Bombardier has issued the following statement in which it claims to speak for the entire population in a bitter response to the Canadian authorities ordering aircraft from Boeing for the nation's future multi-mission airborne platform - the P-8A. The statement from the firm says that its and GDMS-C employees, as well as Canadians, political and industry leaders, and suppliers, who have very vocally supported Canadian talent, are all equally disappointed that their Canadian government has decided to award a generational contract without an open and fair competition, and without fully evaluating its home-grown industry’s multi-mission aircraft capabilities.
Despite multiple conversations with the government, where we requested an RFP or a more detailed framework within which to present key facts and capabilities, no such follow-on opportunities were given to Bombardier, or its partners. No aerospace or third-party experts subsequently evaluated our capabilities. Throughout, we remained resolute and came together to passionately advocate for a next-generation capability and an opportunity for our aerospace industry to shine – we are truly thankful for everyone’s effort to that end.
The solution we were ready to present would have been a game changer for the Canadian economy – not only would it have created and sustained more than 22,000 full-time jobs, but it would have been a model as many countries around the world are looking at our offering as the true future of multi-mission aircraft. Canada is in a unique position of having a manufacturing hub that is the envy of countries around the globe. There is still a bright future for maritime surveillance platforms that Bombardier is ready, willing and able to offer Canada, and the rest of world, which will be less expensive to acquire, less expensive to operate, saving approximately 30% on operating costs, all while decreasing carbon emission by approximately 40% – in 2023 and beyond, we cannot underestimate how important this is as a key differentiator.
All in all, we can all be proud of the next-generation solution we were poised to deliver. We are confident that our product offering will be successful in multiple markets, setting a new standard for maritime patrol. Bombardier Defense has built a successful reputation as the most flexible partner for countries around the world and we look forward to sharing more successes on this front.