TECH/CANADA: Canadarm Makers Bought By Local Investment Fund

[dewline]

Apparently, this one's got Jim "Blackberry" Balsillie himself involved. Balsillie's on record as wanting Canada to maintain whatever technological sovereignty we can.

Details of the sale here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mda-acquisition-1.5410492

Some of Balsillie's opinions as recorded in 2017 noted here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jim-balsillie-innovation-ip-the-house-1.3984904

Comments

[thewayne]

I saw where a British military industry, Chobbham Group, was sold to an American investment group over the protestations of the military and supported by the government.

To me, this bodes ill for NHS. Keep it in-house, just like they didn't do for British Rail.

[dewline]

Ever since we were branded as "British North America", Canada's been taught a "branch plant" economic/political mentality. First re: the UK, then the States...and I think during the Obama years, Stephen Harper got annoyed enough with Obama to lock us into a deal with mainland China. Balsillie doesn't seem the sort to want that sort of thinking to continue.

[thewayne]

At least Defense Canada were smart enough not to buy into the F-35 program!  I think they'd be much better off remaining NATO-compliant and going for the Eurofighter program as the F-22/35 are junk.  Have you heard about the helmet for the F-35?  Custom-made for EACH PILOT!  Hundreds of thousands of dollars!  And if one breaks, that pilot is downchecked until it's fixed!  No idea if the pilot's plane maintains a config of the pilot, or if Pilot A can jump in to Pilot B's plane and fly.

[dewline]

That sounds Problematic from an operational POV in several ways!

[thewayne]

They've got VR viewscreens in the helmet: the pilot can look down at their feet and target missiles on someone directly below them!  And because of that: bloody expensive and personalized.

[dewline]

Geez!