By Skies Magazine | May 31, 2023 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 42 seconds.
According to an independent study conducted by economists at Ottawa-based Doyletech Corporation, selecting the Boeing P-8 Poseidon for Canada’s Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) requirement would bring significant benefits to the country. The study reveals that selecting the P-8 would generate nearly 3,000 jobs and contribute approximately $358 million in economic output to Canada annually.
Boeing said in a press release that its existing presence in Canada already makes a substantial impact on the economy, with an annual investment of over C$4 billion and the support of more than 14,000 jobs.
“The company is committed to deliver industrial and technological benefits on the P-8 program, significantly growing Canada’s aerospace and defense industry,” Boeing stated.
The OEM has partnered with several Canadian aerospace companies to create Team Poseidon, consisting of CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada, and Raytheon Canada. Boeing said “the team builds on 81 Canadian suppliers to the [P-8] platform and to more than 550 Canadian suppliers across all provinces contributing to Boeing’s annual C$5.3 billion in economic benefit to Canada.”
Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, added: “We are committed to Canada’s pursuit of peace and prosperity for those we defend and serve, and we are confident the unmatched P-8 capabilities – and our P-8 offering for Canada – reflect those ideals.”
The CMMA project intends to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleet of 14 CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft with a next-generation anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. In February 2022, the Canadian government issued a request for information (RFI) to the defense and aerospace industry regarding the project. After gathering feedback from the RFI, the government in late March 2023 submitted a letter of request (LOR) to the U.S. government for the acquisition price of 16 Poseidon aircraft.
The federal government also concluded that the P-8 is “the only currently available aircraft that meets all of the operational requirements.”
Despite this, rival Bombardier announced in May that it is partnering with General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada on a next-generation multi-mission and anti-submarine warfare aircraft that will meet the CMMA requirements. That aircraft is a special mission version of Bombardier’s Global 6500 platform.
Bombardier and General Dynamics called on the Canadian government to “open a competitive, fair, and transparent procurement process that will ultimately allow for Canadian innovation to thrive.”
Meanwhile, Boeing has touted the P-8’s “advanced capabilities” in anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, ISR, and search-and-rescue operations. The company also says the P-8 has “off-the-shelf, out-of-the-box capability across all [of Canada’s] 13 high-level requirements.”
The P-8 shares 86 percent commonality with the commercial 737NG aircraft and benefits from an established global supply chain. The multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft is already in service with the United States, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, Norway, and New Zealand, with Korea and Germany set to take delivery of the type in 2023 and 2024, respectively. As of late May, 159 P-8 aircraft were in operation among the six aforementioned customers, and the global fleet had accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours.
Quebec will force a purchase of an airplane we do not need. Just ask Trudeau.
And Canada will have another “1 off” piece of equipment which nobody else will want to buy just like our cyclone helicopters which we still don’t have all of them. Bombardier keeps looking for handouts.