Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets will be staying in the air a little longer, thanks to a 10-year procurement contract announced by the federal government for Calgary-based aeronautics and defence logistics firm Arcfield Canada.
The contract announced March 7, which is set to provide the firm $144 million for the first five years and $67 million for the remaining five, will provide Canada’s fleet of warbirds avionics weapons systems, supply parts, and provide end-to-end supply chain services.
Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal, speaking on behalf of Minister of National Defence Bill Blair at the announcement at Arcfield Canada’s headquarters, said that the investment was an important one to keep Canada’s Royal Canadian Air Force operationally ready.
“This is extremely important for the City of Calgary, the investment that our government has made to ensure that Arcfield continues to do the work to make sure the CF-18s in our fleet are well maintained and taken care of to provide safety for Canadians, but also our allies around the world,” Chahal said.
“It’s a testimony to the work that our field has done for decades, and the work they’re going to continue to do and investing in our local economy here.”
Arcfield Canada VP of Operations and Strategic Growth Jacques Comtois said that the firm competitively bid on the procurement contract for the Royal Canadian Air Force, but that the firm had previously been doing the same work for the RCAF’s fleet for the past 10 years.
“We’re very, very happy. There was never any doubt in my mind really that we’re going to win because we’ve been doing this for so long, and we have a great team,” he said.
Extends the life of an ‘outstanding’ fighter jet
Lieutenant-General E.J. Kenny, Commander of the RCAF, said that the CF-18 has provided outstanding service for Canada at home, and abroad, and said that the continuation of work by Arcfield was work being done by a trusted partner of the RCAF.
Partners in the contract are Raytheon Canada, TerraNova, L3Harris, and Palitronica.
Comtois said that Canada has been investing a lot of money into extending the life of CF-18 fighters and that despite the aircraft having been first provided for military service in 1982, continues to be a good jet for the military.
“The technology is fairly old, but over the years they continue to maintain and upgrade them, and that latest upgrade will definitely make sure that they’re operational and also mission capable in this new environment that we have today, and for the next 10 years,” he said.
“That’s very exciting for the Royal Canadian Air Force and Department of National Defence to have a fleet of fighter aircraft that are capable to contribute to our defense, and to be supportive to our allies.”
Chahal said that the continued maintenance of the jets would provide continuity for the RCAF until CF-35s are delivered in 2032.
“Through this contract, the Government of Canada is ensuring our CF-18 fleet remains interoperable with our allies. It will also ensure we can effectively meet our operational commitments with NORAD and NATO from now until 2032,” he said.
Big news for Calgary’s largely hidden defence industry
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who spoke at the announcement of the contract, said that it demonstrates that Calgary does have a diverse economy, albeit a sometimes hidden one.
“Calgary is a center that has a lot going on. There’s people that don’t know we are in the aerospace sector. There’s a lot of people that aren’t aware that we have companies like this that are doing work on national defence,” she said.
“This really shines a spotlight on our city to that end.”
Brad Parry, CEO of Calgary Economic Development, said the continued investment by the federal government into national defence industry partners in Calgary was reflective of the overall aerospace innovation system that was being created in the city.
“You heard the mayor talk about these unexpected possibilities, and I think this is one of the best-kept secrets of our city. We’ve been building an aerospace sector for a lot of years, and the recent announcements with WestJet and De Havilland, and now Arcfield, just goes to support that,” he said.
“We see this as an opportunity for us to be that hub for North America.”
Parry said that the size of the defence industry in Calgary was one that is hard to pin down because by-in-large defence industry firms don’t want to be known to the public.
“We have this sort of underpinning of innovation and technology in the defence space, but they like to keep a low profile,” he said.
“We have one of the great test centres in North America. If you look at the testing grounds that we have on a piece of land to the south of the city, that’s where we test non-line-of-sight drone testing. That gives companies a chance to try new technologies out in a commercial environment. So we’re seeing that pickup and pickup.”
