MDA to develop “eye in the sky” for Canadian military
By Canadian Press
General Aerospace Aerospace MacDonald Dettwiler and Associated Ltd.$31 million contract to B.C. firm will give military high tech surveillance capabilities from commercial satellites.
RICHMOND, B.C. — A Richmond, B.C. company is getting a $31 million federal contact to give the military a high tech eye in the sky.
MacDonald Dettwiler will use the money to develop systems that will take pictures from commercial satellites and deliver them in near real time to military commanders on the ground.
The high-resolution images will be unclassified and can be used to support on-going military efforts, including overseas coalition operations where Canada is involved with other nations.
On the domestic side, the images could help in disaster relief, security, or other government agencies that need the information.
The project, which will support about 23 jobs, is part of the federal government’s Joint Space Support Project, which is aimed at giving military commanders better imagery from space to plan their operations.
© 2011 The Canadian Press
