 |
 | |
| Type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defence and C4ISR |
| Predecessor | General Dynamics Canada |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Global |
Number of employees | 1,200+ [1] |
| Parent | General Dynamics |
| Website | https://gdmissionsystems.ca |
General Dynamics Mission Systems - Canada, formerly Computing Devices Canada, is a technology-based electronic systems, systems integration, and in-service support to defence organizations and public security markets in Canada and abroad. Its parent company is General Dynamics.
Computing Devices Canada was incorporated on August 31, 1948 as a global defence contractor. The company was founded by two Polish immigrants to Canada, George Glinski and Joe Norton, to support the rebuilding of Canada's military after the Second World War. [2] The company got its start by manufacturing the Position and Homing Indicator (PHI), a device developed at the National Research Council that kept track of an aircraft's position and indicated its return route to base. One large contract that had a significant influence on the company's growth was for the Kicksorter, a digital-pulse counter designed for the Atomic Energy of Canada Laboratories (AECL) in Chalk River. If the Kicksorter had been slightly modified to do simple arithmetic operations, it would have been a rudimentary computer. AECL purchased a large number of these devices between 1957 and 1963, when they were replaced by one of the early computers in the PDP series manufactured by the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Another contract was to design and construct a large digital simulator for the Royal Canadian Navy that was never completed. [3]
During the 1990s, Computing Devices Canada implemented the Iris Digital Communications System, which was a thorough communications upgrade for the Canadian Army, and on the strength of that effort, was awarded the Bowman contract to perform a similar effort for the British Army.
In 1998, General Dynamics purchased the company, renaming it to General Dynamics Canada. [4]
The Aurora Program is the mid-life upgrade of the CP140 Aurora aircraft operated by the Canadian Department of National Defence as a long-range maritime patrol platform for surface and undersea surveillance roles. GD Mission Systems — Canada has been contracted to develop the Data Management System (DMS) and Acoustic Suite subsystems. The latest release brings with it new capabilities in terms of Link 16, BLOS-WGS satcom and self-defence in the form of a Directed IR Countermeasures system (DIRCM). [5]
In 2014, they were awarded two contracts on the Mercury Global Project. The first contract is for the design-and-build of a network of Mercury Global anchor stations valued at $59.1 million. Through this network of antennas, the Department of National Defence will access the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) constellation and will be able to provide secure communications for deployed Canadian Forces. The second contract provides ongoing in-service support and is valued at $8.5 million. [6]
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS. Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force, NATO, French Air and Space Force, Royal Saudi Air Force and Chilean Air Force. The E-3 has a distinctive rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 aircraft had been built.
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It has four-wheel drive (8×4) and can be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8).
The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New Fighter Aircraft Project competition and awarded a production order; deliveries of the CF-18 to the Canadian Armed Forces began in 1982. CF-18s have supported North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) air sovereignty patrols and participated in combat during the Gulf War in 1991, the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, and as part of the Canadian contribution to the international Libyan no-fly zone in 2011. CF-18s were also part of the Canadian contribution to the military intervention against ISIL, Operation Impact.
Bristol Aerospace is a Canadian aerospace firm located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is an operating division of Magellan Aerospace. Once part of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, today it is known as Magellan Aerospace, Winnipeg.
The Halifax-class frigate, also referred to as the City class, is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992. The class is the outcome of the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s. HMCS Halifax was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and Canadian-built vessels which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats as well. All ships of the class are named after the capital cities most of the Canadian provinces plus the capital of Canada, Ottawa as well as the major cities of Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver.
The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. "Aurora" refers to the Roman goddess of dawn who flies across the sky each morning ahead of the sun. Aurora also refers to the Aurora Borealis, the "northern lights", that are prominent over northern Canada and the Arctic Ocean.
The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone is a twin-engine, multi-role shipborne helicopter developed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation for the Canadian Armed Forces. A military variant of the Sikorsky S-92, the CH-148 is designed for shipboard operations and replaced the CH-124 Sea King, which was in Canadian Armed Forces operation from 1963 to 2018.
Ferranti or Ferranti International PLC was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The LAV III is the third generation of the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) family of armored personnel carriers built by General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a London, Ontario, based subsidiary of General Dynamics. It first entered service in 1999, succeeding the LAV II. It is the primary mechanized infantry vehicle of both the Canadian Army and the New Zealand Army. It also forms the basis of the Stryker vehicle used by the U.S. Army and other operators. The Canadian Army is upgrading its LAV IIIs to the LAV 6 standard. Early in its development history it was referred to as the 'Kodiak', but the name was never officially adopted.
Bowman is the name of the tactical communications system used by the British Armed Forces.
The Wideband Global SATCOM system (WGS) is a high capacity United States Space Force satellite communications system planned for use in partnership by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) and the Australian Department of Defence. The system is composed of the Space Segment satellites, the Terminal Segment users and the Control Segment operators.
Lynx Software Technologies, Inc. is a San Jose, California software company founded in 1988. Lynx specializes in secure virtualization and open, reliable, certifiable real-time operating systems (RTOSes). Originally known as Lynx Real-Time Systems, the company changed its name to LynuxWorks in 2000 after acquiring, and merging with, ISDCorp, an embedded systems company with a strong Linux background. In May 2014, the company changed its name to Lynx Software Technologies.
The Global Broadcast Service (GBS) is a broadcast service rapidly transferring information, which may be classified, for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its deployed and garrisoned units worldwide. Information may include video and digital data. GBS has become a critical piece of the DoD's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture. An advancement in satellite communications, GBS fills two key military communications requirements:
General Dynamics Mission Systems is a business unit of American defense and aerospace company General Dynamics. General Dynamics Mission Systems integrates secure communication and information systems and technology. General Dynamics Mission Systems has core manufacturing in secure communications networks; radios and satellite technology for the defense, cyber, public safety, and intelligence communities.
Etherstack wireless telecommunication communications solutions for defence, emergency services and national security.
List of future or planned Canadian Armed Forces projects.
Airbus Defense and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defense and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the corporate restructuring of European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS), and comprises the former Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian divisions. It is the world's second-largest space company after Boeing and one of the top ten defense companies in the world.
The Iris Digital Communications System, also known as the Tactical Command, Control, and Communications System (TCCCS), is a tactical communication system used by the Canadian Army. It was a pioneering system that integrated voice and data communications via the Internet Protocol and ST-II protocol. Elements of the Iris system, together with the High-capacity data radio, later formed the foundation of the British Army's Bowman communications system.
The Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) is a series of armoured vehicles built by General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a London, Ontario-based subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is a license-produced version of the Mowag Piranha. The first generation of LAV was created by Mowag for the Armoured Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP) requirement of the Canadian Army. This was a 6x6 variant of the Piranha I produced by General Motors Diesel in London, Ontario. Since entering service in 1976, it has undergone a number of upgrades. The LAV II introduced the now-familiar 8x8 configuration. The LAV continues to form the backbone of the Canadian Army's combat vehicle fleet. The LAV series of vehicles exist in a number of different variants and are used in a number of different roles such as armoured personnel carriers, engineering vehicles, command posts, ambulances and armoured recovery vehicles.
General Dynamics UK is a British subsidiary of the American defence and security corporation General Dynamics. Founded in London in 1962, the company has grown to include eight sites across the United Kingdom, including in Bristol, Chippenham, Hastings, Merthyr Tydfil, Oakdale and Rotherham. Specialising in armoured fighting vehicles, avionic systems and tactical communications, the company has produced the General Dynamics Ajax armoured fighting vehicle, the Ocelot light protected patrol vehicle and the Bowman communications system. It is one of the UK's leading defence companies and a key supplier to the UK Ministry of Defence.
