25 September 1997

Mr. Norman R.A. Smyth, President of Thales Systems Canada Inc. of Ottawa, Ontario, announced today that, on 22 August 1997, the company was awarded a nineteen million dollar ($19,000,000.) contract by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PW&GSC) to develop and deliver Beyond Line of Site (BLOS) High Frequency (HF) Ground Entry Site (GES) Radio Stations for the Canadian Armed Forces. The Radio Stations are to be installed at Edmonton (Alberta), Debert (Nova Scotia), and at Inuvik, Iqaluit, Resolute Bay, Cambridge Bay, and Rankin Inlet in the Northwest Territories as part of the North American Air Defence (NORAD) system. Control and monitoring equipment will also be installed at the NORAD Canadian Regional Headquarters in North Bay, Ontario. The new equipment will facilitate communications between the operations control staff at North Bay and military aircraft flying in the north and also with naval ships at sea. Two of the key roles for these ships and aircraft are area surveillance and search and rescue operations.

In describing the project, Mr. Smyth explained that "the BLOS HF GES project includes high frequency secure data and voice communications, data terminal sets, and adaptive antenna receiving systems, and the work involves remote control, monitoring, integration, and test of this highly-sophisticated equipment. While all of the integration work will be performed at Thales Systems’ facilities in Ottawa, the actual installation will be performed by contractors local to the area where the equipment will be located. As a result, much of the work in the north will be be performed by northern and aboriginal businesses, thereby providing significant industrial benefits and employment opportunities at the northern sites. One of the key participants will be Danmax Communications of Yellowknife (NWT) who will be responsible for coordination of northern site preparation and equipment installation activities." Mr. Smyth also noted that "other major subcontracts and several small business subcontracts will be announced within the next few weeks."

Thales Systems, based in Ottawa, Ontario, is a systems integration company which designs, develops, and delivers defence, aerospace, and civil systems on a turnkey, fully-supported basis. The primary business areas of Thales Systems are command, control, and communications (C³) and countermine systems. As a leading communication systems integrator, Thales Systems is currently integrating LF/MF/HF/VHF/UHF communication systems for the Navy's Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel project, and is delivering HF Communication Systems to the Canadian Army. The BLOS HF GES contract takes advantage of this experience and will enable the company to pursue similar projects in Canada and internationally.