Burlington's L3 Wescam wins $10m government contract

A Burlington company that specializes in building stable camera systems for helicopters and airplanes has won a $10m Canadian government defense contract.

L— 3 WESCAM will repair and overhaul surveillance sensors on the CH — 146 Griffon helicopters for the next three years. Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, made the announcement today.

The contract runs for three years and covers the repair and maintenance of the imaging sensors installed on Canada's fleet of CH — 146 Griffon helicopters.

The imaging sensors include a night vision camera and an HD video camera with infrared surveillance capability. The sensors allow the Griffon to detect targets in the sky and on the ground, day or night.

According to a press release from the Department of National Defence, the video system was "instrumental to the helicopter's key role during Operation Athena in Afghanistan. The equipment allowed the CH—146 Griffon to help reduce the risk of exposing personnel to ambushes, land mines and improvised explosive devices by providing increased protection to movement of troops."

The DND says the helicopters have been in service since 1995 and have been used for search and rescue missions as well as in humanitarian relief operations.