WINNIPEG, Manitoba – April 13, 2021 – StandardAero was recently selected to serve as an in-country sustainment partner to support GE F414-39E engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services proposal for the Saab Gripen fighter in pursuit of the Government of Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP).
StandardAero was selected for this partnership because of the company’s decades of experience serving Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft engines and its reputation for providing superior MRO services at its 665,000 sq. ft. campus in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the company has continuously operated since 1911.
Supporting the GE F414-39E provides a significant growth opportunity for the StandardAero Winnipeg facilities. This could add a new military engine line to the existing service offerings and build on StandardAero’s long history supporting the RCAF. Establishing support of the F414 engine in Winnipeg would lead to substantial, highly skilled, job growth and provide an excellent export opportunity for supporting other F414 fleets.
“We take great pride in our Canadian heritage and our more than a century presence in the Winnipeg community,” said Marc Drobny, President of StandardAero’s Military division. “StandardAero’s Canadian operations reach across the country, with additional facilities located in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.”
StandardAero performs a wide variety of engine maintenance across both military and commercial programs. The company’s services include engine (turboprop, turbofan, turboshaft and afterburner) and rotary-wing airframe (minor and major depth, design, modification and upgrades, STC development and integration) MRO services.
“Our mission is to support fighter readiness for our nation’s forces and allies with the industry’s most reliable and customized MRO services,” Drobny added. “Our company-wide, OEM-aligned strategy allows us to effectively compete in subcontractor roles with many OEMs and Channel Partners as well as participate as a prime contractor. We have a 60 year partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force providing propulsion sustainment for the T56 engines powering the CC-130 Hercules and CP-140 Aurora aircraft and currently provide full comprehensive MRO, engineering and supply chain support under Canada’s recent performance based contract sustainment initiatives.”
As part of the Saab Gripen for Canada team, StandardAero has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GE Aviation to work towards authorization of StandardAero to perform maintenance on the F414-39E engines in Winnipeg.
StandardAero also brings a very close, long-term, partnership with GE to the program. In February of 2012, the two companies announced the opening of a new $50 million aircraft engine Testing, Research and Development Centre (TRDC) in Winnipeg. The centre was specifically designed to perform icing certification testing on GE’s jet engines, as well as develop advanced testing methodologies and equipment for GE Aviation’s commercial and military aircraft engines. 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.
“StandardAero stands ready to deliver on our partnership and we believe we bring the most complete suite of MRO services and experience to the Saab Gripen for Canada team – along with our talented Canadian employees and world class facilities to support a successful, fully compliant sustainment solution for the RCAF,” 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 The Carlyle Group. For more information about StandardAero, go to www.standardaero.com.