Training Jet Competition Launches Canadian Acquisition Reform

On March 8, 419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron in Cold Lake, Alberta, ceased operations, transitioned its CT-155 Hawk jets into maintenance trainers and farmed-out its student pilots and instructors to fighter lead-in training programs in Finland, Italy and the U.S.

The loss of a domestic training program seemed ill-timed. The Royal Canadian Air Force’s aged fighter fleet is modernizing rapidly over the next eight years, with the first upgraded Boeing CF-18s with active, electronically scanned array radars arriving shortly and 88 replacement Lockheed Martin F-35As scheduled for delivery by 2032. Both fleet upgrades pose a significant leap in training requirements, which Canadian fighter pilots now must find elsewhere.

But perhaps not for long. By the comparatively patient standards of the Canadian military acquisition process, the government’s procurement agency plans to fast-track the Future Fighter Lead-In Training (FFLIT) program, with a goal to award a contract within three years and introduce the CT-155 replacement by 2030. Leonardo and a Boeing/Saab team marketed the M-346 Master and T-7 Red Hawk, respectively, at the CANSEC trade show in late May.

• Canadian government seeks role in supply chain decisions
• Challenge to vertical integration

Following a two-year pause in public releases, documents obtained by Aviation Week show the FFLIT acquisition process has resumed. The May 17 request for information (RFI) sent to potential suppliers also reveals an ambitious agenda by the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) agency. In addition to introducing a new approach to fighter pilot training, PSPC is considering whether to use the FFLIT program to initiate a streamlined and collaborative model for military acquisition in Canada.

In particular, Canadian procurement and military officials are seeking to play a larger role in the design phase of the FFLIT program. Instead of a traditional, transaction approach, the RFI shows that PSPC is exploring a two-phase, “codevelop-build approach” for Canada’s next trainer aircraft. The new model proposes to break from the current military acquisition, with a prime contractor selected to design, develop and build the future trainer.

Instead, the Canadian government could break the design and development process into two phases. In Phase 1, PSPC would select a single contractor to design a training system in collaboration with the program office. The FFLIT would then enter the execution phase, with the contractor alone responsible for completing the approved design. However, PSPC could drop the contractor after Phase 1 if the final design is not approved.

Such an approach is intended to give the government more control over the design and break the contractor’s grip on the overall supply chain.

“Canada aims to foster competition in upstream supply chains, including equipment acquisition and subcomponents, within the entire solution,” the RFI says. “Canada plans to retain oversight and decision-making authority during codevelopment and subcontractor selection.”

The new model poses a challenge to certain industry practices, such as vertical integration. In this approach, a single contractor provides most, if not all, of the systems required in an overall training solution, including the aircraft, flight simulator, training aids and classroom instruction. The approach also may reflect Canada’s unique position as a global leader in the aviation training market, with local companies such as CAE and KF Aero capable of providing ground-based training systems.

The proposed shift comes as Ottawa launches a comprehensive review to reform a widely criticized military acquisition system. Notable disappointments have included the 2016 contract award of 16 Airbus C-295s for the fixed-wing search and rescue program that still have not entered service and the 2004 acquisition of 28 Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclones that have not yet reached full operational capability. Even successful programs routinely take over a decade to wind their way through a cumbersome acquisition procedure.

“Canada needs a procurement system that functions effectively and efficiently so [it] can better respond to evolving security threats and emerging capability requirements,” PSPC Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a CANSEC keynote speech on May 30. “As it stands, however, defense procurement can be a long and arduous process.”

By contrast, the FFLIT is scheduled to achieve contract award in 2027, initial operational capability in 2030 and full operational capability in 2032, according to a 2022 PSPC notice to industry.

Even that accelerated process faces implementation challenges, including possible shifts in funding and requirements due to changes in government and F-35 capabilities. The next federal election is scheduled by 2025. Meanwhile, several major aircraft upgrades could come online before all Canadian F-35s are delivered in 2032, including a new thermal management and power system and an engine thrust upgrade.

Because of this, PSPC wants to structure the Phase 2 execution of the FFLIT contract to adapt as funding and requirements evolve over time. “It is anticipated to incorporate flexibility and regular review points to accommodate shifts in government priorities, funding, performance outcomes and changes in the roles and operation of the CF-35A aircraft,” the RFI says.

The training process for new Canadian fighter pilots will be divided into several segments, starting with an ab initio course to familiarize students with the selected FFLIT trainer. The student pilots would then enter an “experiential tour” featuring advanced tactical training in counterair, close air support and maritime defense missions. Finally, students would graduate after completing an “associate tour,” which includes joint training missions with front-line fighter pilots.