Airbus breaks ground on C295 aircrew, maintenance training center with CAE technology

COMOX, B.C.Airbus officials will prepare aircrew and maintenance personnel to operate Canada’s 16 C295 military tactical transport aircraft under the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) contract award. Airbus officially broke ground on a new state-of-the-art training center – which will house a full flight simulator, a range of procedures trainers, maintenance training devices, and classroom space – to train future C295 crews and technicians at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Comox.

Montreal-based CAE is leading the design and building of the center under a contract managed by AirPro, a joint venture between Airbus and PAL Aerospace in St John’s, the capital of Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador province, created to provide long-term FWSAR in-service support. CFB Comox will serve as the main training center for C295 crews, with Airbus operating the facility over the 20-year life of the steady-state contract supported by CAE.

"Just more than a year into the program we are on schedule and making excellent progress towards the entry into service of the C295 backed by a robust support infrastructure that will serve Canada well for the decades to come,” says Simon Jacques, head of Airbus Defence and Space in Canada. “Search and rescue is a highly challenging mission with little room for error. We are confident that this superb facility at 19 Wing Comox will provide current and future Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel with the skills and knowledge they need to perform their role to the highest standards.”

"CAE is proud to partner with Airbus as the training systems integrator to lead the overall design and delivery of the C295 aircrew and maintenance training system," explains CAE Canada Vice President and General Manager Joe Armstrong. "This state-of-the-art training facility in Comox will serve as the center of excellence for training the men and women of the RCAF and prepare them to carry out critical and challenging search and rescue missions."

Canada will receive the first C295 in late 2019, with remaining aircraft being delivered over the following three years. In addition to training services provided by CAE, Canada's C295s are powered by engines made by Pratt & Whitney Canada and have electro-optical sensors from L3 Wescam.

WO Francois Duchesneau, Search and Rescue Technician; BGen Sean Boyle, Deputy Commander 1 Canadian Air Division; The Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence; Mr. Boris Burlot, CEO AirPro; LCol Curtis Wright, A/Wing Commander; and CWO Keith Sexstone, A/ Wing CWO at the official groundbreaking at CFB Comox.

Airbus provides aeronautics, space, and related services, including a comprehensive range of passenger airliners and tanker, combat, transport, and mission aircraft; space technologies; and efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

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