The Canadian government awarded Rheinmetall Canada a sustainment contract for the Persistent Surveillance System, or PSS. Starting in 2021, this contract runs for one year, with potential additional annual extensions. The PSS consists of aerostat- and tower-based sensors that are connected to a ground station. They enable real-time sensor exploitation in the land C4ISR domain (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance). In its capacity as prime contractor, Rheinmetall Canada Inc, headquartered in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, will provide repair and overhaul services for the eight PSS units currently in use by the Canadian Armed Forces. Following initial procurement of the PSS by the Canadian government in 2009, Rheinmetall completed a first in-service support contract from 2015 to 2021.
We see this new contract as a demonstration of the Canadian Armed Forces’ trust in Rheinmetall Canada’s ability to maintain and upgrade their Persistent Surveillance Systems”, stated Pietro Mazzei, vice-president of Electronic Solutions at Rheinmetall Canada. “This new contract also helps us keep good jobs in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu”, Mr. Mazzei added.
Rheinmetall’s innovative and operationally proven Persistent Surveillance System (PSS) provides the user effective and intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. PSS enhances situational awareness, reducing critical decisionmaking time based on real-time information. The protection of critical assets from hostile actions requires the use of persistent surveillance to provide sufficient time for resources to react. Highly mobile and easily deployed, the PSS offers an unsurpassed protection above areas at risk and is ideal for tactical surveillance applications for military, border, coastal, and energy sectors, as well as for public security, such as for instance forward operating bases, forward operating positions, petroleum facilities and power generation stations.
The PSS consists of a modular and scalable system that can easily be configured to meet specific needs and future growth as operational requirements change. PSAs and PSTs can be deployed individually or combined to provide optimal and mutual coverage as well as a critical redundancy to ensure persistent surveillance in all terrain and weather. The PSS has a proven record, being in service for the Canadian Forces’ Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan, the Winter Olympic Games 2010 in Vancouver, and the G8 and G20 summits 2010 in Canada.
