Canadian aerospace companies are pushing back against the idea that Bombardier securing a contract to replace aging military patrol planes would be the best solution for the sector, saying a deal between Ottawa and leader Boeing could prove at least as lucrative.
Bombardier has asked the federal government to allow open competition for the successor to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 14 half-century-old CP-140 Aurora jets.
The Montreal business jet maker has argued that its surveillance planes, when they begin rolling off assembly lines early next decade, will offer a cheaper, higher-tech product that will be manufactured in Canada.
So far, the government has not clarified whether it will opt for a sole-source contract or an open tender. But its procurement department said Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon is “the only aircraft currently available that meets all ACMM operational requirements.” [avion canadien multimission] “, particularly with regard to anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Martin Brassard, CEO of Quebec landing gear manufacturer Héroux-Devtek, points to Boeing’s enormous production capacity, which would generate business for parts suppliers and maintenance and repair companies in across Canada. Eighty-one Poseidon suppliers are already established in our country.
“I am not criticizing Bombardier’s solution, because I am not familiar with it. What I do know is that they don’t have a solution ready. And it is ready,” explained Mr. Brassard, adding that obtaining a contract could open other doors for Canadian companies at Boeing.
“I think with all the programs the U.S. government is doing, it’s thousands of planes. »
Mr. Brassard stressed the importance of a rapid and reliable acquisition process, recalling past delays in the selection of military aircraft – for the CF-18 Hornet in the 1970s and, more recently, for the F-35 stealth fighter jet, whose competition process lasted more than seven years before it was chosen in 2022.
“I don’t want history to repeat itself with the CP-140, with all the political debates that Bombardier is currently having. It should not be a political decision, but a decision [du ministère de la Défense] “, he said.
The premiers of Ontario, Doug Ford, and Quebec, François Legault, echoed Bombardier’s calls this month for an open call for tenders, renewing their request from the summer to “put everyone on an equal footing” by launching a call for tenders.
Company spokesman Mark Masluch warned of the “unwarranted urgency” of finding replacements for planes that don’t have a clear retirement date, calling the idea “disingenuous.”
Bombardier said a deal would add $2.8 billion to the country’s gross domestic product, citing a PwC report commissioned by the company. The potential multibillion-dollar contract would provide 22,650 direct jobs — nearly 11,000 in Ontario, 6,550 in Quebec and nearly 4,200 in Atlantic Canada — according to the report.
A study commissioned by Boeing and conducted by Doyletech, an Ottawa-based company, found that a contract with Boeing would generate nearly $10 billion in domestic economic activity over a decade and directly support more than 230 Canadian businesses.
Tracy Medve, CEO of KF Aerospace, which repairs and overhauls airplanes in British Columbia and Ontario, has worked on Boeing’s Poseidons for decades.
“KF and other Canadian companies will benefit from it,” she assured, specifying that the plane could be delivered as early as 2026.
“I personally think this is the right choice for Canada because it is a proven Boeing platform and because the P-8 has seen service in many other areas. »
Having Canada’s allies use the P-8 Poseidon could make it easier for the Canadian military and domestic suppliers already familiar with the product.
“If your plane is down, you want to be able to go to your allies and say, ‘By the way, do you have this part?’ », Explained Lorenzo Marandola, president of the Quebec company M1 Composites Technology, which specializes in aircraft maintenance.
“This is extremely important in terms of maintenance and mission operability. »
The other members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand – as well as India, Germany, Norway and South Korea all use the P-8 or plan to do so.