BTCL to extend life of 85 CH-146 helicopters

The Government of Canada has awarded Bell Textron Canada Limited (BTCL) of Mirabel, Quebec, a contract valued at nearly $800 million for the extension of the life of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CH-146 Griffon helicopter fleet into the mid-2030s. The contract affects 85 helicopters.

CH-146 Griffon 438 ETAH
Cplbeaudoin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

According to the contract, BTCL will modify the first 9 helicopters and then manage a competitive process to award subcontracts to suppliers to modify the remaining 76 helicopters.

Since BTCL was the original manufacturer of the CH-146 Griffon helicopter, the company owns the intellectual property rights to the aircraft and is therefore the only company certified to assess and define the necessary design changes and associated repairs to the rotorcraft.

Filomena Tassi, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, says the contract will help support jobs in Canada. Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, says “the project will have an incredible economic impact, benefiting the economy, the supply chain and, most importantly, the aerospace workers.”

For more information, hit the Source below

Source