National Defence committee  There's the RCAF footwear project, options analysis in 2018, final delivery 2025, just to give you an example. This is publicly available. The CC-150 is in there, and the TIC3 Air.

National Defence committee  That is a potential challenge.

National Defence committee  Within the defence acquisition guide, there's indicative timelines of when we ideally would like to have these projects delivered. But as you well know, the majority of work on these projects once we go into acquisition is not a defence role. It involves other government departments primarily.

National Defence committee  I have a force development arm within the air force where we mature projects through options analysis. However, Treasury Board is involved in the contracting and the financing of it, so I have a part to play but I can't push from below. The process needs to be able to facilitate those timelines.

National Defence committee  Let me give you an example of the Cyclone, which is the Sea King replacement. The reason we have reprofiled money there is because the contractor hasn't delivered. I wanted it quicker, but they didn't deliver, so we reprofiled. The challenge with reprofiling is defence inflation is such that a dollar today is worth much less than an annual inflation rate moving forward.

National Defence committee  I would not be the right person to answer that. I think it varies. I know that it's significantly greater in magnitude than we would have predicted for inflation rates in the economy, for example, but I don't have an exact number.

National Defence committee  I wouldn't have the exact number. One of our Snowbirds had a bird strike two weeks ago. They happen quite often. Rarely do they cause any major damage to an aircraft. Certain times of the year are worse than others, but I don't have those numbers. I could get them for you if you're interested.

National Defence committee  No, the decision could be made at the contract stage. After that, a timeline for delivery will be established. I think we have to have new options in 2025 in some form by that is going to be key.

National Defence committee  I don't know the answer to that. If we were to analyze all the engine shutdowns on an F-18.... We do a lot of precautionary engine shutdowns. For instance, if in one of your F-18 engines you were to have a systems anomaly you could choose to shut it down because you could safely fly on one engine.

National Defence committee  Not only are the Swedes flying a single-engine aircraft, the Norwegians, who actually spend all their time in the north, are buying the F-35s. I think the one, two-engine aircraft engine is not a factor that's going to be pre-eminent in any decision taken.

National Defence committee  Cyber is not a uniquely Royal Canadian Air Force responsibility. It's shared under the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. We've made plenty of investments in that. The Government of Canada has evolved some of its policy in that regard that's going to give us more tools to be able to be concerned about that.

National Defence committee  That is a good question. We have just recently established that the end of the F-18s’ useful life will be in 2025. However, there is no exact date. I know that some aircraft will end their useful life before that date, starting perhaps in 2023. Others could last longer. It will depend.

National Defence committee  I do not know if what you have just said is correct, given that the general in charge of NORAD on September 11 was a Canadian general, from the Royal Canadian Air Force. It was he who made the decision to close the airspace. A Canadian closed United States airspace.

National Defence committee  The mission of protecting North American airspace is a joint undertaking of Canada and the United States. A decision to shoot down an aircraft over Canada is a Canadian one. When we practise Operation Noble Eagle, the authorities to act, even if it's an American aircraft coming across the Canadian border, remain a Canadian political decision to take on that shoot-down, and the Americans would not unilaterally take a decision unless they thought that there was a threat to the United States.

National Defence committee  Are you talking about communications systems?