MONTREAL — CAE Inc. says it has secured a $300-million contract to continue training U.S. air force crews, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has moved to ban Canadian companies from government procurement. The Montreal-based flight simulator maker says the deal granted to its American defence division extends CAE’s role as the main contractor schooling U.S. aircrews on the C-130 Hercules military transport plane, a role it has played since 2018. CAE says training of pilots, flight engineers and navigators will take place at air force bases in Little Rock, Ark., as well as Georgia, Wyoming, Minnesota and Missouri through 2035. The announcement comes in spite of a decree from Trump on Sept. 16 that bans the federal government from procuring Canadian items. It remains unclear whether the presidential order covers services, rather than goods alone, or whether Canadian companies with U.S. subsidiaries fall under the ban. The move last week marked the latest escalation of the trade war between Canada and the United States after negotiations between the two countries broke down last month. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2026.
