Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 58 seconds.
Cascade Aerospace celebrates the return of the 100th Hercules to the RCAF following scheduled maintenance.
The seeds of a celebration that took place at Cascade Aerospace on April 7 have been germinating since 2005, ever since the company first won a contract with Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) for the total fleet management of the CC-130 Hercules tactical lift aircraft.
Exactly a decade later, Cascade—an operating unit of IMP Aerospace and Defence—celebrated the return of the 100th Hercules to the RCAF following scheduled maintenance. A total of 100 inspections, repairs, overhauls and, in some cases, life extensions have been performed by the Abbotsford, B.C.-based company, in order to return Canada’s CC-130s to operational status.
Cascade officially celebrated the milestone at its 230,000-square-foot facility, inviting government representatives, industry stakeholders and staff to mark the occasion.
“Cascade Aerospace is proud to have served the Royal Canadian Air Force in maintaining its fleet operational readiness and modernization,” said Ben Boehm, the company’s executive vice president and COO, at the event. “Canada’s place in the international aerospace market is defined by moments like these. Positive reinforcement of the Canada First Defense Procurement Strategies, along with business models that allow prime contractors like Cascade Aerospace to lead partnerships with OEMs like Lockheed Martin….will help Canadian aerospace grow its presence around the world.”
Guests and employees listened to provincial and federal government speakers discuss the importance of promoting these services to the international marketplace, and the work government is doing on behalf of companies like Cascade. The best example of this work was parked along the left side of the hangar, in the form of a CC-130K from the Mexican Air Force—a contract that was brokered by the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a federal Crown agency responsible to the international Trade Minister. This aircraft has been through Cascade’s modernization program and recently became the first foreign military aircraft to be test flown by the Abbotsford company. An additional six to eight Mexican aircraft could arrive in the future.
A Mexican Air Force CC-130K was the first foreign military aircraft to be test flown by Cascade Aerospace.
The aerospace industry relies on strong government support to get its products to the international marketplace. “As (Trade) Minister Fast can attest, the aerospace industry is global,” said Boehm. “Exports are not achieved without government intervention; sometimes, it is as simple as the confidence demonstrated through trust by awarding contracts in the home country first.” Boehm remarked that the best way for Cascade to see potential customers in foreign countries is to show them that Canada has placed the same trust and confidence in the company by having its own airplanes serviced at Cascade.
George Shultz, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, noted the importance of fleet readiness and the role that Cascade has played en route to its first 100 CC-130 deliveries. The facility was also named one of only two C-130J Heavy Maintenance Centers in the world by by Lockheed Martin last year.
“With more than 1,400 C-130s operating in 70 countries, it is essential to have a global support network to keep these Hercules aircraft ready to support any mission—anytime, anywhere,” said Shultz. “The addition of Cascade Aerospace as the second-ever Lockheed Martin C-130J Heavy Maintenance Center not only strengthens this network, but greatly expands its capabilities as well. Cascade has long supported Canada’s CC-130 fleet, and this new designation ensures it will continue to be an essential partner for Hercules operators in Canada and beyond.”
The actual 100th CC-130 (130338) was absent from the celebration. It had been delivered ahead of schedule, and was already in service with its operational squadron. To commemorate the delivery, Cascade presented BGen Phil Garbutt, director general of force development for the RCAF, with a framed photo of the aircraft.
