UK MoD and Airbus Defence and Space Withdraw from Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Project
(Source: Airbus Defence and Space; issued Aug. 30, 2019)
Both the UK MoD and Airbus Defence and Space deeply appreciate the FFCP team’s commitment to transparency throughout the last two years as well as the thoroughly professional nature of the competition. This applies in particular to the efforts made to facilitate an enormously complex task of developing the RFP whilst responding to feedback from the suppliers.
After careful analysis of the input from the draft as well as the final RFP, two factors have led to the Typhoon Canada campaign team’s decision to withdraw from the project:
First, a detailed review has led the parties to conclude that NORAD security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States-Canada 2-EYES community.
Second, both parties concluded that the significant recent revision of industrial technological benefits (ITB) obligations does not sufficiently value the binding commitments the Typhoon Canada package was willing to make, and which were one of its major points of focus.
With the decision to withdraw from the FFCP, the UK MoD and Airbus Defence and Space will not proceed any further with the Typhoon Canada campaign.
However, both parties strongly reiterate their commitment to the Canadian government, the Canadian Armed Forces, the country’s aerospace sector and ultimately the people of Canada.
Simon Jacques, President of Airbus Defence and Space Canada, said: “Airbus Defence and Space is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Government of Canada, and of serving our fifth home country’s aerospace priorities for over three decades. Together we continue in our focus of supporting the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, growing skilled aerospace jobs across the country and spurring innovation in the Canadian aerospace sector.”
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of € 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Alan Williams, the former Canadian defense procurement minister who signed the country’s entry into the Joint Strike Fighter program but later rebelled against the way the Harper government attempted to trick Canadians into acquiring the aircraft, said in an August 30 e-mail that “To date, the government has certainly bent over backwards to facilitate the F-35 bid.”
Williams was alluding to the fact that, during his election campaign, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had sworn he would never buy the F-35.
He later delayed the fighter competition he had promised to bring forward.
By then acceding to US demands to lower the requirement for offsets – something that Lockheed cannot deliver, as they are forbidden by the F-35 program bylaws – Trudeau has now convinced a second European competitor (after Dassault) to pull out of the competition.
Next will no doubt be Gripen because, as Sweden is not even a member of NATO, it stands an even lower chance than the UK to be allowed access to NORAD security requirements.
Canada’s choice will then be limited to the Super Hornet or the F-35, and since the former is the ultimate descendant of a 50-year old design that has already been in service for over 20 years, it will have little chance of winning.)
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Last year the European firm Dassault informed the Canadian government it would not be competing in the competition. It had been planning to offer Canada the Rafale fighter jet.
The $19 billion competition has been dogged by allegations it is designed to favour Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter.
Postmedia reported earlier this year that the requirements for the new jets put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions. That criteria is seen to benefit the F-35. In addition, the federal government changed criteria on how it would assess industrial benefits after the U.S. government threatened to pull the F-35 from the competition.
Industry representatives have said they will carefully review the Canadian requirements before making their decision to bid. The work needed to prepare a bid will cost the firms around $15 million each.
The decision to pull the Eurofighter from the competition leaves the F-35, the Boeing Super Hornet, and Saab’s Gripen. It is unclear whether Boeing or Saab will continue in the competition. (end of excerpt)
Click here for the full story, on the Ottawa Citizen website.
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