Avionics Update: Canada awards CMC $17 million for technology initiatives

Canada’s CMC Electronics is the beneficiary of a $17 million “repayable investment” by Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC), a government-sponsored fund developed to spur economic growth in high-technology markets in Canada. With the grant, CMC will launch a $56 million research and development effort aimed at developing advanced vision systems, next-generation aviation communications systems and specialized GPS receivers. The Canadian government is looking to CMC, the former Canadian Marconi, to give a boost to Montreal’s reputation as a breeding ground for aerospace innovations. CMC currently employs about 1,200 people in Canada and is developing an enhanced-vision system (EVS) that combines a forward-looking infrared camera with HUD to allow pilots to see the airport environment even in low visibility.