Page 97 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

“We need to reassess the ASW approach going forward and to shape an approach that is more capable of
leveraging reachback but ensuring the proper C2 to get the job done where the impact of our systems can be
greatest in terms of impact on a threat.

“And the introduction of new UAVs, like the Triton, could become a game changer as well.

"Is the next approach to park UAVs to monitor a wide, wide area and your manned platform becomes a
sonobuoy carrier where it goes and lays barriers and then it leaves?

"Does the manned platform become the shooter in a broad UAV enabled sensor grid?

“The position that Canada is in might be an interesting one where for the next few decades, technology will
develop, processes will develop, and platforms will evolve.

"Because our commitment to a new platform is a decade away, we might be able to position ourselves with
the best solution that is emerging for us.”

Question: Does Block IV enable some of the changes we have been discussing?

Lt. Col. Baker: “It does.

"Block IV is focused on hardware changes, which allow for continuous software upgrades and software
changes which allow for software upgradeability.

"And will include some changes to communication systems as well which allow for changes in how the plane
can work with others in the battlespace.

“In fact, with Block IV, the CP-140 will become its own Local Area Network which brings an interesting
question from a maintenance perspective.

"Who maintains our software?

"We can’t just think of aircraft technicians as being propeller specialists, or engine specialists or airframe
specialists.

"We now also need to have IT specialists to fix our airplanes.

"The question then becomes: do we train IT technicians to become aviation technicians or do we take
airworthiness indoctrinated technicians to become IT specialists?

"Canada opted to go with the latter.

“The first Block IV configured Aurora will come to Greenwood next year. It will come to the 415 Squadron
here, which is our force development squadron.

“Clearly, the days of the CP-140 are counted. But the technology development is still going on, because the
lessons learned from the new technology development will be applied to the next platform.

“The government is not going to invest a whole lot of money in the platform anymore, but they will keep
investing in the technology, in the war-fighting capability of the CP-140.”

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