebec to provide airborne training services for the Canadian Forces. The standing offers are valued at up to $93.9 million for a period of three years, with two one-year options to renew. The essential combat support services required under the Interim Contracted Airborne Training Services standing offers are: 1. Target Support: Airborne training support that simulates a hostile airborne environ-     ment for Canadian Forces operational units during live flying training scenarios;     whereby contracted jet aircraft will simulate [...] threats, such as a cruise missile,     drug trafficking aircraft, or hijacked aircraft to provide training scenarios.     It also includes airborne support for Forward Air Controller training and Real Time     Performance Quality Assurance. This task includes regularly scheduled radar and     communications performance measurement. 2. Target Towing: Towed target presentations to train radar, electro-optical, and infra-     red-guided weapons system operators in an actual live fire environment. It requires     carriage, deployment, towing and retraction of airborne targets during the execution     of specific flight scenarios. 3. Electronic Warfare: Electronic warfare training to land forces, aircrews, aerospace     weapons controllers, and ship's companies in the operation of their systems in a     representative 'live' hostile electromagnetic environment. It provides the opportun-     ity to practice and evaluate appropriate electronic protective measures and standard     operating procedures. All of these services are required to be delivered by a combination of  [Type 1] fast jet (military style) and [T2] slow jet (business style) aircraft. Military training exercises including these services take place throughout Canada in designated airspace, off the east and west coasts of  Canada, and  in the United States. The Future Over the next few years, the CATS project team will be studying a number of options for a long-term combat airborne training services strategy for the Canadian Forces. It expected that this solution will be in place in the 2008-2010 timeframe. * A standing offer is an arrangement that allows the Department of National Defence to deal with suppliers under set prices and conditions. A contract will exist with the supplier only when the Department orders services from the standing offer agreement.