A new partnership between L3Harris Technologies subsidiary MAS and Lockheed Martin is set to deepen Canada’s role in the global F-35 enterprise, with plans to establish an F-35 Air Vehicle Depot in Mirabel, Quebec.
Announced on April 21, the agreement creates a framework for collaboration and information sharing between the two companies as Canada continues building out its long-term CF-35 sustainment strategy. The initiative follows Canada’s selection of MAS as a strategic sustainment partner for the future fighter fleet and is designed to strengthen in-country maintenance capability while supporting high-skilled aerospace employment.
At the centre of the effort is a newly formed joint executive steering committee that will define depot capabilities, workforce training programs, and broader sustainment solutions for the aircraft. The partnership is expected to enhance Canada’s ability to independently maintain and operate its F-35 fleet while positioning Canadian industry within one of the world’s largest military aviation ecosystems.
The proposed depot also carries significant industrial implications. According to the companies, the initiative is expected to anchor a network of approximately 30 Canadian suppliers contributing an estimated $3.2 million per aircraft across the global fleet of more than 1,325 F-35s currently in operation.
The timing aligns with continued global expansion of the F-35 program, which now counts 20 nations committed to purchasing more than 3,500 aircraft. As allied air forces increasingly rely on the platform as the backbone of next-generation air power, sustainment infrastructure has become a strategic capability in its own right.
“Depot-level sustainment means Canada’s aerospace workforce will perform the same advanced maintenance currently done in only a handful of locations worldwide,” said Jason Lambert, President, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, L3Harris. “Our 40-year fighter sustainment heritage, combined with Lockheed Martin’s 5th Generation expertise, makes this the right partnership at the right time.”
For Lockheed Martin, the agreement represents another step in expanding allied sustainment capacity while supporting Canada’s long-term sovereign aerospace ambitions.
“This collaboration delivers on Canada’s requirement to develop in-country sustainment capability and to operate and maintain the Canadian F-35 fleet independently,” said Chauncey McIntosh, Vice President and General Manager, F-35 Program, Lockheed Martin. “With Lockheed Martin’s experience establishing sustainment capabilities around the world, our joint effort with MAS is expected to deliver fleet readiness, air superiority and increased economic benefits.”
For MAS and Canada’s aerospace sector, the partnership signals more than a maintenance agreement. It positions Quebec as a potential long-term hub within the global F-35 sustainment network at a time when allied nations are increasingly prioritizing sovereign readiness, industrial resilience, and secure defence supply chains.