WINNIPEG, Manitoba – December 30, 2021 – StandardAero has advanced its position in the Government of Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Projects (FFCP) competition as the Saab Gripen aircraft is one of the remaining two finalists. The Gripen has been found compliant with all the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) technical, industrial, technological and security requirements. Earlier this year, the joint Saab and General Electric (GE) Aviation team selected StandardAero to serve as the in-country sustainment partner to support GE F414-39E engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services powering the Saab Gripen fighter aircraft.
“StandardAero’s experienced team is excited to serve Canada’s mission readiness and requirements for the FFCP and to deliver the most complete suite of aircraft engine MRO services to the Saab Gripen Canada team from our Winnipeg, Manitoba facility,” said Marc Drobny, President of StandardAero’s Military division. “For more than six decades we have partnered with the Royal Canadian Air Force to provide engine sustainment for the T56 engines powering its CC-130 fleet — making us the most capable and logical engine MRO solution for the FFCP.”
StandardAero has an outstanding, industry-wide reputation for providing superior engine MRO services at its 665,000 sq. ft. campus in Winnipeg. Adding a new GE F414-39E military engine line in Winnipeg would build not only build upon StandardAero’s long history supporting the RCAF, but also lead to growing its substantial and highly skilled workforce and providing an excellent export opportunity for supporting other F414 fleets.
As part of the Saab Gripen for Canada team, StandardAero signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GE to perform maintenance on the F414-39E engines. In addition, StandardAero brings a very close, long-term, partnership with GE to the FFCP. StandardAero is a licensed MRO on a range of GE engines lines and assembles all of GE’s new F110 fighter jet engines. In 2012, the two companies announced the opening of a new $50 million aircraft engine Testing, Research and Development Centre (TRDC) in Winnipeg. The 122,500 square foot facility is located at the James A. Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg. GE designed and built the TRDC and under a long-term contract, StandardAero maintains and operates the certification test center, which can test gas turbine engines up to 150 inches in diameter and up to 150,000 lbs. of thrust, as well as capabilities to accommodate high performance military engines.
“With our well-established military expertise, extensive presence across Canada and our OEM alignment to support an additional GE engine, we stand ready to deliver our mission to support readiness for Canada’s future fighter aircraft,” Drobny concluded.
StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent providers of services including engine and airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul, engine component repair, engineering services, interior completions and paint applications. StandardAero serves a diverse array of customers in business and general aviation, airline, military, helicopter, components and energy markets. StandardAero is owned by global investment firm Carlyle. For more information about StandardAero, go to www.standardaero.com.