By Robb M. Stewart
OTTAWA–Bell Textron Canada has secured a 2.28 billion Canadian dollar ($1.69 billion) contract to help extend the life of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s active fleet of CH-146 Griffon helicopters.
The Canadian government on Wednesday awarded the contract to the Canadian arm of Textron’s Texas-based aviation company to provide in-service support for the helicopters to sustain the fleet until at least the mid-2030s.
The helicopters run domestic and international missions, including tactical transport, emergency response, and search and rescue.
Jean-Yves Duclos, federal minister of public services and procurement, said Bell Textron Canada will from April provide program management, engineering, technical and design change services, and repair, overhaul and maintenance for the CH-146 helicopters. The work will be carried out in Canada, and is expected to create or maintain 1,130 jobs in he country.
Bell Textron is the original manufacturer of the CH-146 helicopter and has exclusive ownership of intellectual property rights for the fleet. Canada currently has 82 of the helicopters in service, operating out of 11 locations across the country.
The government said the company’s commitments to Canada have the potential to contribute at least C$125 million annually to the country’s gross domestic product over the life of the contract.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at [email protected]
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