BG –11.005 - March 19, 2011
The Interdepartmental Maritime Integrated Command, Control and Communications (IMIC3) system is state of the art technology that will help Canada’s navy and Coast Guard commanders better work together to protect Canada’s coast line. It will equip the navy’s minor war ships, Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, and onshore operations centres with an advanced capability to gather and share data from coastal surveillance with each other and decision-makers on shore in near real time.
Using sophisticated, integrated technologies, IMIC3 will enable the secure exchange of positional information among vessels and with on-shore operations centres. This will provide operational commanders and government departments with the same satellite data at the same time. This data will allow for more coordinated planning and execution of maritime operations in defence of Canada.
An $11 million contract for this system was awarded to Thales Canada after an open competition among Canadian high technology firms. The IMIC3 system will be integrated into the 12 Kingston-Class ships, 44 Coast Guard vessels, seven onshore stations (Maritime Security Operations Centers and Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centers), and be available through seven portable systems for use on other vessels.
This integration will take place between early 2011 and spring 2014, supporting a dozen high-technology jobs in project management, engineering, logistics support, and testing in the Ottawa area. This contract demonstrates how the Government is investing in Canada’s high technology industry to acquire necessary, up-to-date equipment for the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard.
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