Major R&D investment central to CAE’s continued innovation and technology leadership
by Martin Gagné, Group President, Military Products and Training & Services
CAE recently announced that we plan to invest more than C$714 million over the next five years as part of a research and development (R&D) program we call Project Falcon. The goal is to expand CAE’s current modeling and simulation technologies, develop new simulation-based technologies, and increase the application of simulation into areas beyond training, including analysis and operations. Our Project Falcon initiative follows a major R&D program we initiated in 2005 called Project Phoenix. CAE has always prided itself on being a world leader in simulation technology. Innovation
We recognize, however, that R&D and technology development is more than just a team of bright, skilled scientists and engineers working in a lab and tinkering with the latest and greatest technologies. There needs to be a purpose for technology development, and that purpose must take into account the needs and requirements of those who will use that technology. We continue to work closely with our military and government customers to ensure they have a prominent voice in our technology developments. We are engaging our customers and prospective customers in discussions that
and networking technologies to promote more joint training and mission rehearsal capabilities for allied defence forces. The military has been at the forefront of some of the world’s greatest technology advancements, which has resulted from a continued focus and investment on R&D. CAE shares this belief in continuous innovation and through Project Falcon, we will grow and expand the use of simulation. The investments we make over the coming years are an investment in a better future for CAE and most importantly, for the men and women in uniform who ultimately benefit from technology developments.
Meet Martin Gagné Martin Gagné was recently named CAE’s Group President, Military Products and Training & Services. He has the global responsibility for CAE’s two military business segments, which in fiscal year 2009 accounted for more than C$600 million in annual revenues. Previously, Gagné was Executive Vice President for CAE with responsibility for civil simulation products and military sales, core technologies, operations, and quality assurance. Gagné is a graduate of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering. He spent more than 23 years in the Canadian Armed Forces serving in a variety of roles.
has been and will continue to be essential in the company maintaining this leadership position. Even in these challenging economic times, we recognize how important continued investment is to our future, as well as the future of our customers. Other defence and aerospace companies may invest more in pure R&D dollars, but it is highly unlikely you could find another company who invested as much specifically in the simulation niche.
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have and will shape our R&D investments over the coming years. Through Project Falcon, we will focus on applying R&D investments into six main technology thrusts. Among these will be the development of an augmented visionics system to address the challenge of landing helicopters in brownout conditions, modeling and simulation of new aircraft types,
Executive Corner
4/15/09 1:19:05 PM