L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a 4-year, $609 million CAD ($482M USD) performance-based contract extension (PBC), with option years, to continue in-service support of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft fleet. This contract extension is in effect until the CF-18 Hornet fleet’s retirement which is currently estimated to be in 2032.

The four Sustainment Initiative principles of Performance, Value for Money, Flexibility, and Economic Benefits were the drivers in the development of this optimized and tailored solution under a Sustainment Business Case Analysis process. L3Harris will continue to provide fleet and program management, maintenance, engineering, material management, electronic publications, integrated logistic support, data management and operational software support under this extension. Contract work will be conducted at L3Harris’ Mirabel facility with additional work at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Cold Lake and CFB Bagotville.

Ugo Paniconi, General Manager, MAS, L3Harris that this to say: “This contract recognizes L3Harris as Canada’s only fighter center of excellence and is a testament to our ongoing performance and commitment to customer focus, flawless execution, and long-term partnership with the RCAF.”

L3Harris has been supporting the CF-18 aircraft fleet for 35 years. This has included significant structural life-extension and systems modernization work that has ensured the CF-18 remains operationally relevant and has extended the value of Canada’s investment in the platform. As part of Canada’s Sustainment Initiative, this latest performance-based contract will provide flexibility, economic benefits, and value.

The L3Harris Mirabel division is a leading in-service support integrator for the Department of National Defence, employing more 1,150 people across Canada. The company has created hundreds of high-technology jobs in Quebec with F/A-18 support contracts for Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, and the United States.