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The federal government announced Friday that it’s buying six new Global 6500 jets from Bombardier to replace its existing fleet of four CC-144 Challengers.
A government statement said the $753-million contract includes production, training for aircrew, maintenance personnel and any military modifications that will be required.
The jets will be built and maintained in Canada, where the government said it will create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in engineering, assembly and maintenance that will include participation by more than 60 companies.
That participation, the government said, will support Canada’s aerospace industry by advancing research and development initiatives that it says will strengthen the domestic supply chain.
WATCH | Government announces jet purchase:
Federal government buying 6 new Global 6500 Bombardier jets
Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, announced on Friday at the Bombardier facility in Mississauga, Ont., that the federal government will be acquiring six Global 6500 jets from Bombardier to modernize the existing fleet, replacing four CC-144 Challengers.
“Our government is proud to prioritize Canadian industry and deliver a proven, versatile aircraft that ensures members of the Canadian Armed Forces have the tools they need to keep Canadians safe and defend our sovereignty,” Public Works Minister Joël Lightbound said in a statement.
The jets will be used to ferry government officials and foreign dignitaries as well as support evacuations, disaster relief, security and humanitarian missions. They will be delivered in the summer of 2027, but will not attain full operational capability until the end of that year.
The jets are among the first purchases under the Liberal government’s new Defence Investment Agency (DIA) announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in October.
The DIA’s mandate is to consolidate procurement processes by removing duplicative approvals and red tape while providing the defence industry with greater clarity and certainty on the government’s plans.
“These modern aircraft will enhance operational flexibility and readiness and support Canada’s strategic air mobility in Canada and abroad,” Defence Minister David McGuinty said in a statement.
A Canadian Forces Challenger jet takes off from the Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., in 2021. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Past Liberal government use of CC-144 Challengers has a history of garnering criticism from the Conservatives who have characterized their use by government officials as a luxurious excess.
Two of the government’s Challengers, which can carry nine passengers, were retired by the Harper government in 2014 which said the move would save taxpayers about $1.5 million a year.
During the pandemic the Liberal government led by former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced a sole-sourced deal with Bombardier to buy two more of the jets for $105 million.
For Carney’s October visit to Egypt for the Gaza peace summit he was forced to charter a plan at a cost of $736,466 because the only available Challenger could “not meet itinerary requirements,” the Department of National Defence told CBC News.
The department estimates travel on a government-owned Challenger aircraft would have cost about $198,800.
