Dispute over liability could rule local manufacturer out of training contest
Bombardier could be set to no-bid Canada's imminent competition for business jet-sized aircraft to provide airborne training services, due to a dispute with the government over liability. "We have a fundamental issue and are really looking at whether it will be worthwhile to bid," says Zev Rosenzweig, Bombardier's vice-president of military aviation training.
The company was disqualified from the initial phase of the Interim Contracted Airborne Train-ing Services (ICATS) contest last February, when the C$93.9 million ($74.4 million) Type 1 jet trainer deal was awarded to Quebec-based Top Aces Consulting. The successful bidder will provide threat simulation, target towing and electronic-warfare training services using Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets. Bombardier had been eliminated from the Type 1 project because it refused to accept liability for indirect and unforeseeable damage, says Rosenzweig, adding that the company's most recent bid for the Type 2 business jet – based on a fleet of Learjet 35s – was deemed too expensive.
ICATS was planned as a single airborne training services requirement, but the programme was split in two after none of the original Type 2 aircraft proposals was considered compliant.
The bids were largely rejected because they failed to meet electronic-warfare integration requirements, which may now be split into a separate contract.
Ottawa may request new Type 2 bids within a month, with a possible selection by year-end, says Meggitt Defence Systems Canada president Bob Palmer. The forthcoming contract could be worth around C$60 million, he says, while Public Works & Government Services Canada has announced it will "soon" start seeking bids for the requirement.
Meggitt's bid will be based on its original Maple Sky proposal for the overall ICATS solution, which included a fleet of Dassault Falcon and Israel Aircraft Industries Westwind jets offered in conjunction with Air USA, AVWest, Bar-XH and EADS.
Until 2002, the Department of National Defence provided its own airborne training support using Bombardier CC-144 Challengers and Lockheed CT-133 Silver Stars. An attempt to establish a long-term contract for the service resulted in no compliant bidders, with the interim deal intended to run until 2008-10.
ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI/VANCOUVER
Source: Flight International
