Bombardier warns Ottawa against going with Boeing on military plane contract

Members of the Canadian Forces work on a CP-140 Aurora surveillance plane at the Canadian Forces base in the Persian Gulf, Sunday, February 19, 2017.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

MONTREAL -

Bombardier Inc. says Ottawa would be making a mistake if it opts to go with Boeing in replacing Canada's aging military patrol planes.

The Montreal-based business jet maker joined forces this year with U.S. rival General Dynamics on a surveillance aircraft with submarine hunting technology.

Both partners are calling on the federal government to launch an open procurement process to supplant the Armed Forces' 14 CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol planes, set to retire in 2030 after a half-century of service.

The government has said it is still weighing its options for the multibillion-dollar bid, but in March it stated that Boeing's P-8A Poseidon is the only available aircraft that meets its needs for intelligence gathering and anti-submarine warfare.

Bombardier Defense executive vice-president Jean-Christophe Gallagher says its modified bizjet is fit for high-tech 21st-century demands while Boeing's plane stems from a 1970s design for an end-of-the-line aircraft.

The remarks come after Boeing Defense president Ted Colbert told la Presse in an interview Tuesday that the fledgling Bombardier-General Dynamics plane is not in the same class as its P-8A Poseidon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.