Rheinmetall Canada secures PSS maintenance contract

Rheinmetall Canada has secured a sustainment contract to continue providing maintenance services for the Persistent Surveillance System (PSS) units used by the Canadian Armed Forces.

Awarded by the Canadian Government, the one-year contract includes potential additional annual extensions.

The move comes after Rheinmetall completed the first in-service support contract from 2015 to 2021.

As agreed, Rheinmetall Canada will provide necessary repair and overhaul services for eight PSS units that are currently in use.

The PSS comprises aerostat and tower-based sensors connected to a ground station to enable real-time sensor exploitation in the land command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) domain.

Rheinmetall Canada Electronic Solutions vice-president Pietro Mazzei said: “We see this new contract as a demonstration of the Canadian Armed Forces’ trust in Rheinmetall Canada’s ability to maintain and upgrade their Persistent Surveillance Systems.

“This new contract also helps us keep good jobs in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.”

Rheinmetall Canada is a member of Germany’s Rheinmetall Group, which specialises in defence and security technology.

The company employs around 375 people at its Canada locations, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa.

Last month, Rheinmetall secured a €543m order to deliver additional logistic vehicles to Bundeswehr, the unified armed forces of Germany.

The deliveries will include a total of 1,401 military trucks.

Rheinmetall also received an order to deliver Assegai family of conventional and extended-range artillery shells to an undisclosed Nato customer. This contract will be executed by the company’s South African subsidiary Rheinmetall Denel Munition.