Bombardier called for an open procurement process as it tries to jumpstart a new defense business. — Bloomberg
MONTREAL: A Canadian order for military surveillance aircraft that is expected to go to Boeing Co is facing a late challenge from home-grown private-jet maker Bombardier Inc, which has summoned nationalism to press its case for a rival model.
Bombardier is pushing the Canadian department of national defence to consider an adapted version of its Global 6500 business jet instead of going with up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft to replace the government’s 40-year-old fleet of CP-140 Aurora planes.
The problem is that the Bombardier alternative exists only on paper.
Bombardier, which builds jets for billionaires and charter operators, called for an open procurement process as it tries to jumpstart a new defense business. This month, the Montreal-based company announced a collaboration with General Dynamics Corp to develop military systems on the Global 6500 platform.
“Our government has been led to believe there is undue urgency to purchase now,” Mark Masluch, a Bombardier spokesman, said in an email.
“This is simply a fallacy designed to sell an end-of-the-line product. Bombardier is putting forward a modern, next-generation platform, made in Canada by Canadians.” — Bloomberg
