Spartan Aviation Services will provide Canada with a best value solution.

OTTAWA – Team Spartan members General Dynamics Mission Systems — Canada and Finmeccanica today announced the creation of a new joint venture to provide long-term in-service support for the C-27J aircraft in Canada.

Managed by General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada, Spartan Aviation Services will be the Canadian In-Service Support (ISS) Integrator if the C-27J is selected as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) next Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft.

Spartan Aviation Services pairs Finmeccanica Aeronautics’s 100 years of aircraft design, manufacturing and support with General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada’s long track record of supporting Canada’s Armed Forces. Spartan Aviation Services will be responsible for the delivery of the entire ISS program and will be supported by a strong partner network in Canada including: KF Aerospace, DRS Canada, TRU Sim, Rolls Royce Canada, Standard Aero, CAE, CMC Esterline, L3 Wescam and ATCO.

“It is very important to keep this venture Canadian – controlled by a strong Canadian firm coupled with the original equipment manufacturer as an integral partner in supporting the fleet for the long term,” said David Ibbetson, general manager, General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada. “Together we’re confident that we can deliver a highly capable and cost-effective solution to the Royal Canadian Air Force.”

The C-27J is a solution that meets the demands of Canada’s incredibly large area of SAR responsibility with a single aircraft fleet. Along with a capable aircraft, this FWSAR solution comes with a commitment to deliver 100 percent of contract value industrial offsets and benefits in the form of hundreds of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.

“From Finmeccanica Aeronautics’ perspective, the establishment of Spartan Aviation Services gives us a strong presence in Canada which will not only be used as an anchor for FWSAR and other Canadian programs, but also as a means to transfer valuable intellectual property and know-how to Canadian industry. This business represents a commitment to Canada for years to come that will have a multiplier effect – supporting other Finmeccanica aircraft programs from across the Americas,” said Filippo Bagnato, Managing Director of Finmeccanica Aircraft Division.

The C-27J is also a well-known, high-performance platform with a number of international customers. Among its international users, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Royal Australian Air Force and Italian Air Force have acquired a number of C-27Js for use in domestic and international missions, such as search and rescue, tactical transport and humanitarian relief operations.

General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada delivers advanced system solutions to Canadian and international Army, Navy and Air Force customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, with locations in Calgary and Halifax, it is one of the largest C4ISR companies in Canada and is a world-class prime contractor and systems integrator for military applications. For more on General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada, visit www.gd-ms.ca.

Finmeccanica is among the top ten global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security and Italy’s main industrial company. As a single entity from January 2016, organized into business Divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aero-structures; Airborne & Space Systems; Land & Naval Defence Electronics; Defence Systems; Security & Information Systems), Finmeccanica operates in the most competitive international markets by leveraging its areas of technology and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (FNC IM; SIFI.MI), at 31 December 2014, Finmeccanica recorded restated consolidated revenues of 12.8 billion Euros and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the UK and the U.S. For more on Finmeccanica, visit www.finmeccanica.com