Canadian firms line up for potential GCAP, Gripen work

MILAN — Canadian companies announced plans this week to team up with European partners on a pair of continental defense programs — assuming Ottawa moves forward with either of them.

Montreal-based aerospace manufacturer Bombardier signed a Memorandum of Understanding today with Britain’s BAE Systems “to collaborate toward next-generation combat air programs,” the two companies said in a press release. While not spelling it out in the release, the phrase “next-generation combat air” is a clear reference to Canada’s potential tie-up with the British-Japanese-Italian Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

While the announcement offered few details on what this initial partnership will entail, it said the parties aimed to identify which technological sectors and capabilities made the most sense for them to cooperate on.

“This MoU marks an important step in exploring how Bombardier’s aerospace expertise, advanced manufacturing capabilities and defense integration experience could contribute to the development of next-generation air combat capabilities,” the company said in its press release.

In July, Canada’s government announced it was joining GCAP as an observer. At the time, the Italian Ministry of Defense told Breaking Defense that, at that stage, being an observer did not entail that Canada had an industrial role in GCAP, adding that it was infeasible then “to predict the timing, modalities, or conditions of any potential expansion” of the country’s new participation.

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Since then, there has been little new information about Ottawa’s role in the sixth-generation fighter. But Canadian industry is certainly optimistic about getting involved in what could become a major global fighter aircraft.

On the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow over the summer, Pascal Grenier, the president of Defense and Security at Canada’s leading flight simulation and training company CAE, said that he hoped that Ottawa’s observer status within GCAP could pave the way for new opportunities for the Canadian aerospace industry.

Saab Sweetens The Pot

Meanwhile, Tuesday brought an announcement from Swedish firm Saab, which revealed three major Canadian industrial partners it will bring on board should Ottawa move forward with acquiring the Gripen fighter.

“Saab confirms its intention to collaborate with several of Canada’s major international aerospace firms in a first step to establish a broad, national ecosystem that will build, deliver and support the Gripen E should the Canadian government proceed with a Gripen acquisition,” the Swedish company said.

The Saab proposal envisions producing and finally assembling the Gripen in Canada. It signed an agreement with Halifax-based IMP to oversee a new Canadian final assembly line and electrical production; another one with Magellan Aerospace to locally produce aerostructures and composite structures; and a final agreement with CAE to deliver pilot and technician training as well as mission systems engineering.

Canada’s planned purchase of 72 additional F-35s from Lockheed Martin — after confirming an initial order for 16 aircraft — has been under review since March 2025. This has left open the possibility of a mixed fleet, which could include Saab-made Gripen jets, a move the company has lobbied hard for in Canada.

In July, Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty told reporters that the decision status had not moved and would remain under consideration “until we take the time to get it right for Canadians.”

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米兰——加拿大公司本周宣布计划与欧洲合作伙伴合作开展两项大陆防务项目——前提是渥太华方面推进其中任何一项项目。

总部位于蒙特利尔的航空航天制造商庞巴迪公司今天与英国BAE系统公司签署了一份谅解备忘录，两家公司在一份新闻稿中表示，双方将“合作推进下一代作战飞机项目”。虽然新闻稿中没有明确说明，“下一代作战飞机”一词显然是指加拿大可能参与的英日意联合全球作战飞机计划（GCAP）。

虽然公告并未详细说明此次初步合作的具体内容，但表示双方旨在确定哪些技术领域和能力最适合双方开展合作。

“这份谅解备忘录标志着在探索庞巴迪的航空航天专业知识、先进制造能力和国防一体化经验如何为下一代空中作战能力的发展做出贡献方面迈出了重要一步，”该公司在新闻稿中表示。

今年7月，加拿大政府宣布以观察员身份加入全球防务合作计划（GCAP）。当时，意大利国防部告诉《防务新闻》（Breaking Defense），在那个阶段，作为观察员并不意味着加拿大在GCAP中扮演任何工业角色，并补充说，当时“预测加拿大未来可能扩大参与规模的时间、方式或条件”是不切实际的。

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通用航空飞机公司（GA-ASI）将与欧洲公司合作，在欧洲建造 Gambit 飞机，从 2027 年开始，飞机机身将可供国际采购。

自那以后，关于渥太华在第六代战斗机项目中的角色鲜有新消息。但加拿大工业界对参与这款可能成为全球主流战斗机的项目无疑持乐观态度。

今年夏天，在范堡罗国际航展期间，加拿大领先的飞行模拟和培训公司 CAE 的国防和安全总裁帕斯卡尔·格雷尼尔表示，他希望渥太华在 GCAP 中的观察员地位能够为加拿大航空航天业开辟新的机遇。

萨博锦上添花

与此同时，瑞典萨博公司周二宣布，如果渥太华推进采购鹰狮战斗机的计划，该公司将引入三家主要的加拿大工业合作伙伴。

“萨博确认其有意与加拿大几家主要的国际航空航天公司合作，作为建立广泛的国家生态系统的第一步，该生态系统将负责建造、交付和支持‘鹰狮’E型战斗机，以防加拿大政府继续推进‘鹰狮’战斗机的采购，”这家瑞典公司表示。

萨博公司的方案设想在加拿大生产并最终组装“鹰狮”战斗机。该公司与位于哈利法克斯的IMP公司签署了一项协议，由IMP负责在加拿大新建一条总装线并生产电气部件；与麦哲伦宇航公司签署了另一项协议，由麦哲伦宇航公司在当地生产航空结构件和复合材料结构件；并与CAE公司签署了最终协议，由CAE公司提供飞行员和技术人员培训以及任务系统工程服务。

加拿大计划从洛克希德·马丁公司增购72架F-35战斗机——此前已确认订购16架——但自2025年3月以来，该计划一直在接受审查。这使得组建一支混合机队的可能性依然存在，其中可能包括萨博公司制造的鹰狮战斗机，而萨博公司一直在加拿大积极游说促成这一举措。

7 月，加拿大国防部长戴维·麦金蒂告诉记者，该决定状态没有变化，仍将予以考虑，“直到我们花时间为加拿大人做出正确的决定”。

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