Bombardier’s CEO Eric Martel voiced his concern about the possibility of Canada purchasing reconnaissance jets directly from American manufacturer Boeing.
“As President and CEO of Bombardier, I want to publicly share my concern that Canada, which is facing an important choice about the airborne surveillance of its vast borders, may be considering awarding a sole-source contract directly to Boeing,” Martel said in a statement.
Martel’s comments surfaced after news broke that Canada was considering a multi-billion dollar purchase of up to a dozen P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Boeing.
Martel promoted Bombardier’s own product, saying that the Canadian planemaker’s Global 6500 aircraft “will be the right-sized solution and will respond to Canada’s needs”.
“A Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) tender, open to diverse proposals, would be an opportunity for Canada to re-think its surveillance capabilities. A Canadian-built option should, and must, be considered on equal footing with those of foreign companies who have, in the past, directly, attacked our home-grown aircraft programs,” Martel said.
In June 2022, Boeing announced that it will collaborate with Canadian industry partners to offer the P-8A Poseidon for Canada’s Multi-Mission Aircraft tender.
The American aircraft manufacturer first offered the P-8A Poseidon to Canada in early 2022 in response to Canada’s Request for Information (RFI) for long-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force fleet of CP-140 Aurora aircraft.