The Department of National Defence's response to the National Research Council Report: "Review of the Statement of Operational Requirements for FWSAR Aircraft"

In the Canada First Defence Strategy, the Government of Canada has committed to replace Canada's Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) fleet. The provision of FWSAR directly contributes to saving Canadian lives and is a vital component of the search and rescue (SAR) system.

In July 2009, the Government of Canada requested Canadian industry’s feedback on the high-level considerations for FWSAR requirements. The aerospace industry’s feedback was closely reviewed by the Department of National Defence (DND), Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), and Industry Canada (IC), demonstrating the Government’s commitment to engaging industry on major projects such as the procurement of a new FWSAR fleet.

Following consultation with the aerospace industry, the Government of Canada engaged the National Research Council Canada (NRC) to conduct an independent review of the FWSAR statement of operational requirements (SOR), first written in 2004. In its report, the NRC recommended improvements to the technical requirements as well as the assumptions and constraints that were used to derive the requirements.

The Government received the NRC report in spring 2010, and officials from DND, PWGSC, and IC worked together to review the report's findings and recommendations. The report’s findings, as well as industry’s feedback, complements the work already done by DND to ensure the best possible solution for Canada’s complex SAR environment.

Based on the report’s findings and recommendations, the Air Force is revising the SOR in support of the procurement of a new FWSAR aircraft for the Canadian Forces, and is also conducting further human factors research on SAR technician in-flight tasks.

The final National Research Council (NRC) report regarding the review of the SOR for the FWSAR is attached below.

NRC Report