The Canadian Air Force will be extensively modernized in the coming years, but now of all times the national pilot training program is without a trainer. As part of an accelerated Future Fighter Lead-In Training program, a replacement is therefore to be found as quickly as possible – the most promising candidate is the M-346 from Leonardoin which, as is well known, the army is also interested in.
Three months ago, Canada had to stop flying its aging CT-155 Hawk jets from the RCAF’s 419th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron in Cold Lake, Alberta. Since then, Canadian pilots and their instructors have since had to switch to outsourced training programs in Finland, the USA and Italy. The end of the “Black Hawk” also affects the NATO-Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) is also affected.
Decision comes at an inopportune time
At the 15th Wing in Moose Jaw, Phase II and III of jet pilot training were already completed in the summer of 2023. “With the Hawk reaching the end of its service life after more than 20 years, Canada is faced with the challenge of deciding what the next jet trainer model for fifth-generation fighter aircraft should be,” says Colonel Adam Carlson, Head of Training at the RCAF. The problem is that the move to hand over the CT-155 to engineering as a maintenance trainer and the loss of a domestic training program coincides with the upcoming modernization of the RCAF’s aging fighter fleet over the next eight years. The first “interim” Boeing CF-18s retrofitted with AESA radar (partly supplemented with equally old Hornets from Australia) are due to arrive shortly. And by 2032, 88 F-35As from Lockheed Martin will complete the fleet (-> Canada also relies on the F-35). Both programs will increase the training requirements, which Canadian fighter pilots will now have to cover elsewhere, at least for a few years.
This unsatisfactory situation for the Canadian Air Force has apparently also become clear “higher up” and now the government’s procurement agency in Ottawa (Public Services and Procurement Canada, PSPC) is planning to set up an accelerated Future Fighter Lead-In Training (FFLIT) program. The aim is to award a contract for the CT-155 replacement within three years for introduction by 2030. This can only be aimed at types that are already available on the market. Leonardo has already responded to the foreseeable development in 2021 and once again offered its two training aircraft, the M-345 and the M-346, at this year’s CANSEC trade fair in Ottawa – and also in neighboring countries. and incidentally also in the neighboring USA. The other candidate addressed in an RFI from May 17 is – as already decided in the USA – the one from Boeing and Saab manufactured T-7 Red Hawk. However, it remains to be seen whether the newcomer will be “market-ready” for accelerated procurement by 2030. In any case, the program has recently made some progress after a few setbacks. The M-346 (albeit in the FA-Fighter version) and the T-7 are also being considered by the Austrian Armed Forces as the successor the Saab 105OE fleet, which was already decommissioned in December 2020 a topic.
In addition, the L-39NG from Aero Vodochody for selection, a decision has been “imminent” for months. https://militaeraktuell.at/katastrophenhilfseinsatz-des-bundesheeres-beendet/
Two-phase, reform bureaucratic approach
Back to Canada: In addition to introducing a new approach to fighter pilot training, the PSPC authority is considering using the FFLIT program to initiate and reform an optimized and collaborative model for military procurement. This would be based on a two-phase “co-develop-build approach” in which the design and development process would be divided into two phases. In Phase 1, PSPC would select a single contractor to design a training system in collaboration with the (in-house) program office. The FFLIT would then enter the execution phase, with the contractor solely responsible for finalizing the approved design. However, PSPC could drop the contractor after Phase 1 should the final design not be approved. Such an approach is intended to give the government more control over the design and break the contractor’s grip on the entire supply chain. “Canada plans to retain oversight and decision-making authority in the joint development and selection of subcontractors,” according to PSPC CEO Jean-Yves Duclos.
This upheaval in the procurement culture should be seen as a lesson learned from past acquisitions, some of which were endless, some of which were aborted and then resumed. Against this backdrop, the awarding of contracts for 16 Airbus C-295 for the search and rescue service (SAR) in 2016, which have still not been put into service. Or the acquisition of 28 Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclones (S-92) in 2004, which 20 years later have still not reached their full operational capability.
Simulation world market leader in the country
The new model certainly challenges entrenched industry practices, such as vertical integration. In this approach, a single contractor provides most, if not all, of the systems required for a total training solution, including the aircraft, flight simulator, training aids and classroom instruction. However, Canada has the unique position of having the world’s leading aviation training and simulation provider in CAE, which offers comprehensive ground-based training systems.
The trainer procurement as a trial balloon
In order to be prepared for potential policy changes and modifications such as updates and improvements to the new F-35 jets, PSPC wants to structure the Phase 2 execution of the FFLIT contract. This is to allow the program to “adapt to changing funding and requirements over time,” according to the statement. It is expected to include flexibility and periodic review points to accommodate – apparently anticipated – “shifts in government priorities, funding, performance outcomes, and changes in the roles and operations of the F-35A aircraft,” the RFI states.
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