Thales Canada was last week awarded a contract to deliver the Interdepartmental Maritime Integrated Command, Control and Communications (IMIC3) project.

Vigilance learnt that this project is co-sponsored by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Coast Guard and it will integrate CCG and DND assets to deliver a fully integrated national maritime picture for both departments.

Mr Paul Kahn, President and CEO, Thales Canada, enthusing about the contract said: "Thales is very proud to have its Canadian developed COMMANDER C3 solution selected by the Government of Canada to enhance the country's maritime domain awareness capabilities of both the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Navy.

Kahn disclosed: "We will deliver a robust national command and control network to both Coast Guard and Naval units at sea as well as command centres ashore, that will considerably augment their operational capabilities."

Vigilance also learnt that Thales IMIC3 solution provides to the government a national network with 70 COMMANDER C3 nodes, integrated through a satellite communications network to provide coverage of all areas of operation, including the Arctic.

It is said the system will provide seamless near real-time sharing of the consolidated maritime picture including contact data, messages, and geo-referenced map overlays between vessels and shore installations and will integrate into the existing government national network to provide maritime domain awareness to anywhere in Canada.

According to Kahn COMMANDER C3 is a low risk, cost effective system that has capitalized upon Thales Canada’s capability in the maritime domain, underpinned by the skills, expertise and technology necessary to engineer integrated system solutions scaled to individual customer needs.

So what is COMMANDER C3 all about?  According to a Thales source the C3 is a core application in its marine command, control and communications system that addresses the technical and interoperability challenges associated with co-operation and co-ordination among police, coast guard, and naval authorities in the performance of tasks such as search and rescue, coastal surveillance, smuggling and drug interdiction, economic exclusion zone protection, customs and immigration patrol, and fisheries patrol.