CAE bags $1-B training contract with CRAF, U.S. Army 

Simulation technology company CAE announced a major win on Thursday with the conclusion of negotiations of two long-term training contracts with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the United States Army worth $1 billion, including options.

The contract which the Montreal, the Que.-based company signed with Canada’s Air Force involves the modification and extension to 2023 of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. CAE provides ground school classroom and simulator training and supports the live flying training of military pilots in Moose Jaw and Cold Lake, Canada for the RCAF.

The work includes upgrades to existing CT-155 Hawk flight training devices (FTDs), and three CT-156 Harvard FTDs. Minor upgrades, maintenance, and obsolescence management of the Air Force’s fleet of CT-155 and CT156.

The contract with the U.S. Army is for rotary-wing flight training classroom, simulator, and live flying instructor support services for one year with eight one-year options until 2026. The training is delivered at the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

“We are honoured the Royal Canadian Air Force has extended its contract with CAE, and that the U.S. Army has selected CAE once again as its training partner to support the instruction required for its new helicopter pilots, which follows our contract to provide fixed-wing flight training to Army aviators,” said Gene Colabatistto, CAE’s group president, defence and security.  “These contracts are a testimony of CAE’s successful strategy to focus on long-term training services that leverage our training systems integration expertise and help our defence customers enhance safety, efficiency, and readiness.”

CAE’s U.S Army contract award was protested by unsuccessful bidders, according to the Canadian company which characterized the protest as a “common occurrence for U.S. Department of Defense procurements.”

“CAE expects that the contract award to CAE will be upheld as protests are seldom successful,” a press release from the company said.

It is estimated that the contract, including the one-year base contract, and eight one-year options through March 31, 2026, will amount to about US$450 million.

The U.S. Army Initial Entry Rotary-Wing training program provides the training needed to qualify new Army helicopter pilots. About 900 students received classroom, simulator, and live training.