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Discovery Air Defence Services Inc. announced on Oct. 31 that it has been awarded a $480 million contract for Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract by Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of National Defence.
This contract is for 10 years with one two-year option and a second 17-month option. DA Defence will deliver CATS services to the Canadian Armed Forces from permanent operating bases located in four different Canadian provinces using a fleet of modernized Alpha Jet and Learjet aircraft.
“It is an honour to be selected as Canada’s long term partner for the provision of CATS by offering a true made-in-Canada solution,” said Paul Bouchard, president of DA Defence. “Our outstanding team of highly experienced CF-18 pilots and fighter weapons instructors combined with our team of dedicated maintenance, engineering and support personnel will continue to deliver the world’s most comprehensive airborne training to prepare the Canadian military for ever-changing challenges and threats to Canada and its allies beyond 2030.”
“Over the course of the past 12 years, we have exceeded all customer expectations to become Canada’s trusted provider of airborne training,” said Didier Toussaint, group president and operations manager of DA Defence. “Our proven track record of safety, experience and innovation will continue to serve the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces well into the future. I am also very proud that this long-term CATS award will support ongoing economic and technological benefits in the Montreal aerospace supercluster and boost Canada’s key industrial capabilities in aerospace on the world stage.”
Both Bouchard and Toussaint are also former CF-18 fighter weapons instructor pilots.
DA Defence is the most experienced provider of turnkey tactical airborne training in the world. With eight main operating bases across three continents, DA Defence operates the world’s largest privately-owned fleet of aggressor and combat support aircraft.
With an unparalleled safety record, including 66,000 accident-free flight hours, DA Defence, along with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Top Aces Corp., is the exclusive contracted airborne training service provider to the Canadian, German, and Australian armed forces.
DA Defence’s unique mix of modern fighter and special mission aircraft equipped with representative 4th generation threat capabilities delivers the mission profiles, flexibility, and availability demanded by the Canadian Armed Forces and the world’s leading air forces.
